Li-Ying College was the first recorded academy in Imperial Hong Kong. It was founded circa 1075AD during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

(9601279).

History

The school's founder, (

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

: Tang Fu Heep), was a native of

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

province in mainland

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The school was located in the area known today as Kai Kung Leng () Kam Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong. The academy was well known for its large library of

Chinese classics The Chinese classics or canonical texts are the works of Chinese literature authored prior to the establishment of the imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC. Prominent examples include the Four Books and Five Classics in the Neo-Confucian traditi ...

. In imperial times, academies were designed with a strong emphasis on the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

system used to prepare

scholar-official The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class. Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...

s for government work. By the time of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

(16441911), the Chinese government in 1662 and 1664 closed down schools as a strategy to counter

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

(13681644) loyalists. The academy was in ruins by the early 19th century.

Notable alumni

* 1259 – The first ''jìnshì'' () degree under the imperial examination system was granted to "Huang Shih". * 1685 – A descendant of the founder, "Tang Wen Wei" was granted a ''jìnshì'' degree and was appointed district

magistracy A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrates' cour ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

. * 1754 – Chiang Shih Yuan from the Tai Po District earned a ''jìnshì'' degree and became well known for his literary accomplishments in southern China. * 1789 – Tang Ying Yuen (Tang Kuen Hin), a well-known local calligrapher, passed his military examination. He later built the "So Lay Yuen Study Hall" at "Shui Tau Tsuen" in Kam Tin.

References

{{authority control Kam Tin Government schools in Hong Kong Educational institutions established in the 11th century Universities and colleges in Hong Kong 1075 establishments in Asia 11th-century establishments in China

History

Notable alumni

See also

References