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【New Asia Then and Now – Passing of Founder Mr. Tchang Pikai】

Dr. Tchang Pikai, one of the founders of New Asia College, passed away 51 years ago today (28 May 1970).
Born in Guantao Country, Shandong Province in 1905, Dr. Tchang attended Shandong Normal University in the 1920s. In 1929, he left for Germany to obtain a PhD in Economics, and returned to China upon his graduation in 1935. Witnessing the turmoil brought by the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Civil War, Dr. Tchang came to Hong Kong in 1949, and co-founded New Asia College with Dr. Chien Mu, Dr. Tang Chun-I and Dr. Tse Youwei. According to Dr. Tchang’s recount, he had already known the three gentlemen before coming to Hong Kong, “They were my old friends from the time I started Campus Scientiae (note 1) in Nanjing.”

Dr. Tchang’s obituary in New Asia Life Biweekly Magazine.
Cover of the special issue in memory of Dr. Tchang.

In New Asia College, Dr. Tchang served as the General Secretary, Chairperson of the Department of Economics, Chairperson of the Department of Journalism, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Dean of the Faculty of Social Science. He founded two College publications New Asia College Academic Annual and New Asia Life Biweekly Magazine. Dr. Tchang’s research focuses are land and agricultural economics. He retired in 1969.

Dr. and Mrs. Tchang in October 1952 (photo provided by late alumnus Mr. Hu Shih Chong). They met in Wuhan in 1937 and got married around 1940. Mrs. Tchang was very supportive of Dr. Tchang’s career and once pawned her jewelry to help raise funds for the College in the early days.
Group photo of a meeting attended by Dr. Tchang on 30 November 1957. Also in the photo are Tang Chun-I (back row, second from the right), Chairperson of the Board Vermier Y. Chiu (front row, third from the left), College President Chien Mu (front row, third from the right) and Yang Ju-mei (front row, first from the right).

Educated in one of the charity academies set up by Wu Xun (note 2) where his father taught in, Dr. Tchang said that he was deeply influenced by Wu Xun’s philosophy on education, “My determination to study and my commitment to become an educator are the manifestation of this influence.”

Dr. Tchang hosted the first meeting of the Staff Association on 27 November 1963.
Talks on Economics by Dr. Tchang (photo provided by 1962 Chinese Literature alumnus Prof. Chan Chi Shing).

A commemorative bronze bust of Dr. Tchang. The iron plate underneath is engraved with Dr. Tchang’s biography written by Xu Fuguan. The bust was unveiled on 19 September 2014 and is now located near the entrance of Yun Chi Hsien, Staff and Student Centre - Leung Hung Kee Building.

Note 1: Campus Scientiae is a monthly academic journal published between 1947 and 1950. In addition to Dr. Chien, Dr. Tang and Dr. Tse, contributors also included other well-known scholars such as Yang Shuda, Zhu Guangqian, Luo Ergang and Xiong Shili.

Note 2: Wu Xun (1838 – 1896) was a wandering beggar who used the money he begged to fund the foundation of three charity academies for underprivileged children. He is recognized as an exemplary pioneer for advocating free and universal education at the grassroots level.

【New Asia Family: Mr. Yang Sze-ngai Raymond (17/Government and Public Administration), Co-Founder of “JUST FEEL”】