Newsletter No. 6

CUHK Newsletter •Interview To Know More About Chinese Secretaries The post of Chinese Secretary was first created in 1980 and there are currently three Chinese Secretaries in the University: Mr. Sheung Hoi Ming in the Secretariat, Mr. Chou Chi Ken in the Registry, and Mrs. Alice Chan in the Department of Extramural Studies. Both Mr. Sheung and Mr. Chou have been with the University for more than 25 years and will soon retire. The Newsletter has talked to these two scholarly gentlemen, highly respected by their colleagues in the Secretariat and the Registry, about their job which is quite unique in the University. Mr. Sheung Hoi Ming 'Talkingaboutthebasicrequirement of a Chinese Secretary, Mr.Sheung says thatmastery oftheChinese language isamustandgoodhandwriting isanadded advantage....' According to Mr. Sheung, he has been entrusted with the duties of a Chinese Secretary ever since he joined the University, even before the job title was created. When asked what exactly the job involves, he says, ‘The drafting of official speeches, congratulatory messages, invitation letters, thank you notes, forewords and so on in Chinese for the Vice-Chancellor, as well as the preparation of press releases, the wording for commemorative plaques and obituaries in Chinese.' Not only is he involved in the initial drafting process, oftentimes he is required to produce fair copies in Chinese ink. Mr. Sheung still remembers those busy days in the seventies and early eighties when the University was actively seeking private donations to set up new programmes and facilities like the Art Gallery, the Chinese Medicinal Material Research Centre and the Three-year MBA Programme. 'There was an avalanche of outgoing correspondence soliciting or acknowledging donations every day. I had to handwrite all the letters in Chinese ink to show respect to each donor and you can imagine the workload involved,' he adds. Mr. Sheung's skilful brushwork has also graced the commemorative plaques in many university buildings. But, surprisingly, Mr. Sheung has not received any formal training in the art of Chinese calligraphy. His skills are largely self-taught and a result of his frequent use of the Chinese brush in his job. Talking about the basic requirements of a Chinese Secretary, Mr. Sheung says that mastery of the Chinese language is a must and good handwriting is an added advantage. As the University emphasizes its Chinese heritage and because Chinese is the principal language of instruction in this institution, any written communication that goes out in Chinese has to be of exemplary quality. A Chinese Secretary should therefore always be very careful with the choice of words and expressions for different kinds of written documents. Very luckily, Mr. Sheung says, there haven't been any gross mistakes in his work all these years. 6