King’s College alumnus says unclear whether the decision was political
ALLEN.AUYEUNG@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 23 December, 2015, 10:24am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 23 December, 2015, 10:39am
The mounting was brought to the attention of alumnus Sam Yip Kam-lung, who publicised it on Facebook. Photo: Sam Yip
Photos of a television covering up a crown insignia on a wall at King’s College, a historic secondary school in Mid-Levels, are sparking concerns among some alumni and Hong Kong netizens that the school might be trying to hide its colonial past.
The photos were shared on Facebook last night by King’s College alumnus Sam Yip Kam-lung, the convenor of a community activist group called Island West Dynamic Movement focused on neighbourhood planning. Yip said he received the photos from a student yesterday.
According to Yip, the wall that featured the crown insignia was erected in the schoolyard before 1997 and was a project funded by the alumni. A photo taken earlier this year showed the insignia was still visible without a television mounted over it.
“The intention was to preserve the crown insignia in our school badge and to honour its historical tradition,” said Yip of the project. “By this disrespectful act, the school’s officials have shown a flagrant disregard for the alumni’s efforts and more importantly robbed them of their rightful nostalgia.”
The school had yet to comment on the matter.
Yip said he could not deduce whether the school’s motive was “political”, but he said “it was hard to keep people from thinking along these lines”.
He said he hoped school officials could “rectify this abhorrent act” as soon as possible and give a detailed explanation.
Built in 1926, King’s College on Bonham Road is one of Hong Kong’s oldest schools as well as a declared monument, known for its red-brick neoclassical architecture.
In October, the local postal service said it would cover the British royal insignia on the city’s remaining 59 postboxes built during the colonial period because the marking was deemed “inappropriate”.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1894017/hong-kong-secondary-school-slammed-covering-royal
