Treading the footsteps of my beloved grandparents in their paths of cultivating education in the New Territories of Hong Kong

This article by Dr. Miriam Lau presents a reflective, research-informed narrative that intertwines personal memoir with broader educational history in Hong Kong’s New Territories. Centered on a return visit to Ping Yeung Village, the author retraces the legacy of her grandparents, both deeply involved in the development of village education, particularly through Ping Yeung Public School. The piece highlights the historically underexplored role of private and public village schools in providing foundational education to rural communities prior to the implementation of Hong Kong’s nine-year compulsory education policy in 1978. Through encounters with former educators, alumni, and local residents, the article reconstructs lived experiences of these institutions and underscores their enduring social and cultural significance.
A key thematic focus is the urgency of documenting and preserving such educational heritage amid contemporary urban development initiatives, including the Northern Metropolis project, which threaten the physical survival of village school sites. Lau proposes a digital humanities approach to archive and safeguard the histories of these schools, situating her project within ongoing scholarly and institutional collaborations. By blending personal heritage with academic inquiry, the article demonstrates how micro-historical narratives can illuminate broader educational transformations in Hong Kong, while advocating for the preservation of community memory in the face of rapid change