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The All-Rounder Chuen Yuen Newsletter

Spring Issue 2015-2016 News for Students, by Students WELCOME!

Hello Readers, welcome back to our school newsletter produced by our very own Chuen Yuen students. In this issue, Mr. Cheung Yuk Kui

talks about his long journey at CYC, from his schooldays to his teaching years here. As well as this heart-warming interview our students

talk about their amazing experiences of study tours and other extra-curricular activities that have happened in the school since the last

newsletter. We hope you enjoy this little but amazing work presented by your excellent newsletter team.

See you again – Mr. Cheung Yuk Kui By Sam Tsui 3A

In our school life, we learn many things and go through loads of discovery. There is always something or someone that is unforgettable and meaningful to us. Life can be marvelous and learning is full of miracles. How joyful it is that we can learn together and teach each other regardless of whether we are teachers or students. However, as sure as we are destined to meet, we are also destined to say ‘goodbye'. What we are left with is our remarkable and valuable memory.

In our school there’s been a person, whose smile can melt your heart; a person,

whose heart-felt dedication can awake you and inspire your studying. He can make

a fire spark inside anywhere that

is dark, not only because he's

smart, but because of his big

heart——let me introduce, Mr.

Cheung Yuk Kui, the pure 'Chuen

Yuen Man'.

Life in Chuen Yuen College

Mr. Cheung first came to Chuen Yuen in 1972… to study! Yes,

that’s right! He was a student just like us! Mr. Cheung

remembers that his school life was happy and less stressful than

today. At that time, teachers and students always spent time together. Actually, it's the same as now but our teachers

are getting busier and busier. (Continued on page 2)

Our writers:

Reporters

Karen Koo (4E)

Sam Tsui (3A)

Cheng Chak Ki (5A)

Esther Yeung (2A)

Mandy Siu (2A)

Keith Tan (2A)

Prisca Ng (2A)

Wilson Kwok (2A)

Jacky Sze (2A)

Winnie Wan (2A)

Irene Lee (2A)

Joyce Hui (4E)

Kate Tsui (5E)

Ho Pui Ying (4D)

Hui Tat Lung (4D)

Ng Po YI (4B)

If you too are interested in taking part in the editorial or design team for the newsletter, feel free to contact Mr. Ronan Dunlea or Ms. Stella Deng.

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So instead of complaining about having too much homework pressure, we should all try to understand teachers and

understand each other.

In 1991, Mr. Cheung started to contribute to his alma mater and work as a teacher. Up to now, he has been serving

in education for 24 years.

Everything changes as time goes by, and so it is with the education at Chuen Yuen, which will keep on improving

just like the development of Hong Kong society.

Reason to take up the responsibility to become a teacher

(Reporter=R and Mr. Cheung= C)

R: Why did you choose to be a teacher?

C: I wanted to share my learning experiences. Eh...I think learning should be done throughout our life. Although

we are at different stages, we can learn different things, so by becoming a teacher, I can share my life and

learning with students.

R: What should we do if difficulties come?

C: Overcome them and share our joy and achievements.

R: A love for teaching is the reason Mr. Cheung chose to serve our school. Yes, learning can be joyful when we

see it as a joyful journey. We go through different stages, and meet different people coming from different

places. We are so different but we are all studying at the same college and we are all learning from each other.

This togetherness is special and everyone should treasure it.

C: I initially expected my students to learn from me but later I found I also learned from them. Learning is usually

much more than what we expect!

Life is busy

Mr. Cheung hasn't listened to pop songs for 24 years because work forms the biggest part of his life. Every

teacher is busy but Mr. Cheung’s motto is “no regrets” as all the teachers do the same.

Life is busy, but learning will never stop.

I will be back

Although Mr. Cheung has already retired, he will still come back to visit us. Maybe he will inspire one of us

to become the next Mr. Cheung.

(Continued on page 3)

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Advice to students

"Teachers are all sincere and they all try their best to encourage students. I hope everyone can understand

teachers more. Try to manage the time well so that the efforts of teachers won't be wasted. After all, life in

CYC is great!'

"We should be grateful because everything is given to us by God and we should know how to live better.

Don't waste your talent or time, and treasure relationships with the people around you."

See you again

He is a watchful guardian, a shining light in our teenage life. He leads us, helps us and teaches us. He is our

teacher, our pure “Chuen Yuen Man”.

Choi Chong Wing Alex is a student inspired by Mr. Cheung. He says “Mr. Cheung gives me the impression

of being a nice man with a passion for education. He is a good Christian teacher and a good friend. Although

he isn't the teacher who has been teaching here for the longest time, he must be one of the loveliest teachers in

this school. When I was in Form One, my classmates and I angered him one time and we were punished.

However, his anger lasted just a moment but his love will last a lifetime. He pardoned us finally. I don't know

if there is any opportunity for us to have your lesson anymore, but I want to say: thank you so much!”

Farewell, Mr. Cheung.

We will remember everything you've said; we are looking forward to seeing you again.

We’re sure he will drop by and visit us again. Until then, we wish you a well-earned retirement.

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Exploring Hong Kong

Our Form 2 students joined heritage tours organized by the History Department on two Saturdays in

December, 2015. Some participants would like to share their experiences with you.

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Kwong Fook I Tsz by Esther Yeung (2A)

Kwong Fook I Tsz is situated in Sheung Wan. Kshitigarbha Buddha, who

bestows blessings on the spirits of the deceased to rest in peace, and Ji

Gong (Daoji) were worshipped in the main hall. It was founded by local

merchants and residents in 1856 to accommodate the ancestral tablets of

the Mainland Chinese who died in Hong Kong after travelling a long way

here to make a living. In the 18th

century, may local Chinese didn’t

believe in Western medical treatment and would not go to the western

hospitals set up by the then

colonial government. When

they were seriously ill, they

would go to Kwong Fook I Tsz,

praying for the mercy of

Kshitigarbha Buddha and Ji

Gong. Many of them died there. It was described as hell on

earth due to its horrible hygiene conditions. Now the temple is run

by the Tung Wah Group.

Now western medical treatment has been widely accepted by the

local people. The younger generation even thinks western

medicine is superior to traditional Chinese medicine. I think the

initial resistance of local Chinese people towards western medical

treatment was caused by the blind trust of old traditions,

superstitions and ignorance. Though it is very important to protect

our traditions, it is of equal importance to look at the traditions with

a discerning eye.

Man Mo Temple by Mandy Siu (2A)

There are several Man Mo temples in Hong Kong. The one we

visited is in Sheung Wan and it is the most famous one in Hong Kong.

The place is a temple for the worship of the literature god (文帝) and

the martial god Mo Tai (武帝). The two gods were popularly patronized

by ambitious students seeking success in the civil examinations in

Imperial China.

In Hong Kong today, many parents and students have a fervent desire for exam success, which is considered

as an important factor for a good life in the future. The popularity of Man Mo Temple shows that the passion

for academic success has a long history among the Chinese. Compared with students several hundred years

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ago, I think we are more fortunate. There are more opportunities now for a promising future. Actually,

high scores in exams alone is no longer a guarantee for a good life in today’s ever-changing society.

The Legislative Council Building by Keith Tan (2A)

The legislative Council Building is a granite

structure completed in 1912. This two-storey

neo-classical building is supported by iconic

columns. Its most outstanding feature is the

bronze figure of Themis, a Greek goddess of law

and justice.

Standing in awe of the building, I felt proud that

Hong Kong is a place ruled by law and justice, the

key of Hong Kong’s prosperity. But, no matter

how solemn the building seems to be, to maintain

law and justice in our home Hong Kong, we Hong Kongers are more important than the bronze Themis or the

solemn historical building.

The Museum of Tea Ware by Prisca Ng (2A) Built in the 1840s, this building of Greek revival style is an example of foreign influence

in Hong Kong. It was first used as the office and residence of the commander of the

British Forces in Hong Kong. During the Second

World War, the building was damaged by Japanese

bombs. It was repaired and then used by the

officers of occupying Japanese forces. Now it has become a museum

of tea ware. The museum displays the tea ware collection of the

founder of Vitasoy from the British colonial days.

Taking pride of place inside the grounds of Hong Kong Park, which also has a marriage registry, Flagstaff

House is now a popular background for weddings.

The Government House by Jacky Sze (2A)

Actually we could not enter it and only observed it from outside. The

mixed architectural styles of this building are proof of some vital

historical changes in Hong Kong’s history. First constructed in 1855

with a Colonial Renaissance style, it was the official residence of colonial

governors. During Japanese occupation, the place was occupied by the

Japanese Military Governor and it was significantly remodelled in the

current hybrid Japanese-neoclassical form. Now it is SAR Chief Executive’s residence. Standing in front

of the building, I wonder who will be the next one to live inside. Though I cannot predict the future, I

sincerely hope that whoever he/she is, he/she is devoted to the cause of a better Hong Kong.

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Exploring China

Christmas trip to Guangzhou

In this two-day tour, 40 S2 and S3 students visited different enterprises and a secondary school. As you look

at the photos taken in the trip and read about their experiences on the tour, you will gain more understanding

about Guangzhou, a city which is only two hour’s ride from Hong Kong.

Visits to three enterprises

1. Libai Enterprise Group Co. Ltd 2. Pearl River Piano Group Co. Ltd 3. Wanglaoji Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd

On the second day of the tour, we went to the

Guangzhou Libai Enterprise Group Company. It is a

large company which produces household items.

Even before we stepped into the factory, we could

feel the strong smell of washing powder. Once

inside, I was amazed at the endless rows of machines

packing the washing powder. The process was highly

automated. The factory workers only stood behind

the machines to make sure things go smoothly. Then

we went to see how the products were made. A

factory guide explained to us the different

production steps such as precipitation and filtration.

It seemed to be very complicated. With the help of

the signs, I was able to roughly figure out the

manufacturing process. The factory visit lasted

about one hour. It was short but it was a unique experience for us. Living in Hong Kong, we consume products

made in different parts of the world. It is fun to see how they are produced.

By Irene Lee, 2A

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Visit to a secondary school

1. Physical exercises during recess 2. Briefing about the school 3. A huge school campus

My first impression of Guangzhou Mei Hua Secondary

School was that it was big. Though it only has three

forms, Form 1 to Form 3, it has many buildings. The

garden and the podium are also very big. They are

divided into different areas, e.g., the Geography Area

and the Biological Area. In the Geography Area,

there are simulated landforms while plants of

different groups are grown in the Biological Area.

We observed a music lesson there. The teacher is talented. She played Pi Pa

and the piano to demonstrate to the students’ different music styles. The

students were very attentive. They never hesitated to put up their hands when

they did not understand. The teacher would then give different examples to

explain the ideas. I think the lesson was very interesting.

By Winnie Wan, 2A

The students of that school have to do the Calisthenics during recess. There have

different kinds of Calisthenics such as rope skipping, Tai Chi etc. When the bell

rang, the students rushed out of the classrooms. and started their exercise. Even

the teachers joined them. The students’ rope-skipping skills were amazing.

When I was watching them skipping, I couldn’t even see the rope! The students

doing the Tai Chi Calisthenics were just like the Master in a Kung Fu movie! Their

moves were very soft. After I saw their Calisthenics, I think that the school life in

Guangzhou is so tiring, but it can improve the health of the students. So I have

mixed feelings about this experience.

By Wilson Kwok (2A)

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Exploring Japan

Japan Study Tour

I was fortunate enough to be given an opportunity to join

students from sixty-two other Hong Kong schools for a Japan

study tour organized by the Japan-China Friendship Centre.

It was an eye-opening experience. In addition to

sightseeing, a lot of activities were arranged to enhance our

understanding of Japanese culture. The two days spent

with the Japanese students was really impressive.

By Kate Chui (5E)

Shy students

I found that Hong Kong students and Japanese students had one common feature: being shy in

the classroom! In the lessons we attended, we found that the Japanese students rarely raised their

hands even if they didn’t understand what the teachers were talking about. They preferred to

ask the classmates sitting next to them, which I think is also common in Hong Kong classrooms.

Respect for senior form students

In Japan, the lower form students show a lot of respect for the senior form students. They often

bow when they encounter students in higher forms. Also they are usually obedient to their

instructions. The most common word you hear them say to the senior form students is ‘yes’.

Unity

In my class, the daily classroom cleaning is the job of the two on-duty students only and the rest

of the class seldom get involved. But in Japan, all students make a collective effort to clean up

the classrooms every day, which, in my eyes, is a good way to cultivate unity and a sense of

responsibility.

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We care!

Although Hong Kong is an affluent society, there are subdivided units in different areas. These are flats

divided into smaller partitions or cubicles to cater for the living needs of those who cannot afford to buy a

flat or pay the high rental of an ordinary flat. Among those are the grassroots people in Hong Kong such

as some new immigrants or ethnic minorities who make very little money and are struggling to make ends

meet.

In December 2015 and January 2016, 25 CYC students visited sub-divided unit dwellers in Shek Yum.

(Preparing for the visit) (Discussion after the visit)

The experience of Joyce Hui (4D)

Our group of three students visited two units. First, we visited Miss Zeng. Miss Zeng lives in a

sub-divided flat of about 150 square feet with her husband and a four-year old son. The rent costs the

family $4500 per month, which is a substantial part of their modest income. In spite of the poor living

environment, she tries her best to make it a cozy place for her family. We found that the floor was very

clean and the things were tidily organized (though very packed). Miss Zeng was anxious about her son’s

English level and repeated her worries over her son’s education several times during our short visit. She

even mentioned sending her son to English play groups taught by native English speakers. It seemed to us

that she was willing to dig deep into her pockets in order to give her son a better future.

Miss Tsang, her husband and their little daughter live in a slightly bigger sub-divided unit paying a monthly

rent of $4800. There is a partition to separate the living room and the bedroom. Like Miss Zeng, her

house was clean and tidy. Her daughter is now 2 years-old. Miss Tang works part-time on Saturdays and

Sundays while her husband works full time. She was open and ready to tell us about her poor living

conditions. She told us how much she yearned for a public housing flat. The family filed their

application two years ago. Before they are allocated a unit by the Housing Authority, they have no other

choice but to stay in a sub-divided unit. During the visit, something caught our eye. Below the window,

two huge colorful posters were posted on the wall. One was about the English alphabet and the other was

about numbers. Miss Tsang proudly told us that her daughter was able to say the 26 English letters and

the numbers from 1-10 in English. To educate her daughter, she tries to make use of every community

resource available to her. When we gave presents to her daughter, she took the opportunity to teach her

daughter about manners and sharing.

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Before the visit, we expected to see the stereotypical down trodden faces grumbling about a difficult life, but I

was wrong. Actually, we were impressed by their courage and effort to face difficulties in life. They try to

improve the life of their families by working diligently to keep a tidy living area, by working part-time jobs

when situations allow and giving their children the best care and education they can afford. I sincerely hope

our society can care more about them and the government can respond to their needs for public housing and

child education. We solute their efforts and wish them the best.

The visit of subdivided units was a memorable experience. Through the visit, we saw

with our own eyes the appalling living environment of subdivided units. In the units we

visited, there was only minimum furniture and facilities. Other than poor privacy, safety is

also a huge concern if there is fire, the dwellers would not be able to evacuate quickly due

to the crowded conditions. So, induction cookers are often used by the residents to

prevent fire. In one unit, there wasn’t enough space for the washing machine to be used

normally. It can only be pushed out for use a few times a week. However, it is

encouraging to find that many of them think positively. The children we visited seemed

very eager to learn new things. When we were leaving, the parents thanked us and

encouraged us to study hard. Ho Pui Ying (4D)

In the visit, I did not just see the poor living conditions of sub-divided units; I was also impressed by

the caring spirit of Hong Kongers. Many people or organizations devote their time to help the

needed. From the people we visited, I heard about Principal Chan. He runs free tutorial classes for

the kids of poor families in the neighbourhood. Due to the restriction of resources, every child can

only benefit from the classes for half a year, but it is of great help to the children as their parents cannot

help much with their studies. This is a good start for the children to develop good learning habits

and learn how to learn properly. Our visits to the sub-divided units were organized by an NGO. It

provides some drawing, singing and English classes to the low-income families at very low costs. On

the day of our visit, we saw many parents had brought their small children to the centre. The centre

has a toy room, an activity room and a reading room. The site is not big, but is very welcome by the

people in the community. It has been running a ‘little schoolbag’ project. It provides each

participant with a small schoolbag containing 10 books. When the children finish reading the books,

they return the books and each will get another 10 books. The project aims to help poor families with

no extra money to buy books for their children and cultivate reading habits in childhood. A

schoolmate who joined the visit that day was so moved that she asked about details of how to donate

books. She even wrote down the NGO’s contact number so that she could donate books later.

Cheng Chak Ki (5A)

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Crossroads provides simulation experiences on war, HIV/AIDS, blindness,

water shortages, hunger, poverty and more. It helps people understand need

with their hearts, as well as their heads, when as the old proverb puts it, they

take a few steps ‘in another man’s shoes.’ Following these simulations, there

are discussions on how participants can engage with the challenges they have

just experienced, helping those in need. Last year, some of our CYC

students experienced one of their wonderful programs. and wrote about her

reflection after the visit.

Hui Tat Lung (4D)

We were bag makers in the simulation. Everyone was working, hoping for

a better living. We were anxious about how to maintain the basic needs of

life. The only thing we could do was make bags. We made bags hard and quickly. However, the work

was dirty and complicated. We were sweating even though there was air conditioning.

Joining the activity will definitely leave you with an impressive and unforgettable memory.

Bo Bo Ng (3A)

People in poverty worry about money, food and water every day. They ignore their dignity and beg for

money. They live a humiliated life. This is what we experienced in the simulation. Fortunately, we

don't have to go through all this in real life. How can we help them? In addition to donating money and

other goods, we can empower them through initiatives such as fair trade to help them support

themselves. We can also help them to obtain tools for making a living so that they can live a life with

dignity.

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Facing challenges

Inter-house debate competition Koo Yuk (4E)

‘Courage is the ladder from which all the other virtues spring.’ I’m proud of myself that I’ve taken the

opportunity to join the inter-house debate competition.

I was surprised when our captain invited me to represent my house in this fabulous competition. Among the

debaters, I was the youngest and I’d never joined debate before. It really was a challenge for me.

Although we didn’t win in the end, I’ve learned a lot. As a beginner, I was lucky enough to meet a group of

earnest teachers and senior form students. During the preparation, we sought advice from teachers and it

helped us to think about the topic more deeply and develop our critical thinking.

We conducted meetings and wrote our scripts together. We discussed the ideas and rewrote the scripts again

and again. It was great to learn from each other through the process.

I learned a lot from this unforgettable experience, especially with regard to my presentation skills. Through

lots of practice, we overcame stage fright. In the end, I could face a big audience calmly. My

pronunciation and intonation also improved.

I am glad that I had the courage to take this chance. If I had not, I would not have learnt so much. Here is a

piece of advice for those who are thinking about joining a debate: Join the school debate course before the

competition begins and, you will learn a more systematic approach to writing and speaking so that you can

work more efficiently. Good luck!