Newsletter No. 22

Emigrants f r om the East: the Brocaded Carp W ith some 100 brocaded carp in residence, the fish pond outside the Art Gallery of the Institute of Chinese Studies attracts many visitors. Although the pond is still a magnificent sight, university veterans cannot help reminiscing about its golden days, when an abundance of the beautiful fish flourished there. Whole shoals would appear in response to the clapping of hands, mouths expectantly rising from the water, hoping to be fed. Where did these fish come from, and why has their number dwindled to a mere hundred? Gifts from Japan Documentation indicates that the carp were donated by the Consul General of Japan in 1972 - nearly 20 years ago. No reason for the gift was recorded. Some say that a consular official who visited the Art Gallery felt sorry to see a pond without any inhabitants, and therefore arranged for 102 carp to be donatedto the University. No one knows if this is the true reason. However those members of staff who were on the campus at the time, and who helped the emigrants from the East to adapt to their new environment, remember their arrival as clearly as if it were yesterday. Welcoming the Emigrants From the start, Mr. Chan Wei Sun of the Buildings Office took care of the newly arrived brocaded carp. At that time, colourful carp were very rare in Hong Kong, and few on the campus had any idea of how to look after the delicate fish. News of their arrival caused a great deal of nervousness and anxiety. Fortunately, Mr. Mun Men Wei, a friend of the Consul General, and chairman of the Hong Kong Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund, had raised a number of the carp at home, so his gardener was able to teach Mr. Chan and one of his colleagues the basics of carp rearing. As Mr. Chan recalls, the two sessions given at Mr. Mun's residence totalled no more than one hour, and covered basic but important information such as feeding habits and egglaying symptoms. Mr. Chan's subsequent skills were developed during on-the-job training. After the carp had been transferred to their new residence by the Art Gallery, staff were assigned to record the water temperature of the pond every 5