Cecil Clementi

Sir Cecil Clementi (Chinese:金文泰; Jyutping:Gam1 Man4 Taai3; Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Kim-bûn-thài; 1 September 1875 – 5 April 1947) was a Britishcolonialadministrator who served as Governor of Hong Kong from 1925 to 1930, and Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements from 1930 to 1934.

Born in Cawnpore (presently Kanpur), India, Clementi was the son of Colonel Montagu Clementi, Judge Advocate General in India, and his wife, Isabel Collard. He attended St Paul's School and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied Sanskrit and the classics. In 1896, he achieved a first-class result in mods, and was awarded a Boden Scholarship in Sanskrit in 1897. He received honourable mentions for the Hertford (1895), Ireland (1896) and Craven (1896) scholarships.

Clementi was proxime accessit (runner-up) for the Gaisford Greek Prose prize in 1897, and obtained his B.A. (2nd class lit. hum., i.e. classics) in 1898. He was also proxime accessit for the Chancellor's Latin Essay prize in 1899, and obtained his M.A. in 1901.

In 1899, Clementi placed fourth in the competitive examinations for the civil service, which allowed him his choice of postings. His choice was Hong Kong, and upon his arrival, he was sent up to Canton, where he was a land officer until forced to return to Hong Kong by the events of the Boxer Rebellion. Clementi's facility with languages was demonstrated when he passed the Cantonese examination in 1900, and the Pekingese examination six years later, in 1906.

After serving as an Assistant Registrar General in 1901, Clementi joined as a member of the Board of Examiners in Chinese, in 1902. In 1902, Clementi was seconded for special service under the government of India and was created J.P. in that same year. A year later, he was seconded for famine relief work in Kwangsi (Guangxi). A year afterwards, Clementi was appointed Member of Land Court, Assistant Land Officer and Police Magistrate at New Territories, Hong Kong, a position he served in until 1906.

Gracias a su desempeño en los servicios públicos, Clementi fue ascendido a Secretario Colonial Adjunto y Secretario del Consejo en 1907. Durante su gestión en ese cargo, representó al gobierno de Hong Kong en la Conferencia Internacional del Opio celebrada en Shanghái en 1909. Un año después, se convirtió en Secretario Privado del Administrador de la época, Sir Francis Henry May . Con el tiempo, Clementi fue nombrado Secretario Colonial Interino y miembro de los Consejos Ejecutivo y Legislativo de Hong Kong, cargos que ocupó hasta 1912.

Clementi participó en la fundación de la Universidad de Hong Kong . De hecho, escribió la letra, en latín, del himno de la universidad, que se interpretó por primera vez el 11 de marzo de 1912. ^{[ 1 ]}

En 1913, Clementi fue nombrado secretario colonial de la Guayana Británica , cargo que ocupó hasta 1922. Posteriormente, fue nombrado secretario colonial de Ceilán , donde prestó sus servicios hasta 1925. Cada puesto conllevaba una considerable responsabilidad, y en más de una ocasión estuvo a cargo de la administración de todo el gobierno de su área de responsabilidad. Durante su estancia en Ceilán, fue presidente de la filial ceilandesa de la Real Sociedad Asiática en 1924. ^{[ 2 ]}

En 1925, Clementi fue nombrado gobernador de Hong Kong , un cargo para el que su fluidez en cantonés le venía muy bien y en el que sirvió hasta 1930. ^{[ 3 ]}

Durante su mandato, se resolvió la huelga de Cantón-Hong Kong , que paralizó la economía de Hong Kong, y el aeropuerto de Kai Tak entró en funcionamiento (operaría hasta la apertura del Aeropuerto Internacional de Hong Kong, que se convirtió en el principal aeropuerto en 1998). También puso fin a la práctica del Mui Tsai , el sistema tradicional chino de "servidumbre femenina" que a menudo resultaba en el abuso de jóvenes sirvientas. Asimismo, nombró a Shouson Chow , un destacado comerciante chino, como el primer miembro no oficial del Consejo Ejecutivo . Al mismo tiempo, aumentó el número de miembros oficiales y no oficiales ("no oficiales") en el Consejo Legislativo de ocho a diez (incluido el Gobernador) y de seis a ocho, respectivamente. Invitó a un chino y a un portugués ( José Pedro Braga ) a ser miembros no oficiales. ^{[ 4 ]}

Clementi opposed Kuomintang's 1926 Northern Expedition against northern Chinese warlords and advocated British arms support to Peking, a move rejected by London.^[5] To counter the growing radicalization of the Chinese intelligentsia against colonialism and imperialism after the May Fourth Movement, he proposed a revised school curriculum in Chinese language that stressed loyalty and traditional Chinese values. He advocated for the training of more teachers in the Chinese language and the establishment of a Chinese Department at the University of Hong Kong.^[6]

After his tenure as Governor of Hong Kong ended, Clementi went on to serve his last post in the Colonial Services as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements, which included Singapore, and High Commissioner for the Malay States, from 5 February 1930 to 17 February 1934.^[7] He handed over to Sir Andrew Caldecott, who became acting Governor, and left for England due to his illness. The position of Governor was later filled by Sir Shenton Thomas on 9 November 1934.

Six years later, in 1940, Clementi became the Master of the Mercers' Company.

Clementi was the nephew of the Cecil Clementi Smith (1860–1916), Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner in the period 1887 to 1893. He was also the great-grandson of the Italian-born musician Muzio Clementi.

Clementi married Marie Penelope Rose Eyres, daughter of Admiral Cresswell John Eyres, in 1912. The couple had one son, Cresswell, and three daughters.

Clementi died in High Wycombe, England, on 5 April 1947.

• C.M.G., 1916
• K.C.M.G., 1926
• G.C.M.G., 1931
• K.St.J., 1926
• Fellow, Royal Geographical Society (F.R.G.S.)
• Member, Royal Asiatic Society (M.R.A.S.)
• Honorary Fellow, Magdalen College, Oxford, 1938
• Recipient, Cuthbert Peek Award of the Royal Geographical Society, 1912
• Honours LL.D. degree, Hong Kong University, 1925

• Cantonese Love Songs. Clarendon Press (1904)
• Summary of Geographical Observations taken during a Journey from Kashgar to Kowloon. Noronha & Co. (1911)
• Pervigilium Veneris, The vigil of Venus. Blackwell (1911)
• Bibliographical and other studies on the Pervigilium Veneris. Blackwell (1913)
• The Chinese in British Guiana. The Argosy Company Limited (1915)
• Elements in Analysis of Thought. Blackwell (1933)
• A Constitutional History of British Guiana. Macmillan (1937) – a definitive work on the constitution of colonial British Guiana

• The entire planning area of Clementi in Singapore is named after him.
  • Clementi Town Secondary School, Singapore
  • Clementi MRT station, Singapore
  • Clementi Police Division, Singapore
  • Clementi Public Library, Singapore
• Cecile Mountain, Cameron Highland, Malaysia
• Clementi Secondary School, Hong Kong
• Clementi Road, Hong Kong
• Cecil Clementi Street, Kanpur
• Sir Cecil's Ride (金督馳馬徑), Hong Kong

• History of Hong Kong