"All within the four sea are brethren" : Chinese elites from Queen's College of Hong Kong and modern China = 四海之內皆兄弟也" : 香港皇仁書院華人菁英與近代中國

Abstract

In the course of modern Chinese history, Hong Kong has played a very important role. Queen’s College, founded in 1862, has been a cradle for cultivating talents in Hong Kong. In the past, scholars have researched on a few of the famous alumni of the school, but such studies have had limitations. This thesis researches the lives and careers of some 430 Chinese alumni of Queen’s College from 1862 to 1922, and analyses the contribution of these social elites to modern China. Queen’s College has a long history, and its intakes have been numerous. The alumni we know are just a tiny portion, and one can be sure that there is still plenty of room for historiographical investigation. Furthermore, major changes have occurred in the six decades from 1862 to 1922, during which period western ideologies like politics as well as culture have been developed and buttressed in China. Chinese society has been transformed because of the influence from the West. As a cradle for western learning in Hong Kong or even South China, alumni of Queen’s College could be found anywhere in the world, and in this regard we could say that Queen’s College has been a pioneer in globalization. Therefore, it is meaningful to research the lives of the forgotten alumni of the school.

This thesis researches the social elites from Queen’s College, and it is divided into eight sections. The first chapter is the introduction. The second one, being the most important one in the thesis, researches the history of the forgotten early Chinese alumni of Queen’s College. Chapters 3 to 7 are individual studies of five alumni of the school. They are namely: Wen Zongyao, Chen Jintao, Zhang Guowei, F.T.Cheng and Lo Wenkan. Chapter 8 is the conclusion. An appendix is also attached.