The Pretoria Chinese School Turns 90!

Pretoria Chinese School Logo

The Pretoria Chinese School was founded in 1931 by the Young Chinese Cultural League and aimed to provide cultural and language education for Pretoria’s Chinese community, which was barred from ‘whites-only’ schools. It opened in 1934 with 34 pupils and three teachers at 191 Boom Street.

In 1994, the school moved to a 3.48-hectare property in Wingate Park and expanded to include a high school welcoming students from diverse backgrounds. It has since grown, adding facilities and classrooms for ongoing development.

A Future Africa Forum article quotes Nelson Mandela stating that speaking a man’s native language reaches his heart. In 2016, South Africa integrated Mandarin into its public-school curriculum, a historic move that reinforced our school’s commitment to the vision and mission of the Young Chinese Cultural League (YCCL), driving the school forward into the future.

Our school also commemorates the ‘Chinese Bridge’, an international Chinese Proficiency Competition for foreign students, sponsored by Hanban (漢辦), now the Centre for Language Education and Co-operation (教育部中外語言交流合作中心). The competition began in 2002 for university students, and expanded to include high-school students in 2008 and primary-school students in 2021. It aimed to spark youth interest in Chinese language and culture, offering a platform for international students to improve global communication. Winners have the opportunity to travel to China for the finals. Our school has participated since 2008, achieving outstanding results.

Several Chinese Bridge winners received Confucius Institute Scholarships to study for up to a year at universities such as Yunnan Normal and Shanghai Normal. From 2016 to 2023, 15 students earned scholarships to study in China and Taiwan, pursuing degrees in fields such as medicine, business, finance, game design and engineering. This achievement aligns with the YCCL’s mission to promote Chinese language and culture.

The school’s anniversary in September was celebrated with cakes, traditional Chinese foods and an Open Day featuring the Red Panda Market. Students, staff and families ran stalls for the enjoyment of guests and visitors.

The celebrations culminated in the staging of a production called Quest to the West, based on the 16th-century novel Journey to the West by Ming Dynasty writer Wu Cheng’en. The story follows the Buddhist monk Xuanzang on his pilgrimage to India in search of sacred texts, accompanied by three animal spirits: Monkey, Pigsy, and Sandy.

2024 was the Year of the Dragon, a divine creature in Chinese culture that controls wind and water. It symbolises power, strength, good luck and wisdom. Those born under the sign of the dragon are innovative thinkers with inquisitive natures, often finding success in their careers.

Our 90th anniversary brings promising opportunities, and our school looks forward to reaping the benefits the dragon offers as we work toward our centenary in 2034.

The Pretoria Chinese School was founded by the Young Chinese Cultural League of South Africa