United College was founded
in 1956 by the amalgamation of five private colleges, Canton Overseas, Kwang Hsia, Wah Kiu,
Wen Hua and Ping Jing. These five colleges shared a common
background in being originally private universities in Canton and its vicinity,
and having close relations with Hong Kong.
Dr. F. I. Tseung was the
first College President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees. With over
600 students, the main campus of the College was located at No. 147, Caine
Road, Hong Kong.
United College and its forerunners
made important contributions to society in providing alternative avenues
for the increasing number of secondary school students to further their
studies in Hong Kong. In 1957, the Chinese Colleges Joint Council was established
with United College, Chung Chi College and New Asia College as members.
Dr. F.I. Tseung was the Chairman of the Council, and led the three colleges
to strive for degree-awarding status and government financial support
for the establishment of a Chinese university. In 1959, United College
together with Chung Chi and New Asia, became recognised post-secondary
colleges in preparation for the establishment of a new university.
In October 1963, The Chinese
University of Hong Kong was inaugurated with United College as one of the
three foundation colleges. Apart from resources from the government, the
College, with its mission for promoting academic development and serving
Hong Kong, received great support from society and established its own
Endowment Fund, for development in teaching and research work, and for
close linkage with renowned international academic institutes.
In 1972, United College moved
into the Shatin Campus situated on a 140 meters high hill, with an area
of 7.7 hectares.
At present, the College has
a student population of 2,643, distributed in seven faculties of the University:
Arts, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Medicine, Science
and Social Science.
United College will continue
its founding commitment to meet the needs of Hong Kong, and to shoulder
the mission of the times to promote the interchange of Chinese and foreign
cultures.
"Ming De Xin Min"
The College motto "ming de xin min" means "Make One's Virtues Shine and Renew the People". It is modified from one passage in the classic The Great Learning.
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| College Emblem |
"Glorious United Man" Sculpture
- A gift from the College Alumni Association in celebration of the
33rd Anniversary of the College in October 1989. |
The lyrics of the College Song were written by Prof. C.C. Chan, the
founding Chairman of the Chinese Department of the College.
Please see Chinese Version for details
Download College Song