580
8.
It may interest you to know that besides the Rotarians I have already mentioned in connection with the Tung Wah, Rotarians Li Hoi Tung, and Tang Shiu Kin were former Chairmen of Directors of the Tung Wah, and that Rotarians H. Hong Sling, Lee Iu Cheung, and W.N. Thomas Tam were former directors.
ASSISTANCE OF THE GOVERNOR
All who have had any experience of the work of these Hospitals cannot but realise that the directors, even with the able help of the permanent advisers, could not have accomplished their fine record of service without the close co-operation, assistance, financial and otherwise, and advice of the local Government, and I know that successive terms of directors have reason to be grateful, not only to the permanent advisers, but also to His Excellency the Governor, the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, the Hon. the D.M.S.S., Rotarian Dr. Wellington, and, above all, the Hon. the Secretary for Chinese Affairs who has ever been the Hospitals' kind mentor and friend.
I have endeavoured to give you some idea of one aspect of Chinese community service, and if I have succeeded in interesting you in this work and, above all, if I have succeeded in enlisting your practical sympathy to such an extent as to induce you to give a subscription to the Tung Wah for the new building, I shall feel very happy in the thought that I, as a Rotarian, shall have made a contribution, however humble, to the cause of one aspect, and an important aspect, of community service in the Colony. (Applause)
The recent address to Rotarians on the local Chinese hospitals has prompted some research. The Tung Wah Hospital, one of the oldest medical institutions in Hongkong, built in 1870 (the foundation stone was laid on April 9 that year by H.E. the Governor, Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell, who incidentally administered the local government from 1866-1871) and opened in 1872, is now under demolition; and the next few months should see the replacement of this unique Chinese building by a modern concrete structure of six storeys with beautiful grounds attached to both sides and accommodation for a bigger number of patients.
The establishment of the Tung Wah Hospital arose out of a movement among Chinese merchants to provide a place where the sick could be provided with Chinese medical attention. The movement, according to the oldest records of this hospital available, was started in 1867, and in those days the suggestion for a hospital was initiated mostly by Chinese compradores associated with leading local Hongs. The idea was to start an "I-tsze" or Chinese hospital in Tai Ping Shan, now known as Tai Ping Shan Street, which even in those early days was one of the most densely populated centres in town.
The "I-tsze" at first provided the medium of a refuge to avoid the rites and ceremonies connected with death, and where bodies could be kept whilst awaiting removal to the mainland. So in addition to being a hospital, the original Tung Wah was also used as a mortuary. It will be interesting to foreign readers to know that even to-day the Tung Wah Hospital manages the Yee Chong Mortuary in Aberdeen, where a number of one-storey buildings have been erected for the accommodation of hundreds of...
580
8.
It may interest you to know that besides the Rotarians I have already mentioned in annection with the Tung Wah, Rotarians Li Hoi Tung, and Tang Shiu Kin were former Chairmen of Directors of the Tung Wah, and that Rotarians H. Hong Sling, Lee Iu Cheung, and W.N. Thomas Tam were former directors.
ASSISTANCE OF THE GOVERNOR
All who have had any experience of the work of the se Hospitals cannot but realise that the directors, even with the able help of the permanent advisers, could not have accomplished their fine record of service without the close co-operation, assistance, financial and otherwise,and advice of the local Government, and I know that successive terms of directors have reason to be grateful, not only to the permanent advisers, but also to His Excellency the Governor, the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, the Hon. the D.M.S.S., Rotarian Dr. Wellington, and, above all, the Hon. the Secretary for Chinese Affairs who has ever been the Hospitals' kind mentor and friend.
I have endeavoured to give you some idea of one aspect of Chinese community service, and if I have succeeded in interesting you in this work and, above all, if I have succeeded in enlisting your practical sympathy to such an extent as to induce you to give a subscription to the Tung Wah for the new building. I shall feel very happy in the thought that I, as a Rotarian, shall have made a contribution, however humble, to the cause of one aspect, and an important aspect, of community service in the Colony. (Applause)
The recent address to Retarians on the local Chinese hospitals has prompted some research. The Tung Wah Hospital, one of the oldest medical institutions in Hongkong, built in 1870 (the foundation stone was laid on April 9 that year by H.E. the Governor, Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell, who incidentally administered the local government from 1866-1871) and opened in 1872, is now under demolition; and the next few months should see the replacement of this unique Chinese building by a modern concrete structure of six storeys with beautiful erdens attached to both sides and accommodation for a bigger number of patients.
The establishment of the Tung Wah Hospital arose out of a movement among Chinese merchants to provide a place where the sick could be provided with Chinese medical attention. The move- ment, according to the oldest records of this hospital a vailable, was started in 1867, and in those days the suggestion for a hos- pital was initiated mostly by Chinese compradores associa ted with leading local Hongs, The idea was to start an "I-tsze" or Chinese hospital in Tai Ping Shan now known as Tai Ping Shan Street, whicheven in those early days was one of the most densely populated centres in town.
The "l-tsze" at first provided the medium ofta refuge to avoid the rites and ceremonies connected with death, and where bodies could be kept whilst awaiting removal to the mainland. So in addition to being a hospital the original Tung Wah was also used as a mortuary. It will be interesting to foreign readers to know that even to-day the Tung Wah Hos pital manages the Yee Chong Mortuary in Aberdeen, where a number of one-storey building have been e rected for the accommodation of hundreds of
:
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.