“Although my wife is Chinese, she didn’t speak a word of Putonghua 20 years ago. When she talked to my Mainland Chinese friends, she had to rely on me, a foreigner, to act as her interpreter. But now, she speaks very fluent Putonghua and she certainly doesn’t need me anymore,” says Professor Adamson. He suddenly pulls out a food coupon used on the Mainland from his pocket. That’s another culture shock!

Professor Adamson, who comes from England, used to be a foreign language teacher at Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. That was where he learned to speak such fluent Putonghua. “I simply learned the language from talking to the local people,” he remarked.

After years of trotting around Asia, Europe and Australia, Professor Adamson finally decided to settle down in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, during this time, his passion for the teaching of English and curriculum development never diminished. He has also arranged for his son to study at the Institute’s HSBC Early Childhood Learning Centre. Parents always pick the best for their children. So doesn’t his choice express a vote of confidence for the Learning Centre?