Hoy Fok and the Island School

Part of the Series: China Coast / Faces of Change collection

This film is about the life of Hoy Fok, a fourteen-year-old boy, who lives with his family on a fishing junk near a small island in the Hong Kong Territory. Hoy Fok helps his family in fishing and attends the island school. Education on this small island primarily involves teaching children basic things like simple arithmetic that would help them in selling fish.

The film also features interviews with Hoy Fok's teacher, parents and the village headman, all of whom provide their differing viewpoints on his education and his future. His teacher feels that although he joined school too late, he has a natural curiosity and should pursue higher education; however, his parents think that secondary schooling is a waste of money, something they cannot afford. Filmmaker: George Chang, Richard Chen, Norman Miller