Newsletter No. 37

No.37 December 1992 CUHK Newsletter- wearing a morning coat with tails rather than the robe of black, purple and gold that is now familiar to us, because the ceremonial dress for University Officers had not yet been designed. The other gentlemen in the procession who were not robed either donned a morning coat, or the traditional Chinese cheongsam. It must be said that the first congregation also saw some niceties in academic dress which had become rather rare in later congregations, for example the very correct subfusc and white bow-ties worn by some academics and Council members underneath their gowns. The University Mace was not yet seen at this congregation, and the brocade-covered Chancellor's Chair did not look like the one in use today. The congregation began with a speech by the Honourable (later Sir) C. Y. Kwan, Chairman of the Provisional Council, in which he surveyed the circumstances under which the University came into being, and the efforts made by the citizens and government of Hong Kong, as well as leading figures in the local and international academic communities, to bring the idea of a Chinese University to fruition. Mr. Kwan's speech is four pages of small print but filled with so much interesting information that it should be essential reading for anyone wanting to know more about the University's origin. After the speech Sir Robert Black, as Chancellor, accepted a bound copy of the Chinese University Ordinance from Mr. Kwan, signifying the formal inauguration of the University. This was followed by the Chancellor's own speech, in which Sir Robert, himself an honours graduate of Edinburgh University, spoke eloquently of the community's need for a ChineseUniversity, appealed for public support, and remarked on the start of a new era in the development of higher education in Hong Kong. 1964 Dr. Choh-ming Li's installation as Vice- Chancellor took place on 9th September 1964. At this ceremony the Officers were seen wearing Chinese University robes for the first time, and the candidates for honorary doctorates were particularly resplendent in gowns of crimson and gold. The Mace also made its first appearance, being carried by Mr. T. R. Liu of United College in front of the Chancellor, Sir David Trench, in the procession. Made to a design by Mr. M. F. Griffith, an officer of the Education Department, the Mace featured a feng, the Bird of the South, atop an orb. The feng, fashioned after a device found on a piece of Shang bronze, was mounted on a rosewood shaft. Because of inadequate time gilt had not yet been applied, and the subdued sheen of the metal gave the Mace a well-aged, respectable look in the photographs. Over a thousand guests attended the installation ceremony. Apart from leading citizens of Hong Kong and members of the consular corps, there were representatives from a large number of overseas academic institutions: these included medieval establishments (Oxford), pioneers of higher education in the New World (Harvard, Yale, etc.), and 7