The secrets of Diocesan Boys’ School’s success at nurturing generations of Hong Kong talent
- School – founded as orphanage in 1869, which moved to Kadoorie Hill, near Mong Kok in 1926 – has grown to become one of city’s most prestigious establishments
- Two former students, architect Norman Chan and concert pianist Kajeng Wong, share memories of their teenage years and discuss their unshakeable bond with school
When prominent Hong Kong architect Norman Chan stepped back inside his alma mater, the Diocesan Boys’ School (DBS), he felt nostalgic about all the good times he had there as a student.
“Nothing has changed,” he says. “I cannot believe they still use the chalk [on classroom blackboards].”
The school, founded in 1869, which initially served as an orphanage for boys, has grown to become one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Hong Kong.
For more than 90 years, DBS has been based at an exclusive campus on top of Kadoorie Hill, near Mong Kok, with grand facilities such as a soccer pitch, an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and an auditorium.
It has witnessed the development of the city as it was transformed from a fishing village into a world-class financial centre.
Chan, who was born in 1960, was among the second generation of DBS students. Both his father and his son are also “old boys”, or alumni of the school.
