Hoy Fok and the Island School
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From the China Coast series in the Faces of Change collection
by George Chang, Richard Chen and Norman Miller
color, 32 min, 1974
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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.
About the Faces of Change collection
This revolutionary series of 26 - 16mm films and videos, funded
by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller
and documented by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers
of our time is now available through D.E.R. The films examine
5 cultures selected for the diversity of their geographic location: starting
with the China Coast at sea level and moving up to Taiwan, then
to Afghanistan, Kenya and finally to the mountains of Bolivia.
Each location is examined through 5 themes: Rural Society, Education,
Rural Economy, Women and Beliefs. Detailed instructors notes
are available for an additional $10.00.
films in the China Coast series:
China Coast Fishing
The Island Fishpond
Island in the China Sea
Three Island Women