Tim Fook:         Dear C.C, your comments are noted and I would draw another topic.

I watched a 1/2 commentary programme a few weeks ago and this programme (from either Radio Hong Kong or TVB) should be in Hong Kong some time ago. It focused on the situation that History is a selective subject in high school and the number of students who select this subject is declining. History is only a required course for junior high school students but the time is very little. 

The member of Education Review Board who "recommended" that history should be a selective subject and history teachers/scholar are interviewed. Ting Sun Pau, the retired Chief Curator of The Museum of History ( K.T knows him well) is among them.

History is a "required" subject in Mainland China. 

This may answer why Hong Kong students are ignorant on history.

C.C Lin:            Dear Fook Sir. You were once a High School teacher in Hong Kong after NMC days. You are right that most HK students at the present time are ignorant on Chinese history (particularly on the last 150 years which were not taught in HK during our NMC days under the British colonial rule for obvious reasons).

You are also correct that history is a requirement subject to undertake in the mainland at the primary and high school levels.

In today's mainland China, Mao is still recognized as the founder of P. R. China but they also admitted that Mad made major errors "in his later years". During my last 3 years in the mainland teaching both Master and PhD, degree students on Biotechnology, I had many personal discussions with my students on the other major errors during Mao's leadership. They were quite receptive to accept my view. I found that mainland students under the age of 35 did not know much about "The Quotations of Chairman Mao". It is quite fine as, since the Deng Xiao-Ping led reform in the mainland from 1978, practically eliminated "indoctrination" in the mainland education system. In 1970, when I left HK for the US, I would NOT predict the dramatic and very positive transformations in the mainland to this day.

Both world and Chinese history was one of my favorite subjects at NMC. I know Wong Man-Yin (in the same class with me from Forms 1 to 5) has always been profoundly interested and very good in history. I learn a lot from him during my NMC days and also today. Man-Yin would be able to explain to us why learning HISTORY is so important to us all.

C.C Lin:            Interesting, Charles Powell, the Secretary of former British Prime Minister the late Margret Thatcher, who also participated in the talk with Deng Xiao-Ping on the Hong Kong issue during her visit to China spoke up in the China Central TV which I personally heard myself in English. Please find the news report in Attachment II.

KT Lai:             In the recent trip to Uzbekistan with Wong Man Yin, he listened very carefully to what Prof. Ting Sun Pao and tour guide had said. His wife also said he is very interested in history.

- The End -

Attachment II

戴卓爾秘書的忠告值得重視

英國前首相戴卓爾夫人的私人秘書、現任議會上院議員查爾斯‧鮑威爾10月5日表示，香港擁有廣泛的自治權，自治程度遠超當年英方就香港問題與中國開展談判時的預期，「我從不認為中國會改變這一基本立場」，香港的「佔領中環」參與者「不切實際」。所謂旁觀者清。鮑威爾的忠告，值得港人重視。港人應珍惜回歸後享有的廣泛自由和民主，珍惜中央對香港的支持，不容許任何激進違法活動搞亂香港，危害香港繁榮穩 定的大局。

「不識廬山真面目，只緣身在此山中」。香港回歸後，憲法和基本法從憲制層面確保了香港特區居民的基本權利和自由。國際權威學術智囊機構去年發表全球自由指數排名報告，香港排名全球第三。正如鮑威爾所說：「如果我是一個香港年輕人，我會專心致志地利用好現有的廣泛自由和自治權，最大限度地利用香港的就業機會、旅行自由、海外就業自由、教育機會等等，充分享用這一切。」參與「佔中」的人士特別是年輕人，應珍惜現有的廣泛自由，而非透過激烈街頭行動或對抗行動妨礙他人的自由，這同時也束縛了自己的自由。正如林肯指出：「凡是不給別人自由的人，他們自己就不應該 得到自由，也是不能夠長遠地保持住自由的。」

鮑威爾指出，英國在香港並沒有引入民主制度，「中國關於香港選舉的立場，從1990年公佈香港基本法開始，就一直是清楚明白的。我從不認為中國會改變這一基本立場。」新加坡總理李顯龍日前也指出，香港得到的民主空間，已超過在港英時代所得到的，而選舉必須以符合香港利益、不傷害中國利益，符合法律和香港基本法的方式來進行。人大決定進一步體現中央政府推進香港民主發展的誠意，意味覑回歸20年香港市民就可以一人一票選特首。這是世界歷史上前所未有的民主發展範例。但是，「佔中」卻是在毀壞民主發展，阻礙2017年一人一票普選特首目標的實現。歷史的經驗證明，凡是離開法治的行為，無論怎樣花言巧語，最終一定以踐踏民主、摧毀民主為結局。參與「佔中」的人士特別是年輕人，應立即放棄一切佔領行動，珍惜回歸 後港人享有的真正民主。 

鮑威爾指出，「香港是中國的一個城市，這是底線」。「佔中」挑戰人大決定，其實質是挑戰中央主權，背後的訴求就是「港獨」。「佔中」不切實際，就在於「港獨」根本行不通！