Background (quoted from Tung Lin's post, here)
There is a school site I want to investigate regarding its origin. If someone could check on the first educator who operated this address: 12-C School Road
(area : 8000 sq ft) in the 1920s, 30s, up to the 40s.
Before the early 50s, it was named Sum-Sum Kindergarten. In 1958, my dad rented this site to operate the Ching Tak Kindergarten..
Its construction is quite unique and has a higher level of design than the other schools in the island village. The major classroom is just as roomy as
a church assembly. Its back wall has a square hole designed solely for movie projection from the other classroom. The front yard is very big. Its backyard
is on a lower terrace, overseeing a Boundary Stone, which is the one in Tai Choi Yuen..
Some notes of my findings continue here :
I. The red brick building should be there still, after ~100 years. It still shows up in the school's events in recent years, as their website. [1]
It may not show up in Google Street View as it seems to be on inner part of the school site. May refer to the GIS map here. It is at 5B School Road, opened in 1928.
It was appraised as Grade 2 historic building back in 2009.
One clue about the school building may be a public work done in 1933 (a previous work was notice boards in 1930). [2]
Before 1928, the school had resided in different places (firstly on 18 Tai San Street) and ran under rather adverse environments.
II. My guess that the Girls' school may be on 12C is because of the linkage 'L.M.S.', which as Tung mentioned the property next to CTK on School Road. [3]
And its later connection to education, 'tended to accommodate foreign children', and as kindergartens in 1940-50s. There seems some correlation among these,
not purely coincidental. Possible ? I am not sure if better evidence may be found to support it, or not. (*)
It is found out further that the LMS Girls' School is actually run by the organization 'HK and New Territories Evangelisation Society'.
There was also Sunday school held at the school site. This was co-operated by the Union Church and To Tsai Church. [4]
(*) p.s. I said it too early above. At this hour, more specific information shows up. Chinese name of this Girls' School is probably 端儀學校 (since 1918). It may have lasted until WWII began. [5] Even a 1926(?) photo of the pupils, from the CCC CC Church 100th anniversary special issue, was shared by the 'CC Nostalgia' FB, here. Any idea already ? : )
In the era when the 'mui tsai' debate was ongoing in Hong Kong for another round in the 20s, I think, setup of two Girls' schools in Cheung Chau and Tsuen Wan in
early 1920s is a progressive initiative. e.g. the Cheung Chau one is likely sizable and of good standard to receive continued subsidy, than the new Free School opened in 1920.
These some 40 girls who received years of primary education may not know the story then...
Yet some of their offspring may still be living in Cheung Chau today perhaps.
Please advise me if I have mistaken any information in this post, or add your other inputs. Thank you.
sources and notes
1. recap the the 2008 school publication pdf here. Photos of the red brick building are shown from page 3 onwards.
2. 'work consisted of sinking a well of 28'0" in depth' at Cheung Chau School, completed in Sept. 1933 by Chiu Sing Kee (PWD Report 1933)
3. on land registry, 12C School Road entry is shown in English name as :
Tai Choi Yuen, Cheung Chau CCL 1472 S.A. Grace Garden (the Garden's name also hints something about its history ?)
[present day remains]
about the 2013 google Street View shared by Tung before, it could no longer show the details. But the two flights of steps are visible (link).
[birthday party]
in Sum Sum Kindergarten, birthday parties were held every season, as reported on Wah Kiu Yat Pao (e.g. 1952-10-14)
4. SCMP, 1924-3-17; China Mail, 1924-3-28, p.4
as recorded, J.L. MacPherson was a member on its Controlling Body, c.1924-1926
5. refer also CCC publication in Chinese : Wu Sing, issue 658 p. 5 (June 2012)
Early Schools near No1 School Road in Cheung Chau
Thank you!
The one photo that appeared in one of the CCC CC 100th Anniversary collections really drew my quick attention. Its date was in the 1920s.
The bulk of students lined up in a few rows in front of the west wall of my dad's kindergarten, which was also our home on the site for nearly 15 years. The address is 12c School Road.
I recognize all the physical appearance of the stone wall, the windows, and the door. The students were looking at the farmers' valley, better known as Tai Choi Yuen.
Cheers,
Tung
1928 Cheung Chau Anglo-Chinese School
Timeline
a) 1927 - Government allocated funds for the construction of a permanent Anglo-Chinese School. Hong Kong Blue Book 1927 refers.
b) 1928 - Completed in November with five classrooms. Maximum number of pupils to be accommodated was 160. Report of the Director of Public Works for 1928.
Cheung Chau Government Secondary School evolved from the Anglo-Chinese School. The latter school appeared in 1908 until a permanent building was constructed in 1928 (as mentioned above).
Source
Early Schools near No1 School Road in Cheung Chau
Oopsie!
In one 1920s' photo of the entire group of students from the CC Girls School appeared in the CCC CC 100th Anniversary collection. I must have misread its location as my dad's Ching Tak Kindergarten. Sorry!
It had a similar type of stone wall, for sure, and similar windows and doors, but the few rows for students to stand on seemed to be very wide steps. CTK didn't have this building type. Secondly, there seemed to be grass or plants in the foreground. CTK didn't have the wide steps and had no grassy yard, but only a small hard cement playground instead.
Someone suggests the walls looked like those of the CC Baptist Church. I know it's no match at all.
I believe that should be the west wall of Penial Church at #1 School Rd. The entrance on these wide steps was accessible on Tai Sun Backstreet and would serve very well as a perfect spot for all photo ops.
Tung
some alternative ideas
as not an islander, I could only base on written information and photo images for analysis. I have seen photo of the foundation stone before, which was set up in 1936 with Peniel Church. That is why I am puzzled about the years gap and put a ? in my post above.
Is it possible that part of the stone building is a reuse, which may have been there for over 90 years ? [1] What I pre-conceived has limited my search.
Readers could also view and consider on your own. Street view of the west wall and main entrance on School Road may be seen here. Some on-site
viewing or expert opinions of the stone wall formation and texture may also help.
Above are just my observations and reasoning, not a proof. In fact, these matters may be well over 100 years by now. Documents or eye witnesses are not likely to find further... Unless it may be found that the original owner of these two lots is the same person or related (CCL 1472, CCL 980) during that period.
Some information says that the Girls' School location had moved several times.
notes
1. readers may compare it with the Cheung Chau Baptist Church (c. 1951), which is also a stone built house