Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2003

THE HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS T hose who have grown with the University and witnessed its development over four decades will certainly have a lot more to feel on the University's 40th anniversary. Among those who have been with the University since its inception, two were interviewed by the Bulletin. Let them take us on a stroll down memory lane, and tell us what The Chinese University means to them. Growing with the University Man On when still very much a kid Mr. Man On, who grew up at St. Christopher's Home, witnessed the birth and maturation of the University. He got his first job at Chung Chi College in Ma Liu Shui, two years before The Chinese University was established. ' I was still a k i d when I joined the CUHK. At the time the faculty and staff in my office were one big family. The older academics were learned men in the fullest sense. In their pursuit of knowledge, they never forgot to express their concern about the lives of staff like us. I was younger than most students back then, so I often had ‘big brothers' to help me w i th homework and ‘ b i g sisters' to me nd my clothes. ‘Every year, I helped out w i th the Tolo Harbour sw im and the climb up Ma On Shan. Those were great times. When Ch u ng Chi L i b r a ry had to move, I joined the long queue of staff and students to transfer the books by hand to the new library building. During the drought of the 1960s when water was rationed once every four days, I and other menial staff used pipes to conduct water from Kau To Shan to Chung Chi so that the college had a constant water supply. ‘The campus was a barren hillside. A village stood on the site of the present Sir Philip Haddon-Cave Sports Field; the Chung Chi Staff Club was then a small private farm. It was very different from the modern campus with its tall buildings. ‘The University should also pride itself on the bountiful talent it has nurtured. I practised tai chi w i th mathematician Yau Shing-tung when he was a student. I remember Dr. C.T. Yung (head of Chung Chi college) saying that if there had been no Chinese University, graduates produced by Chung Chi College would have had a hard time competing with students from the other university. He was right. CUHK graduates are making a difference in various professions in Hong Kong.' For Mr. Man On, happiness far outweighs the disappointments in the last 40 years. ‘The University has been developing very rapidly. The campus looks different, the facilities have improved, and so have medical and other benefits. If unit heads can be more tactful and understanding when handling staff's feelings while implementing university policies, we will have an even greater sense of belonging,' he concluded. Chinese University Bulletin Autumn • Winter 2003 4