CO129-594-1 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University. For extracted photographs see CN 3-45- Advisory Committee report 29-3-1946 - 3-7-1946 — Page 183

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particularly the Chinese. As Western and Chinese cultures are embodied in the English and Chinese Languages and Literatures and in the respective social institutions of the two regions, the English, the Chinese and the Social Sciences Departments are likely to cover this field pretty thoroughly between them. But the other Departments should not remain merely ancillary to the basic three. In particular, some students should be specially trained in the proper disciplines and methods of History, Philosophy and Mathematics by means of Honours Schools in those subjects at an early date. Nor should an Honours School in Geography be ruled out in principle,- though in practice it may be necessary to postpone its development for a while.

The following observations are offered on the first three Departments which are in the above sense basic.

Department of English (Language and Literature:

This Department would aim at develo ing a critical appreciation of the Western Civilisation and its variants, especially the British, through a study of a suitable selection of literature, using that word in its widest sense. It should also aim at giving its students an effective mastery of spoken and written English, based upon a study of the language, using all the latest techniques, and with especial attention to phonetics. this respect it would gain much from the post-graduate Department o. Education. Comparative studies in English and Chinese literary forms should be undertaken. For this reason we would suggest that one/at least of the lecturers of the Department should be a Chinese well grounded in his own and in English literature. Such men find a place in the Chinese scheme of University education.

Department of Chinese Language and Literature):

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This Department would give Chinese from overseas and some non-Chinese students, an elementary training in the Chinese language, and an introduction to its literature, bu its main work would be with Chinese students already well- grounded in this subject. It might also become a research

centre for British sinologues, rather like the Ecole Francaise del "Extreme Orient", at lianoi. Useful work might be done on the Chinese dialects and in literary and historical research. It would certainly be surprising if this Department became a greater centre of Chinese studies than those in China itself, but before the War it had already become an important centre, and in any case its