Our graduates in the last 40 yrs thru the time tunnel

Do you remember every morning in the assembly we gave three bows to Confucius before singing the Ode to Confucius or our School Song?

Do you remember Ching Sir on and off told us that we Confucian Tai Shing Secondary School was the only Confucian Anglo-Chinese school attaching significance to both the English and Chinese languages and that we studied Chinese Classics which distinguished us from the other Anglo-Chinese schools?

Utilizing Confucian teachings

Well, our learning on Confucianism did not begin with The Analects of Confucius but the thinking of Mencius. The first lesson began with the question of self-gain, or profit, in the following conversation with King Hui of Liang, a kingdom during the Warring States Period in Ancient China:

‘You have come from afar to my kingdom. Have you brought suggestions to profit my kingdom?’ the King asked.
‘Why must Your Majesty ask about profit when your concern should be benevolence and righteousness?’ replied Mencius.*

We are not sure if all our concerns are centered around benevolence and righteousness but we, the organizing committee headed by Adrian Hung Yiu Kwong, are a core of people who definitely do not ask for self-gain to mark the occasion of the 40^th anniversary of our graduation from CTSS,－we just want to get connected with you and refresh our treasured memory of good old days, which we hope will nourish our life. We hope that we don’t have to be woken by some unpleasant news like what is narrated in the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, in which the writer, Mitch Albom was fully occupied by his career pursuits after graduation from College and it did not dawn on him that he should see his lecturer-mentor from the College, Morrie, who had appreciated him so much until the last days of his life.

*David Chi-kin Lo, The Danger of Profit, 31 December, 2010.

Graduation Ceremony in 1971

Back to forty years ago, we had our graduation ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on 26^th October 1971 in the School Hall. The Hall was full of people comprising guests, parents, teachers and students. We were happy and excited. After some official ceremony, the graduates received their graduation certificates one by one from our guest of honour, Mrs. Haye.

There were refreshments provided at the end of the ceremony. We enjoyed it very much. Do our classmates still remember such a great event in their life?

Further study after graduation

After graduation, most classmates continued their studies in matriculation course in Hong Kong. Some continued their studies overseas. After they completed their matriculation course in Hong Kong, only a few of them could enter the universities in Hong Kong as the number of seats available was limited. It was the norm that most of the students continued their studies overseas. U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand were the popular countries they liked to pursue their studies.

For those who studied abroad, after their graduation in the overseas countries, they would rather stay in those countries which offered them better income and living standards.

For those who remained in Hong Kong had also established successful careers. Classmates had pursued their careers in different fields. There are doctor, solicitor, engineer, software engineer, school principal, teacher, accountant, lecturer, investment consultant, banker, merchant, psychologist, civil servant, etc. Their qualifications include doctorate degrees, master degrees, bachelor degrees, etc.

Transition time in Hong Kong

In the 80’s, a lot of people migrated overseas because Hong Kong would hand over to China in 1997. People were uncertain about their future if they remained in Hong Kong. Hence, some of our classmates migrated overseas. In the 90’s, even though they obtained their overseas passports , but decided to return to Hong Kong as Hong Kong was their ultimate dreamland. In fact, Hong Kong’s standard of living improved a lot in the 80’s and 90’s.

Relocation of School

In 1994, Confucian Tai Shing Secondary School was relocated to Tai Po and renamed as Confucian Ho Kwok Pui Chun College whereas Confucian Tai Shing Primary School still remains on the old site.

Search for our missing classmates

At present we have contacted about half of the classmates and are still searching for those missing. Certainly, we hope to reunite with all of them in one day.

Click here for the name list of 1971 graduates.

Written by Angela Or and Adrian Hung