The Harrovian Hong Kong - Issue 11

THE HARROVIAN

Student Newspaper

Editor: Zeli Wang (Y12, Churchill)

Issue 11

Leadership for a better world

The Long and Winding Ducker

by Emma Carter (Y13, Wu)

Long Ducker 2017 was held on the 11th March and is an annual 15.5 kilometre walk or run that raises funds and awareness for the School’s six nominated charities. The Long Ducker is based on a run that takes place at Harrow School, London. Bringing this tradition to Hong Kong unites Harrow Hong Kong with a rich history and a desire to give back to the community. Long Ducker is an event that includes everyone despite their fitness ability or age through incorporating an alternative route labeled the ‘Short Ducker’. This allowed families to walk together and be part of this worthwhile event without the potentially frightening prospect of walking or running 15.5 kilometres. Seeing the Maclehose trail filled with men and women of all ages enjoying the beautiful scenery and community spirit is indicative of the day’s wider success.

Long Ducker’s target this year was to raise 150,000HKD. This target was dwarfed by the amount which was eventually raised: 315,000HKD at the time of writing and still rising. This result is unprecedented in the history of Harrow Hong Kong and revealed the dedication of our School community. The contributions made this year by members within Harrow Hong Kong and externally are direct contributions to the lives of those who are disadvantaged. The altruistic sentiment running through the Harrow Hong Kong community is what magnifies the success of this year’s Long Ducker and indicates that days like these truly do make a difference.

As well as Long Ducker, there were other elements the day had to offer. There is an international element to Long Ducker, raising awareness and understanding of different countries and cultures. The day celebrates the diversity at the School; the array of food stalls oozed the inviting scents of different cuisines such as Indian, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Scottish, Chinese, Mexican, Colombian and was the cause of widespread salivating from hungry runners and walkers. The

March 2017

extensive list of stalls was indicative of the rich cultures which are interwoven in our school each day, and which we may not have had reason to appreciate otherwise. The international side of the school was further celebrated through participants dressing up. Running along the trail saw many costumes paying homage to the flamboyance of Korean Pop sensations and the red, blue and white colours of the Union Jack could also be seen amongst the masses.

Something that could also be observed amongst the masses was a new Harrow Hong Kong bib inscribed ‘Bye Mel’ serving as a reminder that this was the last Long Ducker that our Head Master will run. The day was a farewell and a reminder of the commitment Mr Mrowiec has made to the Long Ducker event and a means of appreciating the contributions Mr Mrowiec has made to Harrow Hong Kong and being the initiator of our school’s rich identity despite only being open for a short period of time.

Long Ducker also provided a wealth of entertainment going beyond the trail through musical performances and activities. The day advocated the breadth of musical talent the School acquires through displays by various groups and individuals. The success of these performances was measured by the dance moves of children and parents both subtle and extravagant. There were also activities such as abseiling and bubble football that contributed to the leisurely atmosphere of the day.

Long Ducker 2017 has set a precedent for future years. The quantity of donations made and the number of individuals participating either by walking or by giving their time to support the day was staggering. The event advocated the rich community spirit evident in Harrow Hong Kong and the power of this when channeled into something good supporting those less fortunate. Overall, Long Ducker 2017 at Harrow Hong Kong was a huge success and anyone who was unable to attend this year will definitely have to make sure not to miss out on all the fun next year!

Spring Term Ensembles Concert

by Katrina Tse (Y10, Keller)

The Spring Term Ensembles Concert was held on 13th March, featuring lots of talented individuals as well as ensembles during the course of the evening. The School Orchestra, conducted by Mr Brightwell, performed inspiringly, bringing us into the magnificent realm of Beethoven. The evening opened with the School Orchestra performing the unsettling chords of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major. Next, the Electronic Group performed an abridged version of two pieces: Pacific State and Teardrop. The Pop Orchestra, conducted

by Mr Tomlinson, performed two of the most famous songs that featured in classic 1970s motion pictures: Stayin’ Alive and Live and Let Die. Matthias Li (Y13, Churchill) and Finn Bartlett (Y12, Sun) captured the style perfectly. The Jazz Band then performed two very contrasting numbers: a jazz-funk fusion piece and a pioneering jazz tune. These featured Victor Hui (Y12, Peel), Katrina Tse (Y10, Keller) and Cindy Zhang (Y9, Wu) with solos on their respective instruments. The Guitar Ensemble performed a song written by the famous Guns N’ Roses, and the Senior Choir and Combined Choir both focused on a repertoire from musical theatre. The Senior Choir performed Seasons of Love from Rent, featuring solos from Sebastian Clifford (Y9, Peel), Amy Wood, Hoi Lam Wong (both Y10, Keller), and Tadashi Matsuzawa (Y11, Peel).

The School Orchestra then ended the night with the famous tune from the science fiction classic ET. As with a lot of other film music, the credit goes to John Williams, who composed many famous movie tunes, including theme music for Harry Potter and Star Wars.

As we have witnessed the growth of the Music Department, we have seen the addition of student-led groups.

Two of these examples were showcased during the evening: the Wind Ensemble and the String Group led respectively by Victor Hui (Y12, Peel) and Katrina Tse (Y10, Keller). The Wind Ensemble performed an intricate arrangement of the theme song which belonged to the famous British televsion show Thunderbirds. The string group brought to the audience Habenera, which is one of the arias from the opera Carmen, as well as the first movement to Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins in A major.

As Mr Brightwell mentioned at the end of the night, we hope that this concert has inspired students to join our diverse music ensembles. Everyone involved worked hard and the performances demonstrated the improving standards of our musicians.

Harrow Hong Kong Hosts MUN

by Joelle Chan (Y11, Gellhorn)

On 21st and 22nd January, Harrow International School Hong Kong hosted its first ever Model United Nations conference (HARMUN). All the delegates were representatives of their allocated country in either the General Assembly First Committee (DISEC), the European Council, the Security Council, or the ‘Crisis Cabinet’. The debate over the two days was expeditious, in the sense that we aimed to assiduously debate operative clauses from proposed resolutions in a relatively short period of time. The European Council debated on the flow of migrants into the European Union and the preparation of managing the social and economic effects of Brexit, while DISEC discussed the demobilisation of hostile forces in Ukraine, along with the permanent end to the production and use of biological and chemical weapons.

Meanwhile, the Security Council aimed to resolve the disputes in the South China Sea as well as settling the current conflicts in Myanmar. The ‘Crisis Cabinet’ was a new experiment to MUN, and debate evolved as time went on, requiring delegates to quickly react and adapt to changes in the debate topic. For many delegates, this was their first conference, and it was very promising to see many step out of their comfort zone and grapple with the demanding and intense nature of debate. Although many of the new delegates appeared a little daunted when debates started on the first day, they settled in very quickly, and by the second day, more voices were heard through ‘Point of Informations’ (POIs) and speeches, arguing either for or against amendments and clauses.

Along with delegates, students adopted leadership positions of chairs. Being a chair is a different part of MUN, which many do not have the opportunity to try. Whilst delegates get to improve and practise their debating and public speaking, chairs are in control of the committee room and moderate and lead the debate, without dominating the entire room. Needless to say, trying to take control of a room full of teenagers when you are viewed as a peer by many, is a difficult task. Whilst it took a short time for each committee room to get into the flow of debate, and for the members of each committee to familiarise themselves with MUN procedure, debate was smooth and any creases were ironed out in an orderly fashion.

The event would not have been possible without the help of the administration team, or the Secretariat Ralph Summers (Y13, Churchill), David Stevenson (Y13,

Sun), Andrew Crossan (Y12, Sun) and Akira Williams-Rao (Y13, Churchill). I am sure that all delegates encountered significant challenges over the course of the Conference, and hopefully realised that no resolution is ever perfect! However, everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed their temporary time stepping into the shoes of authority and political power, and I would recommend MUN to anyone looking to improve their debating and public speaking skills.

World Scholar’s Cup

by Mei Law (Y10, Wu)

especially as we all qualified for the global round to be held in Cape Town.

Congratulations to all four teams who won 41 medals throughout the competition. Team A: Ben Wang (Y12, Churchill), Joshua Wu (Y12, Churchill), Angela Ng (Y11, Gellhorn); Team B: Victor Hui (Y12, Peel), Steven Liu (Y10, Peel), Mei Law (Y10, Wu); Team C: Elbert Wang (Y12, Churchill), Shirley Dong (Y12, Keller) and Michelle Zhang (Y12, Keller); Junior division team: Cindy Zhang (Y9, Wu), Sally Wang (Y9, Wu) and Julien Levieux (Y9, Churchill). All the teams have done incredibly well in the competition which consisted of over 400 contestants, winning 41 medals in total as a school.

NE Asian Maths Competition

by Katrina Tse (Y10, Keller)

On the weekend of 4th and 5th March, 12 students travelled to Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School to compete in the World Scholar’s Cup: a competition consisting of debating, writing and answering questions.

You would be forgiven for associating the name ‘World Scholar’s Cup’ with a gruelling challenge that only top academic students can participate in. However, it is quite the opposite. Although it seemed daunting at first - especially on Saturday morning in a hall brimming with competitors, as the weekend went on I found myself to be more relaxed.

The first day was the most difficult: competing in three intense debates, enduring the team collaborative writing and finally the Scholar’s Challenge (a test consisting of 120 questions of which I could only confidently answer one).

The second day, though not as demanding as the first, was still challenging. The Scholar’s Bowl was first - rounds of questions about six subjects: Literature, History, Science, Social Studies, Art and a special subject which this year was Modern Mythology.

We enjoyed the Debate Showcase where competitors were selected as panel or debate members. Concluding the final day was the awards ceremony, where nervous excitement descended on both the senior and junior divisions. The four Harrow Hong Kong teams did particularly well, accumulating a (rather heavy) collection of medals and trophies.

Unlike other academic challenges, the aim of the weekend was to think outside the box, and competitors who demonstrated this ability were rewarded.

My personal highlight was the collaborative writing, where we took a thought provoking premise and explored different perspectives and sometimes controversial ideas.

Most importantly, it was a weekend to celebrate not only individual success, but our achievements as a team -

Konichiwa! In the very early hours of 2nd March, six excited students - Katrina Tse (Y10, Keller), Rocco Jiang (Y10, Churchill), Valerie Tsang (Y10, Gellhorn), Jett Li (Y9, Peel), Kevin Zheng (Y9, Churchill), and Michelle Ng (Y9, Gellhorn) - travelled to Tokyo for what would be an exhilarating three-day mathematical adventure. After a four-hour flight, we arrived at Narita International Airport. We then set off to our competition and accommodation venue - Makuhari International Training Centre. This spectacular building is located in Chiba, one of the busiest regions in Tokyo.

After settling into our rooms, we moved to an impressive conference room filled with students and teachers from all over Northeast Asia. There we began three days of an amazing experience and an unforgettable journey. Over the course of the next three days, there were chances to work in our school teams of three, but also in our ‘buddy teams’, which were random teams of six with every member of the team from a different school.

We started off our first evening with icebreakers and group activities in our buddy teams. I found the origami activity the most captivating. We learnt how to fold structures called “limping seagulls”, which were rather simple, and definitely not spectacular alone. Little did we know, when we combined them, they made fascinating 3D models - from something as simple as cubes, to something as complex as a stellated icosahedron.

The minute my buddy team sat together as a group, we indulged in an introductory conversation; we then moved on to proving some geometric problems, specifically from a branch of Japanese Mathematics called Wasan Mathematics.

We were told that, often, people made these questions to challenge each other. However, it was almost certain that one would be given the solution to the problem. The challenge was to prove that the answer was correct.

Michael Haese, the owner of a company which makes mathematics textbooks, and also the sponsor of this

competition, gave us a taster of a diffferent area of geometry loci. We worked on three interesting problems set by him for roughly half an hour.

Our brains were drained after trying to prove and solve these demanding geometric problems. We then took a break for dinner. After that, we started the first official round of the competition - Long Term Questions. We were given nine questions, requiring all sorts of mathematical knowledge, as well as the ability to apply it in a creative way. We worked on these in our buddy teams, and they were due in on the last day of the competition. Over the course of the three days, we had to solve at least five questions. As an insight into this round, one of the questions was titled ‘Please Quickly Respond’. The challenge was to find a four digit number pqrs (with p ≠ 0) for which 1.5 times it is equal to it written backwards, srqp.

Apart from solving the problems, we also had to present solutions creatively as posters with mathematical humour, and so for the next two nights, we all worked extremely hard and collaboratively in our buddy teams, unleashing our creativity on the way as well as enjoying ourselves with sweets and ice cream!

The next day, we went through three rounds of competitions - two with our school team and one with our buddy team. We attempted our individual paper, which consisted of 40 questions to be completed in 90 minutes.

In my opinion, time management was one of the toughest aspects of this paper. Some interesting questions in this paper included, “how many ordered pairs of integers are there that satisfy 22x - y2 = 60?” Some of the problems required a lot of determination!

We then moved onto the Passback round, which we completed in our school teams. In this round, we were given sets of questions in three parts. Two of the parts depended on answers from other parts. As a team of three, we had to work in silence, and were only allowed to pass our answers - not the questions - to each other. We also only had four minutes to solve each complete question. The pressure was on, knowing that your whole team would get it wrong if one of the team members made a mistake.

In the afternoon, we had a more relaxed round with our buddy team. It was called the Mathematics Trail. We paid a visit to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, where we were given a booklet of questions to complete as a team. Many of them required either measurements or inspiration from structures in the garden. This was a nice way of integrating

mathematics into the natural world. That evening, we went onto a cruise for dinner in Tokyo Bay. Although it was cold and the wind was blowing hard, we had fun taking photos of the renowned Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Gate Bridge, as well as the skyline of Tokyo at night.

On the final day, we travelled to the American School in Japan, where the final rounds of the competition were hosted. We started early in the morning with the School Team Round. Here, every question had a specific point value, and we had a given time to work on them. Should your team be able to finish that question within half the time allocated, you could submit it with a bonus answer sheet, where you would be awarded double the points if the answer was right. The catch was that there were more questions than the number of bonus sheets given to each team, so you had to choose wisely.

We then proceeded to a round of the competition called Codebreakers. This was a very fast-paced and intense round. The first two terms of a sequence were projected onto the board, and going around a horseshoe composed of five teams, we each had five seconds to guess the next term to the sequence. There was no communication within team members, as we were spread apart. Some of the codes were abstract, and some were mathematical. One of the more demanding ones, for example, was rewriting four-digit decimals in binary.

The final school team round was called the Lightning Round. We had 45 minutes to solve 30 questions in our teams, and we had to run around a gym to submit our answers to every question, and to get our next question. We were allowed to pass questions whenever we chose to, but we could not go back to the questions we had passed even if we had time at the end. This was one that was physically intense - the runner of our teams had to run a lot!

After that, we reconvened with our buddy teams for the final buddy team round - the Tech Challenge. This year, we were asked to build a device, which would allow a raw egg to be dropped from the greatest height possible without it breaking. You could not have any physical restraints holding your egg to your device. We had limited materials and only 30 minutes. Our devices were then tested. As many teams opted to use a parachute in their design, the few teams that made it through to the four-metre drop without their egg breaking had their devices tested without the parachute. That was the deciding point for the winning team of this challenge.

Overall, the three days was an amazing experience for all of us. It was such an honour to participate in such a large and prestigious competition. The buddy team Katrina Tse (Y10, Keller) was in - Keep It Real - won the tech challenge and ranked third in the long term questions; the buddy team Michelle Ng (Y9, Gellhorn) was in - Divide and Conquer ranked second for the long term questions; the buddy team Rocco Jiang (Y10, Churchill) was in - Cos it Matters - ranked third in the Mathematics Trail. Most importantly, everybody learnt a lot from this experience as well as enjoying a short cultural trip to Tokyo.

Secrets Hidden in Unlikely Places

by Zeli Wang (Y12, Churchill)

Just by using smartphones and laptops in your daily life, you are keeping hundreds of secrets and uncovering a similar number. These secrets, called ciphers, go a long way to protect sensitive information like your location and the messages you

send to friends. The Codebusters, a student-run club, felt that more people needed to appreciate these secrets that they manipulate every day, so we held two interactive sessions earlier this term about breaking secret messages.

Our team, comprising four Y12 students - Ken Zhang (Y12, Churchill), Shirley Dong, Tracy Chen, Sabrina Shi (all Y12, Keller) and me, introduced the enigma cipher and built faux enigma machines to play with the notorious code. We physically emulated the enigma machine and taught students how to decipher the “unbreakable” code, used extensively in WWII by Germans. The code’s security comes from the fact that every single letter of your message is scrambled a completely different way through an intricate system of wires and rotors. The machine design, once top-secret, is now open to everyone to see and explore.

We also introduced an encryption method, currently used to verify if a website is trustworthy, called the RSA cipher. Three cryptologists invented the algorithm in 1977 using properties of numbers discovered by Fermat more than three centuries ago. The difficulty of factorising large numbers, even with today’s fastest computers, makes the RSA cipher hard to crack. This is an example of asymmetric encryption where the sender and receiver use different keys.

The sessions were well received, especially by some really supportive Prep School students. For “a take home message”, participants all learned how to make safe but memorable passwords for online accounts. Those who missed our sessions will have chances shortly. Towards the end of the Spring Term and the beginning of the Summer Term, there will be exciting sessions on strategic games that I guarantee you have never heard of. Watch out for posters around the School, or stay tuned to our emails if you have subscribed!

Email harrovian@harrowschool.hk to express interest.

The Biology experiments were not for the faint-hearted: numerous dissections took place, including that of a rat and a disembodied fish head. A set of pig’s lungs and a heart were also on display, and a pair of dead frogs were seemingly brought back to life with electricity and saline solution.

If the Biology exhibition proved to be too gory, the next-door Physics demonstrations never failed to entertain: students interacted with the infamous Van De Graaff generator, played with a futuristic electron gun, and spun rattlebacks which would suddenly reverse direction mid-rotation.

Last but not least, the Chemistry demonstrations added a touch of mystery to the event. The exhibition featured invisible ink (phenolphthalein and an alkali), jars of liquid which changed colours when shaken, syrup which would spontaneously erupt into a lilac flame, and even fireproof paper (paper dipped in ethanol).

I remember attending the event as a Prep School student and being enthralled by everything I saw - seeing other students demonstrating and explaining each mind-bending trick made me want to be them, and to understand as much as they did about how everything worked. This year, as a demonstrator, I could only hope that some of the younger students were as captivated as I was back then.

All in all, the demonstrations were spectacular, but they represented a wider purpose; by showing the younger students how astonishing and perplexing Science can be, we are opening their minds to a whole other spectrum of understanding. Science is beneficial to study because it stimulates natural curiosity and teaches methods of inquiry and investigation - it is important that the younger generation learns to appreciate science as it will affect all of our futures on a personal and global level.

Celebration of Learning Day

by Kalina Milenova (Year 12, Gellhorn)

Science Week

by Nicole Pullinger (Y11, Gellhorn)

During the lunchtimes of Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th, and Friday 20th February, the annual Science Week event took place. Several students from the Senior School volunteered to demonstrate a variety of scientific experiments to members of the Prep School; these experiments were either Chemistrybased, Physics-based or Biology-based.

Harrow Hong Kong held its second annual Celebration of Learning Days for the Prep School on 17th February and the Senior School on 3rd March. This opportunity aimed to allow parents to experience life at Harrow Hong Kong through the eyes of a student and provide insight into the fascinatingly different ways in which one can learn such a diverse variety of subjects. Mrs Nightingale, Head of English and Coordinator of the Celebration of Learning Day said, “The day is important in creating a dialogue between parent

and child about the child’s learning experience, and also in generating pride in the child about their own learning.”

In the Prep School, parents were immersed in a wide selection of classes in which teachers adopted contrasting approaches to highlight various learning techniques. From describing play-dough models in English to training like a professional athlete in P.E., parents enjoyed an exciting and realistic day at Harrow Hong Kong. Zia Cheung (Y7, Fry) said, “Celebration of Learning Day is important since we often forget to tell parents about the things we do at School.”

Higher up in the School, parents were able to get a deeper understanding of what had attracted their children to the different subjects they had chosen for their GCSEs or AS levels. In the learning lounge, a taster session of Harrow International Perspectives led to interesting discussions about the most important items one would need in a shipwreck.

In addition, Mrs Morris gave an informative talk on the upcoming challenges of the Extended Project Qualification and UCAS applications which helped parents get a better sense of what awaits their children in the coming months.

All in all, Celebration of Learning Day was a colourful and enlightening experience for both students and parents and will certainly be an event to anticipate in the School calendar next year.

responsible were people who either did not care or who were afraid and preferred to look the other way - others felt they were powerless to cause change.

Listening to the testimony of the survivors and those speaking from beyond the grave through their writing and their letters, I was reminded that history is not only a case of dogmatically learning facts and dates, but it can also be about trying to make the new generations attempt to comprehend the scale on which these atrocities occurred and learn from past mistakes. It also gave a human element to the figures – the real people whose lives were cruelly snatched away and the small details that made them who they were. It is said that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it – unfortunately we have seen, in the past few decades, the horrors of Bosnia, Rwanda, Syria and other places that show we are still capable of making the same mistakes - this reminds us why remembering the events of the Holocaust remain relevant, impactful and even more necessary today.

Sports News

Holocaust Memorial Day

by Hamza Apabhai (Y12, Peel)

On 23rd January, the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre marked Holocaust Remembrance Day with an inspiring ceremony at the Community Hall in Sai Ying Pun, where victims of the Holocaust under the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945 were commemorated. The date marked the Soviet liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in 1945, where over 1.1 million Jews and 200,000 others, including Polish, Romani, Soviet POWs, the disabled and homosexuals, were cruelly killed through either experimentation, starvation or in gas chambers within five years.

Harrow Hong Kong was invited this year to support the Commemoration. Many Jewish and local community leaders were present, notably Micha Gelber, a Holocaust survivor.

Over 30 diplomats and dignitaries, including the former Chief Executives of Hong Kong, Tung Chee-Hwa and Donald Tsang, also attended. The event was open to members of the public and the large hall was packed. The Consul-Generals of Germany, Poland, Israel, the USA, Austria, and the Netherlands, as well as selected Harrow Hong Kong students, remembered the Holocaust by reading out survivor accounts, while other dignitaries gave speeches about ‘educating for a better future’ through increased religious tolerance.

The event highlighted the horrors and numerous atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust. Listening to survivors speak about their feelings was particularly moving.

What made the Holocaust so shocking was that the Nazis were able to convert murder into a form of ‘mass industry’, where over 40,000 concentration camps were established.

Under the Third Reich, one-third of the global Jewish population were killed, in addition to the five million people deemed ‘un-Aryan’ by the regime. This was made possible by Nazi propaganda and the suppression of freedoms. But also

Sports Day

by Milly Phipps (Y11, Wu)

On 6th March, Harrow Hong Kong Upper School enjoyed yet another successful day of sports, full of fun, competition and House spirit! The Senior School, along with the Prep School all filed onto the buses and travelled to the Tsing Yi sports ground. The buses were filled with nerves, excitement and eager athletes.

Alongside standard events such as the100m sprint and 1500m run - where there were some outstanding performances - we also had the opportunity to participate in the less familiar Tug of War, which raised everyone’s spirits.

Tug of War was a large success for both Prep and Senior School students. Teams of eight from each House went head to head against each other, challenging not only their physical strength, but their mental strength as well, leading to some extremely close and tightly matched rounds. Reporting from personal experience, being the anchor of the rope was not the easiest of tasks, especially when your shoes have no grip!

Another highlight of the day for the students was the House relays, which were 4x100m. races. The fastest girls and boys from each House, pounded the track with pride and everyone in the stands was on their feet, screaming at their friends to run faster.

My personal highlight of the day however, was the

teacher’s relay. A range of different academic teachers took part, from Physics to History - even Mr Durrant! It was a tense race and everyone was on the edge of their seats, and Mr Putman just beat Mr Hamon to the finish line at the end.

Overall, Sports Day for Harrow Hong Kong 2017 was a great success and it continues to push students, and some teachers, to their physical limits.

A huge thank you to the P.E. Department and all the staff who made the day possible, all the parents that offered their support and all the students for their House spirit and enthusiasm! The day was a perfect representation of many of the leadership attributes we strive to achieve everday, and what is more, it was a really enjoyable day.

Carlsen, is a living symbol of this shift. He is 26 years old, a household name in his home country of Norway, and is also notorious for his tendency to sleep during tournaments.

Can you spot the winning move in this position? This is from the last game of the recent World Chess Championship, and it is white to move and black to resign one move later.

Badminton’s In Season

by Zeli Wang (Y12, Churchill)

The badminton season saw all of our teams consistently securing wins in their ISSFHK divisions. On 22nd February, the U16 girls whitewashed HKIS, CIS, and Delia’s School of Canada (DSC) at home - the scores were 3-0 for all the matches. The boys had a good day on 23rd February at CIS, with the U16s winning against two RCHK teams and DSC, and the U20s won 3-0 against Yew Chung and RCHK. Unfortunately, the U20s squad lost on points when they timed out against KGV; they were tied at 2-2 in a very close contest.

The following week, our U16 girls lost 1-3 against RCHK’s A team but beat their B team by 3-0 on 1st March at HKIS. The next day, the U16 boys lost 2-3 to RCHK(A) and won 3-0 over RCHK(B), while their U20 counterpart beat CIS 3-0 and RCHK 3-2, all at home. The U20s were down 0-2 to RCHK but put up a valiant fight, with Victor Tsui (Y12, Peel) securing the deciding Third Singles match for the comeback.

The U16 girls won against CDNIS 3-1 on 8th March on their opponents’ home courts, while the U20s won against CIS, ISF, and AIS at home. On 9th March, the U16 boys lost to German Swiss at Yew Chung 0-3, while the U20s won against KGV 0-3 and beat AIS and Yew Chung 3-0.

Checkmate!

Rugby Sevens

by Joelle Chan (Y11, Gellhorn) and Calvin Kean (Y13, Peel)

The Bill Williams 7s tournament was the last time the Harrow Hong Kong U20 Girls Rugby Team competed together for this academic year. On 20th January 2017, the team competed in five tough matches, with games against KGV, HKIS, FIS, and two local Barbarian teams. Although the team started off with a loss to KGV, despite a strong lead of 5-0 at half time, the team did not let the initial defeat affect the rest of the day’s performance. The next few games were close, but the team managed to win each game. The final game against HKIS was

by Vincent Wei (Y10, Peel) It is a board with 64 squares, sixteen pieces, two sides, and the best game of the season, and really showcased everything the sole aim is checkmate - but remarkably, such simplicity the team had trained for during the past term, which resulted translates into something that can be extremely challenging in second place in the tournament, a rewarding end to the and fun. The pieces may have straightforward move patterns, season.

Similarly for the boys, the tournament represented a but their possibilities are nearly endless: forcing attacks, slick defences that quickly balloon into lethal counterattacks, and, final opportunity for the U20 rugby team to come together of course, the revered piece sacrifices, all for the purpose of and win some metal. It was a tough fought competition and despite injuries and a depleted reserve team, the boys achieved trapping that one pesky king.

Not surprisingly, the School has organised several the position of 1st runner up for the Bowl. The team had a inter-House tournaments since its gates opened over four rough start against HKIS and SIS, but came into their own in years ago: as an avid chess player myself, I have participated the match against FIS, winning 28-12 with spectacular tries in (nearly) all of them. The most recent one, held over two from Hanley Siu (Y12, Sun), Ed Cazzoli (Y13, Peel) and Sam Tuesdays in January, saw each House fielding three players Hu (Y13, Sun). For many members of the team, this would be for several rapid chess rounds. Peel and Churchill ended up their last chance to score under the Harrow Hong Kong name. coming out on top for the boys, and Keller won in the girls’ This was followed by an equally impressive victory over CDNIS and a 100% conversion success rate for Frans Otten tournament.

Often branded as a game for nerds, chess has tried, (Y13, Sun). The final game against KGV ended in a narrow especially recently, to shake off the stereotype. On websites loss and despite the hot blood between the two competitors, such as lichess.org, chess is played at the highest level, often in typical Harrovian fashion the boys accepted the defeat with with interesting variants such as crazyhouse and exhilarating grace and were satisfied with their placement overall. It was time settings, that could be dialed down all the way to less an excellent final performance and one for the Year 13s that than 5 seconds. The current World Chess Champion, Magnus are leaving to remember nostalgically.

Making a Splash - Water Polo

by Calvin Kean (Y13, Peel)

Harrow Hong Kong has had success on the football pitches, the classrooms and now it is venturing into the water for more.

While Mr Green’s swim team has always been strong, their activity has mainly been constrained to lane races. However, as of 2017 Harrow Hong Kong is proud to announce its new water polo team, captained by Andrew Crossan (Y12, Sun) and coached by Mr Nightingale. Water polo is a fairly under-represented sport in Hong Kong and although it is uncommon in most schools, it is coming more mainstream. That is why Harrow Hong Kong is looking to recruit interested players and cultivate a strong competitive team.

For novices, it is a game played in teams of six: one goalkeeper and five outfield players. The aim of the game is to swim, pass and score in the opposition’s goal. While sounding simple, there is considerable depth to the game (both literally and figuratively) and it can be surprisingly complicated.

The rules are straightforward, yet as fatigue kicks in from constantly treading water (rule 1: you are not allowed to touch the bottom of the pool) one often forgets even the simplest rules. Practice is essential so if you want to triumph, it is recommended that you attend either a swimming practice or water polo session after school on Tuesdays.

Harrow Hong Kong’s first fixture against Chinese International School was a loss of 7 -11, but it was a promising start against such a strong team. It was a mixed team of girls and boys of different age groups, but marked the beginnings of a cohesive team. While play seemed broken at times, there were glimmering moments of teamwork and goals, which showed the true potential of the team.

Two weeks later, the team competed in the HKASA tournament. Although there was a bruising encounter with the Hong Kong Women’s team, this highlighted the devastation that could be brought on by a skilled and efficient side and allowed the team to see new strategies in both attack and defence. The Harrow Hong Kong water polo team also garnered its first win against RCC 13-1 and came 9th overall in their category.

For information or help, speak to seasoned players Andrew Crossan (Y12, Sun), Ralph Summers (Y13, Churchill), Bart Venhoek (Y13, Churchill) and Ed Cazzoli (Y13, Peel).

Horse Riding

by Maya Rao (Y11, Keller)

Our horse riding team competed on 22nd February at the Tuen Mun Public Riding School. Overall, the team was very successful with Natasha Marcon (Y11, Keller) winning both the dressage and jumping and I finished second. Moreover,

Bianca Lee (Y10, Wu) came fifth in the jumping and Melanie Young (Y10, Wu) finished third in the dressage.

Tuen Mun Public Riding School organised the competition very well and therefore made it easy for us to stay on time. This was key because it enabled us to be there to watch and support the other members of our team. Team spirit is important in this sport because it helps each one of us gain confidence to ride the horse properly. It is sometimes hard to remember that the horse has a mind of its own, so every nerve we feel, they sense it too, and it affects both the horse and the rider’s performance. For this reason, it is quite helpful if there is a whole team to support you. We had a wonderful time as the community was very supportive, which made it both a fun and competitive day.

For some of us, it was the last year competing as next year we will be too old. The last few years have been fun and they have allowed us to gain a lot of experience. Wishing the best of luck to the next team to carry on Harrow Hong Kong’s riding legacy!

Improve Your Well-being

by Joelle Chan (Y11, Gellhorn)

In an attempt to write an article about well-being, I sat in my room at 1 a.m. thinking about what well-being was and how to write the article. I soon realized the irony of the situation I was in: your well-being is one of the most important things that affects your day to day life, and I was compromising my own well-being by losing sleep over this. Being able to maintain good grades, sleep for 8 hours, eat 3 balanced meals a day, exercise and have a social life is an extremely admirable goal, but is this something that we all manage to accomplish?

Many things factor into one’s well-being, and the term itself is widely debated, as is everything that falls under the maintenance of your well-being. Do you go to sleep at 11 p.m. to get enough sleep for the following day of school to perform well, but risk not finishing your prep? Or do you stay up to finish your prep and sacrifice your chance to rest?

Should you stay home all weekend and work to get ahead in class, or do you go out and see your friends or play a sport?

With the burden of trying to maintain your grades for your parents - and more importantly for yourself - and trying to make sure you’re doing the best you can, it is easy to forget about your well-being and mental health.

You could be the smartest person in school, get into the top university of your choice and be a role model for everyone around you; but what if you achieved all of that because you thought that was what was expected of you, but you were not happy with it or yourself? Sure, it is like a dream come true, but it is not if you are unhappy with how you have spent your teenage years pursuing what you think you should be pursuing. It is not fair on you to have to carry the burden of pressure to do well, and to meet and exceed the expectations that have been set if you are jeopardising your well-being. But what is your well-being, and what does it mean to you? If the scenario I have placed above is what makes you happy, and you do not face challenges regarding stress and pressure, then that is more than okay.

On the other hand, if what has been mentioned resonates with you as a concern, and you believe that your well-being is in some way being suppressed, know that you are not alone. It is not unusual for many people to experience

and encounter problems that hinder their well-being, and many find that talking about it can help situations enormously.

Recently, our school has begun to create more innovative ways to improve the well- being of its students, and has launched the Harrow Empathic Listening Peers (HELP) programme, where some Senior School students were trained to be listeners. This acts as a resource available to all students who wish to talk to someone about their problems with another student who may not be affiliated or connected to the issue at hand, thus ensuring confidentiality.

What your well-being means to you is different to what someone else’s well-being means to them. What is important is that you understand how to maintain your wellbeing as it makes a huge impact on your life.

An Urgent Moral Imperative

by Hamza Apabhai (Y12, Peel)

Imagine a one-megaton nuclear bomb being dropped on the centre of Hong Kong. Within a second over two million people would be instantly vaporised leaving no trace that they ever existed, except perhaps their haunting shadows on the ground pointing an accusing finger at those responsible. Within the next few hours, perhaps two million more would die a painful death - but those would be the fortunate ones. Those within a 10km radius would be horrifically burned, most beyond recognition. Those within 80km of the centre unlucky enough to see the bomb explode would be instantly blinded. Survivors of the armageddon would slowly die from radiation sickness over the next few weeks, their cells degrading inside them and cancerous tumours eating them alive. Water undrinkable, food inedible, basic society ceasing to function for not just days but perhaps years. Destruction would be almost absolute.

Does this sound horrific? Now multiply this by 57 to visualise the potential destruction of the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful thermonuclear bomb ever created. How can it be right for any country to own these weapons, let alone use them? Scholars of every major religion, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam, have voiced against the employment of these evil weapons and consider the resulting genocide immoral. These “Doomsday Weapons” have the capability of destroying all life on this planet.

The NATO nuclear plan was developed during the Cold War to defend against an attack from the Soviet Union.

However, the USSR no longer exists, so such a plan seems totally unnecessary. Nuclear weapons have repeatedly failed to make us safer and have not stopped the most serious attacks on national security: the 7/7 bombings in London, the September 11 atrocities in New York, and the Nice attack in France. Time and time again, traditional police forces, not nuclear weapons, maintained the country’s security.

Yet advocates of nuclear weapons say that there are no alternatives, and that giving up our weapons of mass destruction would lead to nuclear blackmail. In 1989, South Africa gave up its nuclear weapons yet they, like other nonnuclear countries, have faced no blackmail since. On the contrary, possession of nuclear weapons by countries like Israel prompted neighbours like Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia to actively strive for similar capabilities and plunged the region into a deadly arms race. It is hypocritical to demand countries like Iran and North Korea to disarm their nuclear warheads,

while NATO member countries continue to upgrade theirs.

And to those who say that multilateral agreements will not work, past experience shows that it will: Britain has signed treaties banning chemical and biological weapons, and the UK has never been seriously hit by terrorists since. Owning nuclear weapons make us more vulnerable – it increases the chances of nuclear terrorism and accidents; it allows the recklessness in national leaders, as seen in the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 when the world came within hours of a nuclear holocaust.

And then there is the cost. Over the life of the United Kingdom’s Trident program, its cost is estimated to be well over USD$200bn. Is there really a need to spend hundreds of billions on the production and maintenance of these agents of mass destruction? Would funds not be better spent on protecting services that impact people’s lives every day, such as healthcare and education systems? Could this money have contributed to improving conventional forces?

My message to those who continue to live in their obsolete Cold War mentality is that there is hope, and there is another way to live together peacefully. The idea that deterrence based on the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction is our only defence is exactly that – MAD! NATO countries should take a moral lead by pledging No First Use, abiding obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty to disarm, and redoubling efforts towards complete, multilateral nuclear disarmament. And if all of these efforts fail, we should have the moral courage to unilaterally disarm and say that we will no longer be held hostage to the politics of fear and retribution. At the end of the day, ridding the world of nuclear bombs is an urgent moral imperative. These weapons are a major threat to our existence as a species, and they are an abhorrent evil that stalks the earth and stains our civilization.

A Modernisation of Traditions

by Kalina Milenova (Y12, Gellhorn)

The origin of Chinese New Year festivities dates back thousands of years and is rooted in ancient legends, which still shape the way that every year, millions of people celebrate a new beginning. The world-renowned customs that drive annual celebration have been consolidated over this time but in recent years, the younger generations of China are increasingly coming up with new and interesting ways to practise age-old traditions and adapt aspects of the festival to an ever-modernising country and society.

One of the main aspects of Chinese New Year is the New Year’s Eve dinner, which is known to be an effective way of bringing the family together, a tradition that is especially important in today’s world, where relatives can be dispersed in many distant places. In recent years, families have been able to connect to each other online, sitting down to dinner together with the aid of social networks. A day of cooking may be replaced by a home-delivery app and more time consuming activities, such as personally delivering baskets of oranges to your relatives have largely been abandoned. Although some may argue that it is a shame to forget ‘outdated’ practices, they are often replaced with other, on the whole more manageable and convenient versions.

In 2014, online companies began to launch online virtual packets, or ‘e-lai sees’ in an attempt to update the

popular ritual. While older generations may clutch their red packets in fear of the day that they might become obsolete, many argue that this new way of sending money and messages for good fortune to loved ones is much more comfortable, as well as being environmentally friendly. In 2017, up to one billion electronic envelopes were sent out to welcome the year of the rooster, and numbers are expected to continue to rise over the coming years.

For most, one of the most vital parts of Chinese New Year celebrations is going back to your hometown, to visit relatives and show your respect for the elderly members of your family. Although this is a tradition which to this day is practised by the majority, many young people have been taking opportunities to travel for leisure to exotic countries or use the chance to make some extra pocket money by working during the public holiday. This year, nearly six million Chinese residents travelled overseas with popular destinations including Japan and the Maldives.

Despite some worries that the true history behind festive customs may be lost, the fast paced modernisation of all aspects of Chinese life are showing no sign of slowing down and Chinese New Year traditions are one of the many things that can provide insight into the growing innovation and creativity with which Chinese people are leading their nation’s development.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

by Eve Caplowe (Y12, Keller)

When I mention MBTI to most people, the common reaction is “what?” or “is that the people-type thing?” In a nutshell, yes. The mother-daughter duo Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs simplified Carl Jung’s theory of cognitive functions to create sixteen four-letter types. However, in their attempt to make it accessible, they also made it more abstract and less relevant. For example, they claim being an ISTP means you are an introverted sensing thinking perceiver. However, the original theory is much more in-depth and interesting, and more believable than a seemingly useless set of letters.

According to Jung, the brain uses eight functions that work in judging and perceiving pairs, and the order in which a person uses four of these determines their personality type.

Thinking and Feeling functions are judging functions and Intuition and Sensing functions are perceiving functions.

These come in introverted and extroverted pairs: Extroverted Thinking (Te), Introverted Feeling (Fi), Introverted Thinking (Ti), Extroverted Feeling (Fe), Introverted Intuition

(Ni), Extroverted Intuition (Ne), Introverted Sensing (Si), and Extroverted Sensing (Se). Everyone uses one introverted judging function, one extroverted judging function; one introverted perceiving function and one extroverted perceiving function.

These work in pairs of Ne/Si, Ti/Fe, Se/Ni, and Fi/Te or vice versa, with one of these pairs being high and one low.

A high (dominant/1st or auxiliary/2nd) extroverted judging function makes a J-type or judger, for example INTJs use Ni-Te-Fi-Se, whereas a high extroverted perceiving function makes P-type or perceiver, like an ISTP, who uses Ti-Se-NiFe.

Each of the 16 personality types are made up of four functions in a certain order, known as the functional stack.

Each function shows how your mind works mostly naturally, explaining the framework of your personality but by no means dictating it. The order in which these are stacked can indicate potential strengths and weaknesses.

Judging functions (Te, Ti, Fe, Fi) High Te users (TJs) value objective logic and organisation and tend to be natural leaders (e.g. Amy Santiago, Brooklyn NineNine) while low Te users (FPs) often have trouble staying organised and only assert themselves when their values are challenged (e.g. Harry Potter, Harry Potter Series).

High Ti users (TPs) are good at understanding and exploiting logical systems to align with how they see the world through their own subjective lines of reasoning (e.g.

Shawn Spencer, Psych), while low Ti users (FJs) tend to lapse into over-analysing until things lose meaning (e.g. Alison Hendrix, Orphan Black).

High Fe users (FJs) value external harmony and tend to be skilled at getting along with people and focussing on the greater good (e.g. Clarke Griffin, The 100), whereas low Fe users (TPs) can be manipulative with other people or incredibly unaware of social cues and may come off as rude and intolerant of irrational emotion (e.g. Rosa Diaz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine).

High Fi users (FPs) are primarily concerned with their own personal understanding of morals and maintaining an inner harmony by being personally satisfied in their choices and beliefs (e.g. Anne, Anne of Green Gables), whereas low Fi users (TJs) have tendency to see things in a more black and white way, becoming stubborn and intolerant of other moral viewpoints and also often scornful of emotions both in others and themselves (e.g. Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games).

Perceiving functions High Ni users (NJs) focus on the big picture, effortlessly seeing patterns that allow them to make singular assumptions about the future, like lots of threads of ideas becoming a rope with a solid future (e.g. Alice Morgan, Luther). In contrast low Ni users (SPs) use this function as a way seeing strange conspiracies against them with little evidence, causing them to be more cautious and possibly superstitious (e.g. Aramis, The Musketeers).

High Ne users (NPs) are able to see multiple possibilities of the future and are adept at making connections others may not see, and are most likely to see other points of view or play ‘devil’s advocate’ (e.g. Jim Moriarty, Sherlock).

However, low Ne users (SJs) are often overcome by millions of negative outcomes for their actions and can become paranoid or nervous of the future (e.g. John Watson, Sherlock).

High Se users (SPs) are fully plugged into their surroundings, processing all physical data rapidly and acting on it confidently, often seeing past what others notice (e.g.

Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock). Contrastingly, low Se users (NJs) are easily overwhelmed by sensory input, or can go the other way and use food, sex or drugs to unhealthily evade problems (e.g. Cardinal Richelieu, The Musketeers).

High Si users (SJs) use their personal subjective impressions of their sensorial experiences to inform themselves on how to act in the present, making them detailoriented and dependable, and comfortable working as a cog in a machine, with a ‘if it’s not broken don’t fix it’ mentality.

They are also often very aware of the internal state of their bodies (e.g. Athos, The Musketeers). Low Si users (NPs) tend to have erratic memories and often modify memories to flatter themselves in addition to being unaware of their own internal state, nostalgic yet often uncomfortable in set routines (e.g.

Fred Weasley, Harry Potter Series).

It is important to bear in mind that one’s MBTI type does not determine behaviour, but rather it can provide insight into motivations and thought process. Sweeping stereotyping is worse than useless. MBTI is how the mind works most comfortably and how it processes information and decides on action. As mentioned above, type is no indicator of character, values, hobbies or belief system. For me, the ultimate achievement of science is to be able to quantify and rationalise something as complex, individual and unpredictable as the workings of a human brain, and MBTI is the most interesting method I have found so far.

Singing Competition

by Myra Mak (Y4, Dragon)

The M.C. is calling out the medals for the English song competition in Taiwan. I am not called out for the bronze. Nor for the silver. Will the gold be mine?

It all began when I decided to enter the ‘TaiwanHong Kong-Shanghai Singing Competition’, the finals of which were to be held in Taiwan in December 2016. The preliminaries were held in Hong Kong in October. When the day for them arrived, I almost regretted having entered. As I tried to move my feet across the stage to the cross taped on the floor, my heart was pounding, as if it might burst through my ribs at any moment. As the judges, their hands reaching out to tap their bells, smiled at me, I bowed and then nodded tensely at the pianist sitting in the corner. A nervous wreck, I started with my Chinese song, pretending to be happy and joyful, as if nothing was bothering me but waves of butterflies were crashing inside me. Finally it was over. I bowed again and this time, more confidently, stumbled steadily back to my seat. A little later, more relaxed from my first performance, I walked onto the stage, ready to sing my English song, Wouldn’t It Be Lovely. This time it went better. At the end of the day, I was exhausted, relieved and excited. I was chosen for both the English and Chinese song categories, along with three others, to go to the finals, which were to be held in Taiwan.

I didn’t know how high my marks had been until one of the judges, who is the conductor of the Hong Kong Treble Choir, invited me to sing in public in December 2016 at the

Peninsula Hotel along with the choir. This time, not as timid as in the competition, I readily hopped onto the stage and sang the same English song and Jingle Bell Rock. This time, I was rocking from being happy. It was such a delightful experience (even though I was staring at a pole the whole time I was singing!).

One day later, I left for the finals in Taiwan. From the preliminary competition in October up to the finals, I was not allowed to eat anything too oily or too crunchy or too sweet! I suffered greatly for the sake of a clear voice. And at Christmas as well! I also had to practise each song at least twice every day.

In Taiwan, when I walked onto the stage, my heart was as light as a feather, pounding more softly than a ticking clock. Compared to the preliminaries, this felt like a holiday.

I was having fun. So I sang, a microphone in front of me, one of the judges, Professor Tong, an avid fan of Facebook, taking pictures of me!

“And the gold medal goes to . . .”

House Spirit Lip Sync Battle

by Kerry Lui (Y13, Gellhorn)

Harrow Hong Kong’s Prefect Team believe developing House spirit amongst students creates a stronger sense of belonging to the School and a more enjoyable atmosphere. Therefore, we organised our first Prefect event for the Prep School on 25th January - House Lip Sync Battle, to promote this aim.

As Heads of School this year, David Stevenson (Y13, Sun) and I were honoured to be the judges for the night. At the beginning of the event, I represented the Prefect Team by performing a solo dance. Fortunately, there has always been a genuine excitement within the Prep School towards almost all school events and the response from students was very

welcoming.

In the event, each Prep House delegated a number of students to perform by dancing to their chosen songs as well as acting as if they were singing it. It was such a pleasure to watch the performances prepared by the Prep students. Some students showed impressive gymnastic skills in their dancing moves, whilst others added amusing drama elements. All of the Houses showed that a lot of preparation and hard work took place before the show.

House spirit was demonstrated in different forms throughout the event. Personally, it was particularly memorable when a song was cut in the middle of a performance due to a technical problem and every audience member helped the performing group by singing and finishing the rest of the song.

As well as the participants from the Prep School in the House Lip Sync Battle, the Gap Tutors surprised us with an entertaining performance made up of a mash-up of six songs. The continuous cheering and applause throughout the performance illustrated the close relationships between the Gap Tutors and students.

Towards the end of the evening, the most spectacular moment came when the House Masters, House Mistresses and Resident House Tutors gave their Lip Sync performance.

Everyone stood up, clapping their hands and shouting their teachers’ names during the performance. Many thanks to the Prefect Team for organising such a fun evening.

of guerilla warfare and also because of the ingenuity they displayed. It was still daunting to enter the low and narrow tunnels - if we lost our way, there were 121 kilometres and three layers to navigate in order to find our way out!

The various museums that students went to during the Vietnam Trip were varied and poignant. This was particularly true in the War Remnants Museum, which highlighted the visual effects of the Vietnam War today, such as the generations of children suffering from mutations caused by Agent Orange.

This allowed students to consider what the impact of war actually means, rather than simply acknowledging statistics and encouraged quiet reflection.

The trip also allowed students to experience the local culture of Vietnam through the exploration of Vietnam’s market stalls (where students could practise their bargaining skills), the visit of a beautiful lacquer factory to observe the process of the art and by sampling the local cuisine (which varied from spring rolls to sweet iced coffee).

Many thanks to Mrs Tyley and Mr Mildenhall for organising such a fascinating trip.

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Humans of Harrow Hong Kong

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A photographic census of the Harrow community, one story at a time. Inspired by Humans of New York.

by Louisa Cho (Y11, Gellhorn)

History Trip to Vietnam

by Chloe Smith (Y13, Keller)

During the Vietnam History Trip, students were able to deepen their historical knowledge and appreciation of 20th Century Vietnamese history from a local perspective. This was very interesting as the majority of textbooks specialising in the Vietnam war (1955 –1975), tend to emphasise the American perspective. Moreover, this tied in with the A level history course (Cold and Hot War in Asia), thus making it of increased academic interest. The historical sites visited during the trip were diverse and shone a new light on many aspects of the Vietnam War, spanning from the Cu Chi Tunnels, Ho Chi Minh Museum, War Remnants Museum, Dan Sinh Market ‘We volunteered because we feel that it is a good (which sold both real and replicas of items from the Vietnam experience to help our School organise an event War). which brings the community together.’

The Cu Chi Tunnels (an underground tunnel system Writers and photographers out there, step forward and contribute used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War), were to get your work published! Email the editors at harrovian@ immensely interesting both because they were a vital aspect harrowschool.hk!