Newsletter No. 6

CUHK Newsletter water lilies would not revive, fresh water was reintroduced into the pond to smother the seaweed. In the late seventies, the Lions Club of Victoria pledged to donate a lion's pavilion to the University, and the administration of the latter decided to place it at the Chung Chi College pond. Foot bridges and other landscaping features were incorporated into the construction work, and the idea of decorating the pond with flowering plants was resurrected. This time, the Buildings Office took a different tack. Instead of water lilies, lotus were planted in the pond, but they were strait-jacketed by large pots half buried in the mud to prevent them from spreading about. They were later replaced by Indian shots in flower pots resting on a raft anchored in the middle of the pond, as the lotus had failed to develop as desired. At that point it appeared that the struggle between vegtation and men had ended, but such thinking proved to be premature. Not long afterwards, waterweeds grew rapidly in the pond. Fortunately, Prof. Y. C. Kong of the Biochemistry Department lent the Buildings Office a helping hand by introducing grass carp into the water, and they quickly consumed the waterweeds. Since that time, brocaded and crucian carp have also been added to the pond. It has been a while since the vegetation was tidied up; at the same time, sediment has accumulated and the embankments of the pond have eroded in many places. As a result, the director of the Buildings Office is getting anxious about the pond again, prompting him to remark: ‘By the look of it, the place is due for another major clearance exercise soon.' 5