A New Era Begins 1975-78

Addendum: On the Name of The Chinese University of Hong Kong Address by Dr. Choh-Ming Li at The Nineteenth Congregation of The Chinese University of Hong Kong on October 2 ， 1978 Your Excellency the Chancellor, Mr. Vice-Chancellor ， Ladies and Gentlemen: I would like first of all to thank the University and particularly His Excellency the Chancellor for conferring upon me the Degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa. This honour stands out in my life, unique for its background and sentimental content. In recent years I have spoken many times on the special mission of The Chinese University; I do not intend to go over that ground again today. But there is one question that remains to be faced squarely and answered fully, and that is, what is the reason for calling our University The Chinese University of Hong Kong? I was not consulted on the name and it was given to the University before the University was formally established. The Fulton Commission, of which I was a member, and which advised the Hong Kong Government to establish the University, did not go into the naming of the University at all. Nevertheless, as I look back over the last fifteen years, more and more I feel the name is proper and appropriate, although it has indeed been subject to different interpretations and a good deal of misunderstanding. The name suggests to some people that only Chinese should be used in every activity within the University. In fact, the Ordinance of the University does lay down the provision that the Chinese language be made the "principal medium of instruction"; accordingly, three quarters of all our courses have been and are being taught in Chinese, with the remaining quarter taught in English, Japanese, French, German and Italian. But to expect our University graduates to be proficient only in the Chinese language is absurd. Language is a tool of vital importance to a student, and we expect each and every one of our students to develop an adequate capacity to be at least bilingual—to choose a non-Chinese language that would become a necessary part of his life-long equipment. Another common interpretation given to the name of our University is that the word Chinese means Chinese culture, thus implying that the University is a university of Chinese culture. Of course no university can be separated from its national setting. Thus, all universities established in China or by overseas Chinese are Chinese universities, just as all universities in the United Kingdom are British universities, in France French universities and so on. Furthermore, all universities have the obligation to deal with knowledge and cultures of whatever origin. Hence every university is a bridge between its own national culture and 15