Wa Ying College - History

History

It was founded as Wa Ying Middle School (Chinese name 華英中學) by the Methodist Church in 1913 in Foshan of Guangdong in China. The school quickly established itself as one of the three most prestigious middle schools in pre-World War II southern China. During the War the school relocated to Hong Kong in Tung Chung Fort of Tung Chung on Lantau Island and later moved to Shatin. It returned to Foshan after the war. In 1951, after the Communist Party of China came into power in mainland China, the Foshan-based Wa Ying Middle School was confiscated by the state as the People's Republic of China's atheist Communist ideology does not allow religious organizations-run schools to operate. The Foshan No.1 Middle School (廣東省佛山市第一中學; pinyin Guangdong sheng Foshan shi Diyi Zhongxue, abbrev 佛山一中; pinyin Foshan Yizhong), was formed after the authorities merged the former Wa Ying Middle School with the public run Foshan Middle School (佛山中學; pinyin Foshan Zhongxue) and sited at the former Wa Ying Middle School.

In 1969, alumni of Wa Ying Middle School based in Hong Kong handed a proposal to the Chinese Methodist Church to re-establish the school in Hong Kong, then outside the People's Republic of China's control. The alumni pledged to raise funds to start the building project and entrusted the school to the church as in the past. With less than 400 alumni, nearly $300,000 was raised. In addition to a loan of $250,000 and a subsidy of two million dollars granted from the Hong Kong Government, the dream to resume the school came true. Construction work began at its present site in 1970.

In September 1971, the new school, now named Wa Ying College in English while keeping the Chinese name of its Foshan predecessor, started with 18 teachers and 12 classes. The school gradually expanded up to 31 classes by the 1983-84 academic year. The school campus has undergone a number of renovations over the years, with the most recent being at the late 2005.