Bulletin Vol. 1 No. 3 Sep 1964

In the ed ito ria l o f Wah K i n Y a t P o the next day, the paper called fo r suppo rt from the local people ‘to consoli- date the fo u nda tion o f the U n iv e rs ity '. 'W e have now learned the ideals o f the Chinese U n iv e rs ity b u t the realization o f these ideals depends on the c o n tin u in g efforts o f everybody. T h is is a re sp on sib ility o f the G o ve rn - ment, the fo u r m illio n citizens o f H o ng K o n g and those who are interested in the w e ll-b e ing o f H o n g K o n g '. H e a d lin in g an e d ito ria l ‘N ew U n iv e rs ity 's w ide H o ri­ zons', the S o u th C h in a M o r n i n g P ost said the V ice- C hancellor ‘took the o p p o rtu n ity to c la rify an issue that received a great deal o f a tten tion in the m onths before and imm edia te ly after the U n iv e rs ity came in to being. T h is was the general p o licy o f progress to be adopted by the U n iv e rs ity .' I t continued to say: 'One v iew p o in t was tha t it should provide an academic fie ld fo r free research "n o t in volved in the p o litic a l w h irlp o o l". A n o th e r view, perhaps better described as a fear, was tha t it w o u ld ignore China's h is to ric c ultu re and that though Chinese language w o u ld be the m edium o f in s tru c tio n there w o u ld be an over-concentration on E ng lish h is to ry and lite rature . D r. L i, a h ig h ly accom­ plished adm in istra to r w ith a most respected academic record, d id well to stress tha t w h ile th is w ould be a Chinese in s titu tio n in a B ritis h colony its ou tloo k w ould be ne ithe r exclusively Chinese, no r th a t o f a Chinese in s titu tio n dependent on p u re ly B ritis h influences, b u t tha t it w o u ld develop as a Chinese in s titu tio n o f in te r­ national character. ‘ In view o f D r. L i's academic background, th is is what m ig h t have been expected. A n d it is surely obvious that th is is the wisest way fo r the U n iv e rs ity to plan its development. Its academic tradition s are o f course Chinese and its standards w ill be those o f a B ritis h or Comm onw ealth u n ive rsity b u t D r. L i was able to p o in t ou t to the Congregation how cu ltu ra l exchanges w ith Am erican, Japanese and B ritis h in s titu tio n s and how close relations between the U n iv e rs ity and leading Chinese and W estern scholars w ould help to m o u ld its general character. ‘ I t is on ly a year since it was inaugurated and tho ugh it w ill be a long tim e before it assumes definite ou tlin e on the h ills o f Shatin it is pleasing to know tha t the firs t b u ild in g w ill be ready next year. B u t the most pleasing feature o f the V ice-C hance llo r's speech is his strong advocacy o f an o u tw a rd -loo kin g and in te rna tiona l character. I t coincides w ith a period in Chinese h isto ry when a stress on self-sufficiency and a reluctance to accept or s o lic it outside help is causing a severe obstacle to development and it is all the more im p o rta n t that overseas Chinese in s titu tio n s should make the most o f whatever the best in w o rld scholarship can offer. I t need no t be doubted tha t whatever d ifficu ltie s the new U n iv e rs ity may face as it moves in to its second year o f existence, the leadership pro vided by D r. L i w ill do m uch to establish its rep utatio n as an im p o rta n t centre o f learning in this pa rt o f the w o rld '. BETWEEN RUBY AND SALLY Even the tw o u n in v ite d guests, T y p h o o n Ruby and T y p h o o n Sally, had chosen an appropriate tim e to arrive in H o ng K ong, sandw iching the In sta lla tio n ceremony in the m id d le to allow a b rig h t and sunny day on September 9. By good fo rtune, none o f the overseas guests’ arrival schedules were upset by Ruby, although many o f them had to be confined in th e ir hotels the very firs t day o f th e ir arrival. T w o Regents o f the U n iv e rs ity o f Californ ia , M rs. E dw ard H . H e lle r and M r . W illia m E. Forbes w ith M rs. Forbes were the firs t to arrive on the 4th. D r. and M rs. L ym a n P. Van Slyke o f S tanford U n iv e rs ity arrived the same evening. T h e y spent th e ir firs t day in the hotels. A c tin g President o f U n iv e rs ity o f Saigon, P rof. Pham Bien T arn, Dean and M rs . Vicente A bad Santos o f the U n iv e rs ity o f the P hilippines, and D r. J. V . Loach o f the U n iv e rs ity o f Leeds arrived the second day o f T y p h o o n Ruby. On the 7th, D a to S ir A lexander Oppenheim o f the U n iv e rs ity o f M alaya and President C la rk K e rr w ith M rs . K e rr and tw o o f th e ir ch ild re n reached H o ng K ong. T h e fo llow in g day, S ir John F u lto n and L a d y F u lto n o f the U n iv e rs ity o f Sussex and Chancellor Vernon L.Cheadle and M r. W illia m A llaw a y o f U n iv e rs ity o f C alifornia, Santa Barbara, arrived. A ll o f them missed R uby b u t had a taste o f Sally. P rof. Tarn, who was staying in the M a n d a rin H o te l w ith a room overlooking the ha rbour and K ow lo on, said the ha rbour o f H o n g K o n g in all stillness d u rin g Sally, was the ‘most m agnificent sight I have ever seen’. T o see the ha rbour w ith o u t ships, ju n k s and ferries is a rare experience, indeed. In spite o f the inconveniences caused by R uby and Sally, the v is itin g guests managed to pay a v is it to all the founda- tio n colleges, ta lk w ith College officials and teaching staff and take a sight-seeing to u r o f K ow lo on. A ll in all, the U n iv e rs ity was blessed by th e ir presence as the Chancellor said: 'O u r guests have provided the necessary audience and p u b lic ly endorsed o u r status as a U n iv e rs ity and proclaim ed th e ir fa ith in us. Some o f them travelled many thousands o f m iles to be here, and we must all be very gra te ful indeed to them tha t they should have consented to undergo a fa tig u in g jo u rn e y in order to ho no ur us in this very practical and essential manner'. T h e D in n e r Party given by the V ice -C hance llo r in the evening o f the In s ta lla tio n ceremony took a change o f the atmosphere o f the m orn ing . C o rd ia lity and fellow ship replaced solem nity and fo rm a lity o f the early day. T h e Chancellor, S ir D a v id T re n c h , spoke to the dis- tinguished gathering o f overseas guests and staff o f the U n iv e rs ity and the three founda tion colleges. (See speech on the fro n t page.) He asked the d inn er guests to jo in him fo r a toast to the V ice -C hance llo r and the H ono rary graduates. S ir John F u lto n responsed fo r the H o no rary Graduates. T h e V ice-C hancellor, in his response, thanked M rs. E llen L i S hu -pu i, the H on. K en ne th F ung P ing-fan and th e ir fe llow comm ittee members fo r th e ir hard w o rk and 9