On Friday 14 October Yew Chung International School (YCIS) Beijing joined with other schools from the Yew Chung Foundation to celebrate their Founder’s Day.
Schools and kindergartens from across China, and also Silicon Valley in the USA, were connected by a video link and shared in a ceremony celebrating the Foundation’s achievements and ethos. YCIS Beijing’s contribution was a rousing performance of “YMCA” with the lyrics changed appropriately. Co-Principal Noel Thomas gave a speech in which he talked about the importance of respecting legacy as a basis for future development. “The seed and the flower are one,” he told an audience of students, teachers and parents.
Founder’s Day itself is a relatively new institution, having begun in 2012, but the history of the Foundation goes back 80 years earlier to 1932, when Madam Tsang Chor-hang established the first Yew Chung kindergarten in Hong Kong. Under Dr. Betty Chan, Madam Tsang’s daughter and the current Director, the Foundation has opened schools in Shanghai, Chongqing, Qingdao, and California, as well as Beijing. This year saw the opening of Yew Wah International Education School (YWIES) Beijing, which offers the benefits of an international education to Chinese nationals.
Following the ceremony students from all the schools took part in games and activities.
Photo: Andrew Killeen
