Abstract
In the past, researchers tended to rely heavily on official documents to study the development of education in Hong Kong. Though official documents are important, they constitute only one of numerous sources of evidence and give only one perspective in the construction of historical events. In addition, official documents, written in English only in pre-1974 Hong Kong, essentially reflect the interests and viewpoints of those that operate in that language. This article attempts to construct the development of education in Hong Kong in the 1930s to 1950s from an unofficial and Chinese perspective. Through a systematic analysis of relevant Chinese newspaper reports published in that period, it discuses the quantitative development of education, growth and decline of public and private schools, quality improvement, educational opportunities and selection, as well as students’ attitudes and behaviors in Hong Kong during that period of time. The article reveals the thinking and doing of a wide spectrum of Hong Kong society little reflected in viewpoints of official documents, and helps contribute to a better understanding of the development of education in that period in Hong Kong.
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