Chan Lai So Chun Memorial School

Chan Lai So Chun Memorial School
Chinese: 香港四邑商工總會陳黎繡珍紀念學校
Information
Established1977
Closed2006

The Hong Kong Sze Yap Commercial & Industrial Association Chan Lai So Chun Memorial School (Chinese: 香港四邑商工總會陳黎繡珍紀念學校) or simply Chan Lai So Chun Memorial School was a primary school founded by the Hong Kong Sze Yap Commercial & Industrial Association in Cheung Ching Estate on the Tsing Yi Island, Hong Kong.[1][2] Built in 1977, it was designated as Estate School Number 1 of the estate,[3] close to Ching Hong Road. The school provided Primary 1 to Primary 6 education.

Background

The school was organised by the Hong Kong Sze Yap Commercial & Industrial Association. During imperial China, Sze Yap refers to the four counties of Sun Wui, Sunning (later known as Toi Shan), Hoi Ping, and Yan Ping, located in Kwangtung (now Guangdong) province.[4] Although Sze Yap was relatively close to the provincial capital, Canton (now Guangzhou), it was somewhat isolated, as the main river did not pass through these counties. The people spoke Hoishanese, a branch of Cantonese. Many of them migrated to Hong Kong following the beginning of British colonial rule, seeking new opportunities in this new city. There are four streets, Sun Wui Road, Sunning Road, Hoi Ping Road and Yun Ping Road in Lee Garden, next to busiest section in Causeway Bay, reflecting their economical success in the metropolis.[5][6][4]

The association was established in 1909 in Hong Kong, three years before the end of imperial China. After the Second World War, it established several schools in Hong Kong, namely Wong Tai Shan Memorial College, Chan Nam Chong Memorial College, Hong Kong Sze Yap Commercial & Industrial Association San Wui Commercial Society School, and Hong Kong Sze Yap Commercial & Industrial Association Chan Nam Chong Memorial School, apart from Chan Lai So Chun Memorial School.[1]

The school was organised by the association and its construction was funded by Chan Pak Keung, a philanthropist and a Hong Kong-based architect renowned for designing hospitals in the city.[7] He was the son of Chan Nam Chong, a prominent tycoon and philanthropist in Hong Kong,[8][7][9] and Chan Lai So Chun. The school was named in honour of his mother, Chan Lai So Chun.[10] He himself served as supervisor of the school.[11]

As a side note, another school along the same road on the island, Po Leung Kuk Mr. & Mrs. Chan Pak Keung Tsing Yi School, a special school, was named in honour of Chan Pak Keung and his wife.

History

Opened in 1977, and largely rural at the time, the school was the first primary school in the Cheung Ching Estate, the first public housing estate on Tsing Yi Island, marking the beginning of the island's urbanisation. The official opening ceremony was held on 10 October 1978 and was unveiled by Sir David Akers-Jones, the Secretary for the New Territories. During the ceremony, he highlighted that the island was set to develop into a city with a population of 180,000 residents. Following the opening of Tsing Yi Bridge, the first bridge connecting to the island, on 28 February 1974, the number of residents in this new estate had already surged to 12,000. Sir David Akers-Jones also expressed appreciation for Chan Pak Keung's generous funding of the school, which served as a memorial to his mother. He further acknowledged and appreciated the association's contribution to the development of the school.[10]

While the school building of Buddhist Yip Kei Nam Memorial College was under construction, the college borrowed the school classrooms for lessons in 1978.[12]

The school operated as both a morning and an afternoon school. In the mid-1990s, the two sessions were merged following the education policy shift towards whole-day schooling.[13]

Due to the continuing decline in the birth rate in Hong Kong, in the 1995/96 academic year, the school struggled to recruit sufficient pupils, leading to a reduction in Primary 1 classes from four to two. The following year, this was further reduced to a single class.[14] In 2002, the school celebrated its 25th anniversary,[15] but just a year later, in 2003, the Education Bureau ordered the school to cease Primary 1 admissions.[16][17] and it was officially closed after the summer of 2006, after 29 years of operation. All pupils were transferred to TWGHs Chow Yin Sum Primary School.

Beginning from 2000, several unused classrooms were loaned to the Education Department for use as adult evening school facilities.[18]

Building

The school premises covered an area of over 3,000 square metres.[19] It was constructed according to the standard school building design of the time. Although originally built in 1977, a new extension was added in 1999 as part of the School Improvement Programme.[20][21][22]

The total floor area of the school building is approximately 2,460 square metres, comprising twenty-three classrooms and seven special rooms. These include an art room, a computer room, a library, a music room, two remedial rooms and a student activity centre. In addition, the school features a covered playground and a hall.[3][23][22]

Polling Station

The covered playground was used as a polling station during various elections, namely District Board/District Council, Regional Council and Legislative Council, before it was demolished.[24][25]

Aftermath

The vacant school building was initially assigned to The International Montessori Education Foundation Limited for use as an international school. However, the development never materialised, and the assignment was eventually withdrawn, leaving the building empty.[26]

In October 2011, the Hong Kong government announced plans for the demolition of the school. Demolition work began in 2012, and the site was eventually transformed into Ching Chun Court, a housing estate under the Home Ownership Scheme. The development was completed in 2017.[27][28][29][30][31]

References

  1. ^ a b "香港四邑商工總會". hkszeyapcia.com.hk (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  2. ^ "FORMER SCHOOL NAME HKSYC&IA CHAN LAI SO CHUN MEMORIAL SCHOOL 前校舍名稱 香港 四邑商工總會陳黎繡珍紀念學校" (PDF). Planning Department. 2024-03-28.
  3. ^ a b "[Archive] Premises Information - School Allocation Exercise 2006". www.edb.gov.hk. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  4. ^ a b "Kai Chiu / Pak Sha / Lan Fong Roads [????- ] | Gwulo". gwulo.com. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
  5. ^ "Foreign influence Part 3: Around the world in a day with Hong Kong's street names". Hong Kong Free Press.
  6. ^ Kong, Streets of Hong (2023-07-02). "Asia's World City". Diana Pang. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
  7. ^ a b "陳百強則師 擅設計醫院". 華僑日報 (in Chinese). 1961-12-16. Page 3 on Sheet 2
  8. ^ "南華會救護部 歡送陳百強". 華僑日報 (in Chinese). 1954-11-21. Page 3 on Sheet 3
  9. ^ "The Four Taxi Kings – Blue, Central, New and Star – The Industrial History of Hong Kong Group". industrialhistoryhk.org. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
  10. ^ a b "青衣發展多方展開 將成為十八萬人市鎮 陳黎繡珍紀念學校開幕 新界司指出增社區繁榮". 華僑日報 (in Chinese). 1978-03-11. Page 2 on Sheet 6
  11. ^ "社會事務司何鴻鑾力勉 取之社會用之於社會 孝道應為提倡德育初步 四邑商工總會陳南昌陳黎繡珍紀念校 揭幕校慶畢業禮岑維休授憑頒獎" (in Chinese). 華僑日報. 1981-06-19. Page 2 on Sheet 6
  12. ^ "學校歷史". www.byknmc.edu.hk. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  13. ^ 全港小學入學必讀手冊. 荷花出版有限公司. August 1996. pp. 99–100.
  14. ^ 小學概覽2000：葵青區. 2000. p. 32. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  15. ^ "給校友的信". 陳黎繡珍紀念學校. Archived from the original on 2004-12-18. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  16. ^ 2003年度小一入學 各小一學校網小學名冊. August 2002. p. 40. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  17. ^ 2004年度小一入學 各小一學校網小學名冊. August 2002. p. 27. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  18. ^ "教育署成人教育夜間課程招生（只發中文稿）". 政府新聞公報. 2000-05-30. Archived from the original on 2024-12-29. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  19. ^ "Districts and school site areas of 209 VSPs on government land (or private land to be surrendered to the Government) (As at December 2023)" (PDF). Government Information Services.
  20. ^ "Finance Committee -- Public Works Subcommittee (Papers) 9 May 97". www.legco.gov.hk. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  21. ^ "教育資助金：分目8017EC ─ 按教育統籌委員會第五號報告書的建議為現有中學進行改善工程 ─ 第3期工程、分目8018EC ─ 按教育統籌委員會第五號報告書的建議為現有小學進行改善工程 ─ 第3期工程". 立法局工務小組委員會. 1997-05-09. Archived from the original on 2024-12-29. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  22. ^ a b "我們的校園". 陳黎繡珍紀念學校. Archived from the original on 2004-12-22. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  23. ^ "2006年校舍分配工作-校舍資料". 教育局. Archived from the original on 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  24. ^ 香港選舉資料匯編, 2001年-2004年 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 香港中文大學香港亞太研究所. 2005. ISBN 978-962-441-564-3.
  25. ^ Kong, Hong (1989). The Hong Kong Government Gazette.
  26. ^ "二零零六年度校舍分配工作分配結果 (營辦國際學校)" (PDF). Education Bureau.
  27. ^ "地產新聞及樓市分析 | 地產站 Property Station". ps.hket.com. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  28. ^ "Ching Chun Court, Tsing Yi - BEAM Plus Online Exhibition". greenbuilding.hkgbc.org.hk. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
  29. ^ "Development plan of the new Home Ownership Scheme at the former site of Chan Lai So Chun Memorial School at Cheung Ching Estate, Tsing Yi" (PDF). Kwai Tsing District Council. 2012-02-27.
  30. ^ "MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES TO INCREASE OR EXPEDITE. LAND SUPPLY IN SHORT TO MEDIUM TERM" (PDF). Task Force on Land Supply.
  31. ^ 黃家樑 (2025-07-10). 宜家港公屋 (in Chinese). 三聯書店（香港）有限公司. ISBN 978-962-04-5713-5.

22°20′46″N 114°06′32″E / 22.3461°N 114.1089°E / 22.3461; 114.1089

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