Around the World] Are there any educational chicken coops in Hong Kong?

 

The private Han Academy has been exposed for defaulting on school construction bond payments exceeding HK$30 million. Founding Principal Xu Li, who arrived in Hong Kong 14 years ago under the Talent Scheme, has asked parents for a five-year grace period to give the school a "sustainable recovery." Media reports have also revealed that the school failed to pay its Mandatory Provident Fund contributions for 50 employees for June and August of this year, totaling approximately HK$250,000.

For me, the most striking aspect of this incident is the school's relationship with the new Hong Kong and mainland China. Hanting College received provisional registration from the Education Bureau in July 2017, and a month later, an article on mainland China's Sohu.com described it as "Hong Kong's best Chinese international school." How far can the "Hanting story" be told? A month after the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the People's Daily Overseas Edition published an article titled "How This College Became a Breath of Fresh Air in Hong Kong Education," portraying the school as a model for education in the new Hong Kong. The article stated, "At a time when Hong Kong education is plagued by viruses like 'colonialism' and 'anti-China' sentiment, Hanting College stands out. During the unrest in Hong Kong, including the 'Extradition Bill Movement,' none of its faculty and students participated, demonstrating their identification with the nation." The article also argued that the school was able to "engage students by drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese culture and history."

What's even more interesting about the People's Daily article is that some of its statements differ sharply from Xu Li's. Explaining the school's financial difficulties, Xu Li said, "Don't Hong Kong people know what happened in 2019? So many people left Hong Kong, and we were also greatly impacted. Then came the pandemic," implying that the school's situation deteriorated after 2019. However, the People's Daily article states, "Half of the current 180 students are from Hong Kong, and a considerable number enrolled after last year's 'black violence,'" citing "parents who fear that local schools will corrupt their children" and similar philosophies as the reason for their enrolment.