Education in Hong Kong, 1941 to 2001: Visions and Revisions

Introduction: Visions and Revisions

INTRODUCTION: VISIONS AND REVISIONS COMMENTARY Rationale This book is a sequel. Its rationale is, therefore, substantially the same as that whic h applied to its predecessor, Education in Hong Kong, Pre-1842 to 1942: Fact and Opinion. Like its predecessor, it attempts to present enough instances of information, ideas , attitudes, an d skill s t o enabl e th e reade r t o becom e his/he r ow n historia n o f Education. If, however, at least in the beginning, this objective seems unrealistically ambitious, the n i t hope s t o provid e sufficien t stimulu s or , even , provocatio n t o encourage th e reade r t o enjo y browsin g throug h it , reaching , perhap s serendipitously, her/hi s ow n conclusions about the latest phases in the history of education i n Hon g Kong . The mos t salien t difference s betwee n thi s boo k an d it s precurso r relate , o f course, to the actual factual content s an d t o their chronologica l scope . The earlie r work attempted t o tackle issues and developments, some of which could be traced back man y centuries . Eve n it s mor e detaile d treatment s focuse d o n a century' s worth of facts and opinions. The present work is confined t o a little less than sixt y years o f moder n and , perhaps , post-moder n developments . Wit h it s correspondingly sharpe r and more familiar focus , it seeks to illuminate the visions and th e revisions that typified educatio n i n Hong Kong in the years from th e en d of 194 1 to beginnin g o f th e ne w millennium . In a more general sense, it seeks to fulfill bot h the "main purposes" of Histor y that Richar d Aldric h identified : "t o furnis h a n accoun t o f pas t events " an d t o "provide an interpretation of those events and by so doing to locate ourselves, both as individuals an d a s members i n society, within historica l time", recognizing, a s Aldrich did , tha t "suc h locatio n i s particularly appropriat e i n th e earl y year s o f a ne w centur y an d a ne w millennium". 1 The predecesso r o f thi s boo k emphasize d th e concept s o f fac t an d opinion , together wit h th e way thei r interactions shap e an understanding o f the history of education. Thus , tw o apparentl y contrastin g concept s wer e see n a s essentiall y connected i n a manne r tha t i s reflected i n th e Chinese notio n o f yin an d yang. I n this sequel , a majo r content-oriente d focu s i s o n anothe r pai r o f apparentl y 1. Richard Aldrich (ed.) , (2002), A Century of Education, London, Routledge-Falmer, p . 1. 2 EDUCATION IN HONG KONG, 1941 TO 2001 opposing, but fundamentall y complementar y an d reciprocal , yin/yang-like ideas : visions an d revisions . Visions In Hon g Kong , the year s fro m 194 1 to th e ne w millenniu m haboure d numerou s and varie d visions , whic h ha d implication s fo r education . The y range d fro m glimmers o f the (Japanese ) Greater Eas t Asia Co-prosperit y Spher e t o aspiration s for a brave new (and "free") world — once dictators and ultra nationalists had bee n defeated i n 1945 . Subsequently, i n relatio n t o th e link s betwee n educatio n an d politics, the y include d Col d War-influence d concept s o f 'counter-communis t activities', Littl e Re d Boo k inspire d image s o f th e Grea t Proletaria n Cultura l Revolution, and, eventually more pragmatic views of Realpolitik and modernization , with al l th e change s o f directio n an d emphasi s tha t thes e inspired . Wit h regar d to the economy , the y varie d fro m interes t i n entrepot commerce t o preoccupatio n with mainl y small-size d manufacturin g industr y an d...