Hong Kong Chu Hai College
History
The college can be traced back to Chu Hai University (私立珠海大學) in Guangzhou, China in 1947. The private university was founded by a group of prominent educators, financiers, and legislators of the Republic of China including Chen Jitan, Huang Lunshu, Li Yangjin, Wen Fangpu, and Kong Mou Sum. After Guangzhou was taken over by the Chinese Communist Party during the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the college relocated to Hong Kong. The institution was forced to rename itself Chu Hai College (珠海書院) as it was not recognised as a university under Hong Kong law.
For years, it maintained very close ties with the Republic of China government, as many of the colleges' founders and subsequent senior staff were former officials or legislators in the pre-1949 Mainland Republic of China government. It was registered in the Republic of China's Ministry of Education as Chu Hai University (珠海大學) and was authorised to award degrees on behalf of the Republic of China Ministry of Education. It enjoyed status and recognition similar to that of universities in Taiwan. The college also received annual grants from the Republic of China and acted as the agent for administrating Taiwanese university entrance examinations for Hong Kong students wishing to pursue tertiary education in the Republic of China.
In the 1990s, the Taiwanese localisation movement and the subsequent change in policy led to its being increasingly distanced from the Republic of China in Taiwan. In response, the college began to re-establish itself, in part by associating actively with other overseas universities and in part by a series of self-strengthening actions, including seeking to award its own degrees. In May 2004, the Hong Kong SAR government officially recognised the college's programmes and in October, it was approved to award its own degrees by Hong Kong's Chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa.
With the approval of Hong Kong SAR government, it became an "Approved Post Secondary College" in July 2004 was renamed Chu Hai College of Higher Education (珠海學院). On the same day, the college was removed from the register of the Republic of China's Ministry of Education in accordance with Hong Kong ordinances and Republic of China laws. Its grants from the Republic of China were withdrawn by the Legislative Yuan in 2003. New students are no longer awarded degrees equivalent in rights to those of universities in Taiwan, while Taiwanese university entrance examinations for Hong Kong students have since then been organised directly by Taiwan's National Chi Nan University.
The institution renamed itself Hong Kong Chu Hai College (香港珠海學院) in November 2022 and approved by the Hong Kong SAR government in December 2022.
Campus
After moving to Hong Kong, the college utilised the building of the Dai Tong Secondary School (大同中學) in Mongkok as its campus. However, the secondary school was later closed and the college was forced to move to Tsuen Wan.
In 2009, the college announced that it was planning to build its own purpose-built campus, for the first time in its history. Funding was provided partially by The College Land Grant and Start-up Loan, administered by the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong government. Among the other contributors to this project was the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which announced that it was donating HK$200 million towards the construction. The new campus located in east Castle Peak Bay, Tuen Mun, opened in August 2016.
Recognition
At present, Chu Hai College of Higher Education is one of the 17 institutions able to issue bachelor's degrees in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Chu Hai College partnered with the British Broadcasting Corporation to produce a glossary of English-Chinese financial market terminology.
References
- ^ Information Portal for Accredited Post-secondary Programmes Chu Hai College of Higher Education Archived 27 August 2014 at archive.today The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, 13 December 2012
- ^ Chu Hai College of Higher Education About the College Archived 19 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2014
- ^ "Approval for post secondary colleges to award degrees and for Chu Hai College of Higher Education to include "Hok Yuen" in its new Chinese Name" (PDF). Education Bureau. December 2022.
- ^ The Government of the Hong Kong SAR $420 million Loans Approved for Post-secondary Education Providers 19 June 2009
- ^ The Hong Kong Jockey Club Jockey Club helps Chu Hai College build new campus 26 June 2014
- ^ "Translating money: A new tool for understanding between Chinese and English". October 2014.