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The Foochows Of Sitiawan (8) - The Anglo-Chinese School, Sitiawan
The picture shows the Anglo-Chinese School in 1955.
In 1902, the Government in the form of Mr. W. Cowan, the Protector of Chinese contracted three missionaries to bring Chinese Christians from Foochow, China into Malaya, to form a Christian Chinese Settlement at Kampung Koh, Perak. The missionaries were Dr. Leuring, the Ipoh missionary, Rev B. F. Van Dyke and Rev Ling Chi Mi. The immigrants were to grow rice to provide for the ever-growing numbers of Chinese miners in Perak. The cost of bringing in the immigrants was paid by the Government.
The Rev Van Dyke, missionary to Sitiawan, had started an orphanage there in the same year and with the influx of the Christian immigrants and with the help of Rev. W. E. Horley, this slowly developed into a school under the guidance of Dr. Shellabear who replaced Van Dyke.
The original building was of wood and atap on the land known as Chung Haw Kung Hui. In 1903, the orphanage cum school moved in front of the Chinese Pioneer Church.
Originally called the Industrial School Sitiawan, it was renamed in 1916 by Rev Horley as the Anglo-Chinese School, Sitiawan, by which time an additional building had been added.
The main school building foundation stone was laid by Bishop Edwin Lee on 13th January 1936 and the old building demolished.
Like other schools it was closed during the Japanese occupation and reopened in September 1945. In December 1953, a new building known as the Gong Diong Chang Memorial Building was added providing a science laboratory, a domestic science room and additional classrooms.
To read about William Cowan, ‘Protector of the Chinese’ Ipoh, click here.
To read about William Pickering, the First ‘Protector of the Chinese', click here.
To read about the Rev Ling Ching Mi, click here.
To read more about The Reverend William Edward Horley, click here.
To read about the book, The Foochows of Sitiawan, click here.