The Engchoon Kuala Lumpur History Gallery
Contributions to the
development of independent and national-type
Chinese secondary schools
Kuala Lumpur has a total of four Chinese independent high schools. Zhonghua Independent High School, formerly known as Zhonghua School, is the only one among the four established by the Hokkien community. The other three are Tsun Jin Independent High School, founded by the Hui Zhou people; Kuen Cheng Girls’ High School and Confucian (Zunkong) High School , co-founded by people of various Chinese dialect groups. People from Engchoon have contributed to the construction and development of these four schools at different stages.
In the 32nd year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign (1906), Mr. Loke Yew led the Chinese community in Kuala Lumpur to establish Confucian School, the second Chinese school offering modern education in Malaysia. At that time, Loke Yew, Yap Loong Hing, Lau Leong Chin, Lee Kwong Lam, and Tan Siu Lin were appointed as the school’s trustees. More than thirty influential figures from the Cantonese community, such as Cheong Yuk Choy, To Nam, Loke Chiu Kek, and Loke Chiu Tai, responded to Loke Yew’s call. During the early stages of Confucian Private Secondary School’s establishment, the economic power of the Engchoon community in Kuala Lumpur was still developing, and their influence on the local Chinese community was limited. However, by the 1920s, the Engchoon community had significantly increased its economic power and began to contribute to the development of the Chinese community in Kuala Lumpur. In 1924, Confucian Private School established its secondary section, marking the school’s growth period until the Japanese occupation. During this time, the Fujian group, mainly composed of people from Engchoon, became the backbone of the school. Key figures in the school’s board of directors included Ng Chong Kek, Lim Sai Yam, Lim Pang Leng, Gan Pang Fook, Ng Chin Siew, Tan Yun Teng, and Tan Jin Siang. Additionally, Tan Jit Kheng served as a patron of the school.
Confucian Private Secondary School was the closest school to the areas where the Fujianese community resided, such as Kampong Bahru, Ampang Mouth, and Fujian Street. As a result, many children from the Engchoon community attended the school. Several of the children of the board members of the Kuala Lumpur Engchoon Association were among the students, including Lim Pang Leng’s sons, Lim Wai Teik and Lim Wai Hock; Tan Yin Teng’s son, Tan E Seong; Ng Chin Siew’s son, Ng Mau Tong; Ng Mau Niao and Tan Wing Yat’s son, Tan Yi Ngan; Gan Pang Fook’s sons, Gan Yong Sien and Gan Yong Sam; Lim Sai Yam’s son, Lim Yok In. Additionally, the children of the founding members of the Kuala Lumpur Engchoon Association, such as Lim Pang Kee, Lim See Liat, Gan Kim Fook, Gan Teck Fook, Tan Siew Seong, Lim Yooi Keng, Cheng Yuen Soon, Hong Ee Tze, Ng Chin Do, Lim See Him, and Cheng Kien Sam, all attended Confucian Private Secondary School.
A grand group photo of all the teachers and students at Confucian School on the 12th anniversary in 1919
Source: Provided by Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies
In 920, Confucian School moved into a magnificent new school building, with the five-color flag of the early Republic of China. This school building has been preserved until today and it is temporarily used by the Zunkong National-type High School. Zunkong Independent High School has built another teaching building on the same campus.
Source: Provided by Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies
After World War II, the task of reopening Confucian Private Secondary School (Zunkong) was primarily led by teacher Lim Lian Geok. Lim Lian Geok highly praised Ng Chong Kek as the foremost contributor to the revival of Confucian Private Secondary School. During the reopening process, disputes over the selection of a principal caused the board meetings to be adjourned several times without resolution. Thanks to Ng Chong Kek’s active efforts to communicate with different factions on the board, he proposed appointing the non-partisan Lim Lian Geok, who was the former head of the primary section at Confucian Private Secondary School, as the principal. Ng also donated 5,000 dollars to fund the reopening of the secondary school section. Both opposing sides of the board finally agreed to appoint Lim Lian Geok as principal, allowing the reopening efforts to proceed smoothly.
In 1939, the Hokkien faction transformed Wenliang Port Zhonghua School into Selangor Zhonghua Primary and Secondary School (later renamed Kuala Lumpur Zhonghua Primary and Secondary School). Ng Chong Kek donated funds and land in support of this change. Tan Yin Teng served as the chairman of the board of directors for the Kuala Lumpur Zhonghua Primary and Secondary School. Former board members of Confucian Private Secondary School, such as Lim Pang Leng, Hong Jin Chong, Gan Pang Fook, and Ng Chin Siew, also became board members of Zhonghua Secondary School. Notably, Cheng Ti’s son Cheng King Sin, Ng Chin Siew’s son Ng Mau Tong, and Lim Pang Leng’s two children, Lim Wai Hock and Lim Wai Teik, carried on the previous generation’s dedication to supporting Chinese education by continuing to serve on the board of Zhonghua Independent High School.
Chong Hwa School’s opening ceremony in 1921
Source: Provided by Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies
Chong Hwa Independent High School’s opening ceremony in 1954
Source: Provided by Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies
In addition to being the financial backbone of Confucian Private Secondary School (Zunkong), many of its teachers were also from Engchoon. Lin Zhu Guang, who was appointed principal of Confucian Private Secondary School in 1936, was from Engchoon. After earning a master’s degree in education from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, he pursued further studies in Japan. In 1939, he served as the secretary of the Kuala Lumpur Engchoon Association. Before Lin Zhu Guang, the principal of Confucian Private Secondary School was Ng Guang Niao, who led the school from 1934 to 1936 and also served as a committee member of the Kuala Lumpur Engchoon Association between 1935 and 1941.
Cheng Kien Sam, a graduate of Peking University’s Department of Literature, before served as a teacher at Confucian Private Secondary School, he was a magistrate in Engchoon County. He had also taught at Muar Chinese School and served as principal of the Republic School, founded by the Engchoon Association in Klang. Lee Kah Yau, who once taught art at Confucian Private Secondary School, resigned in protest when some board members opposed Lin Zhu Guang’s appointment as principal. He then joined the founding team of Zhonghua School in Kuala Lumpur, where he taught for a while before transitioning to a career in business.
Former Principal of Confucian Secondary School, Lin Zhuguang
Source: Provided by Confucian Private Secondary School
Leong Ling Kong, whose ancestral home is Wufeng Village in Engchoon, graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai. In 1936, he taught at Confucian Private Secondary School (Zunkong). During his time in Malaya, he organized three groups: the “Selangor Anti-Imperialist Grand Alliance,” the “Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese National Salvation Society,” and the “Left-Wing Writers’ Union,” actively promoting the left wing movement. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7, 1937, he resolutely returned to China to join the resistance against the Japanese in northern Jiangsu. His contributions during the war earned him great respect from the Chinese Communist Party. However, during the Cultural Revolution, he was persecuted and only resumed his work in early 1975.
From October 1983 to June 1991, Leong Ling Kong served as the president of Jinan University in Guangzhou. In addition to his academic contributions, he also held significant political roles, including being the first mayor of Xiamen, the vice governor of Fujian Province, the mayor of Guangzhou, and the Minister of Light Industry of China. From 1982 to 1985, he served as the governor of Guangdong Province. During his tenure as governor, he was responsible for the establishment of the Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Shantou Special Economic Zones and proposed the concept of the “Pearl River Delta,” which earned him the title of “Father of the Pearl River Delta.” Among the members of the Kuala Lumpur Engchoon community, Leong Ling Kong is the highest-ranking political figure in history.
In 1984, Leong Ling Kong accompanied Deng Xiaoping on his inspection of Shenzhen
Source: Guangzhou Daily
Liang Lingguang’s elder brother, Liang Longguang, also known by his scholarly name Piyun, was a renowned calligrapher. The inscription for the “Tan Sri Dr. Lee Yan Nian Auditorium” at the rebuilt Kuala Lumpur Engchoon Association was written by Liang Longguang. In 1924, he ranked first in the entrance exam for the Literature Department at Shanghai University. In 1930, he traveled to Japan to study agricultural economics at Waseda University in Tokyo. After the 19th Route Army entered Fujian in 1931, he was invited by Jiang Guangnai to serve as the magistrate of Huian and Yongtai counties, making him one of the few people from Engchoon to hold a key position in the Chinese government during the period of Republic of China.
In 1934, Liang Longguang came to teach at Confucian Secondary School in Kuala Lumpur, and in 1935, he became the chief editor of Yi Qun Bao. In 1939, leaders of the Fujian community, led by people from Engchoon, established Chong Hwa Independent High School, and Liang Longguang was appointed as the school’s first principal. In 1941, he was arrested in Johor by agents of Chiang Kai-shek, but was released after Chen Jiageng (Tan Kah Kee) intervened. He then returned to China, and in 1945, Zhu Jiahuai, who was then the Minister of Education, appointed him as the head of the Fujian Provincial Department of Education. However, due to changing circumstances, he later went to Indonesia.
Liang Longguang, the first principal of Chong Hwa Independent High School, returns to visit the school
Source: Provided by: Chong Hwa Independent School
During his time in Indonesia, Liang Longguang was elected as the chairman of the Engchoon Association in Indonesia. He assisted with overseas Chinese affairs at the Chinese Consulate General in Indonesia and actively promoted Chinese education, helping to establish eight Chinese-language schools in Indonesia. When anti-Chinese sentiment arose in Indonesia in 1960, Liang Longguang stepped forward and actively assisted in arranging the repatriation of Indonesian Chinese. In his later years, he settled in Macau, where he founded the Macau Association of Returned Overseas Chinese in 1968 and was unanimously elected as chairman.
In 1927, Lin Lianyu came to Southeast Asia due to the chaotic situation in China. He successively served as the principal of Gonghe Primary School in Klang, the director of academic affairs at Yuhua School in Kajang, and the principal of Minyi Primary School in Batu Gajah, before eventually teaching at Confucian Secondary School. After World War II, Lin Lianyu was responsible for the restoration work of Confucian Secondary School. In 1949, he spearheaded the establishment of the Kuala Lumpur Teachers’ Union, and in 1951, he promoted the founding of the National Teachers’ Association (Jiao Zong). In 1954, he officially became the president of Jiao Zong, leading the association for eight years. Lin Lianyu’s opposition to the Barnes Report and his advocacy for making Chinese an official language, along with his defense of Chinese education and Chinese rights, angered the government, leading to the revocation of his citizenship. Lin Lianyu devoted his life to Chinese education, but he suffered political injustice, which cemented his place in the history of the Chinese education movement in Malaysia. His personal sacrifice also sparked a wave of determination among the Chinese community to defend Chinese education.
After World War II, while Lin Lianyu participated in the Chinese education movement, he was also involved in the activities of the Kuala Lumpur Engchoon Association, including serving as the clerk of the association and the person in charge of Taoyuan Night School. He is also the sponsor of the establishment of the Yonglian Association, and serves as the secretary and scholarship examiner of the Yonglian Association.
During our country’s British colonial era and early independence, many Chinese secondary schools received partial subsidies from the government. However, in order to implement the “1960 Talib Report” and the “1961 Education Act”, the government recommended that independent Chinese secondary schools should be compared with Penang’s Chung Ling Secondary School (restructured in 1956) and Seremban’s Zhenhua Secondary School (restructured in 1957). It automatically became a non-government secondary school as soon as the time limit of 1962 passed, There are 138 independent high schools in the country, 78 of them have undergone restructuring and become national-type high schools. Among the four independent high schools in Kuala Lumpur, Xunhe and Kuncheng refused to be restructured and became independent high schools, while Zunkong and Zhonghua accepted the restructuring while retaining the independent high school curriculum, that is, national-type high schools and independent high schools coexisted.
Although the government pays teachers’ salaries in national-type high schools, the property rights of the schools are still owned by the board of directors. Therefore, compared to the national high school that established by government, the national-type high schools receive very limited funding from the government. As for the Chinese community, the level of attention and financial support given to Chinese primary schools and independent high schools exceeds that of national high schools. In the Engchoon community, although there are a large number of people who serve as directors of independent high schools, there are also people who serve as directors of national-type high schools. For example, the board of directors of the Confucian National-type High School has many directors from Engchoon, such as Zheng Di, Huang Zhenxiu, Huang Yongzhen, Huang Maotong, Lin Bangling and others. Zheng Fucheng has served as Chairman since 1992 until today. Brothers Li Huaqing and Li Huaxiang are the current directors. Huang Maotong and Lin Weihe serve as directors of Zhonghua National-type high School.
