Chung Cheng High School

Chung Cheng High School was established in 1939 by several Chinese community leaders, including Lim Boon Keng (1869–1957), Tan Yeok Seong (1903–1984), Aw Boon Haw (1882–1954), and Lim Bo Seng (1909–1944). The school’s founding principal was Chuang Chu Lin (1900–1973) and its supervisor, Lim Bo Seng. Aw was also chairman of its first management board. The school was first founded as Chiang Kai-Shek High School, and was subsequently registered as Chung Cheng High School in 1946, under the Registration of Schools Ordinance.

As a traditional Chinese-medium school founded before World War II, Chung Cheng High’s school motto and school song drew on Confucian values. The school song was composed in 1946, with lyrics written by educator Chuang U-Ming (1908–2007), who once served as the vice-chairman of the school’s management board.

School motto

With Passion We Learn

With Perseverance We Strive

With Integrity We Live

With Commitment We Progress

Brief history

Chung Cheng High School was originally located in a two-storey building in Kim Yam Road in River Valley. It was an all-boys school in its early years. Guided by its philosophy of “Excellence in Education for All”, the school admitted students from different strata of society. They came from not just Singapore and Malaya, but Indonesia too. In its early days, the school already boasted a library of nearly 20,000 books, many of them rare and precious.

With the Japanese occupation of Singapore in 1942, the school was forced to cease operations until the end of World War II in 1945. In 1946, the school began to take in female students.

To cope with the growing student population, the school board, headed by Lim Soo Ban (1886–1953), acquired a 14-acre plot of land in Goodman Road in 1947 for a new campus. In 1968, the Administration Building, housing a 2,000-seat Grand Auditorium and science laboratories, was opened after 21 years of fundraising and construction, supported by events such as drama performances, concerts, charity runs, and bazaars. An entrance arch inscribed with the name of the school was also erected. This campus at Goodman Road was named Chung Cheng High School (Main), while the old site in Kim Yam Road was renamed Chung Cheng High School (Branch) and became an affiliated school of Chung Cheng High School (Main). Both schools were government-aided schools and independently administered.¹

In 1969, the management board of Chung Cheng High School and the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan agreed to exchange the campuses of Chung Cheng High School (Branch) and Nan Chiau Girls’ High School on Guillemard Road. After signing the agreement, Chung Cheng High School (Branch) relocated to 339 Guillemard Road, and the campus at 60 Kim Yam Road became part of Nan Chiau Girls’ High School (also under the management of Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan). In the late 1990s, Chung Cheng High School (Branch) opted to relocate again as it was not possible to expand its campus on the existing site. The school board identified a plot of land in Yishun Street 61 for the new campus. In 2003, the school moved to a holding school in Sembawang, where it began admitting new Secondary 1 students and students from all ethnic groups, and started to offer Malay language classes. After the new campus was completed, Chung Cheng High School (Branch) moved to its current location in Yishun Street 61 in 2005, and was renamed Chung Cheng High School (Yishun).

Shortly after the establishment of Chung Cheng High School (Main), the school’s management strove to improve the school’s facilities and beautify the campus. It is the only secondary school in Singapore with a natural lake, named Chung Cheng Lake, which provides its students with a serene learning environment. Before Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) moved to its current site, the management board decided to replicate the scenery and build a lake in the school. Thus, the second Chung Cheng Lake was born.

In 1979, Chung Cheng High School (Main) was selected as one of nine Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools offering both English and Chinese as first languages to nurture bilingual and bicultural talent for the nation.² Since 1970, the school has also published Husheng (Voices of the Lake), an annual publication showcasing outstanding literary works by students.

In 1996, Chung Cheng High School (Main) achieved Autonomous School status, giving it the flexibility to innovate and enhance its school curriculum.³ In 2003, the Chung Cheng Heritage Gallery was established. In 2006, the Administration Building was named Zhulin Building, in honour of the school’s founding principal Dr Chuang Chu Lin.

Between 2010 and 2012, the school embarked on the Ministry of Education’s Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools (PRIME) project. Today, the school is equipped with a wide range of facilities, providing students with more space for activities.

In 2014, the school celebrated its 75^th anniversary. In the same year, the school’s Entrance Arch and Administration Building (Zhulin Building) were gazetted as national monuments by the National Heritage Board in a ceremony officiated by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Also in the same year, the Lim Tze Peng Art Gallery was opened, holding a collection of over 100 artworks donated by the artist, an alumnus of the school. In 2015, a Gallery by the Lake was set up to showcase artworks by school alumni. In 2019, the school celebrated its 80^th anniversary with a series of events. A new Zhong Zhen Ren (“People of Chung Cheng”) sculpture was also unveiled by the school lake in a ceremony officiated by then-Education Minister Ong Ye Kung. In 2020, Chung Cheng High School (Main) started offering the Chinese Language Elective Programme.⁴

Chung Cheng High School has grown significantly over the years. Today, it comprises Chung Cheng High School (Main) and Chung Cheng High School (Yishun), and is affiliated to Nanyang Junior College, which was established in 1978. In 2024, Chung Cheng High School (Main), Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) and Nanyang Junior College organised a series of activities to mark Chung Cheng High School’s 85^th anniversary. The renovation of Zhulin Building was completed in 2025. The reopening ceremony was held on 5 July 2025, with nearly 2,000 students, parents, and alumni in attendance.

During Chuang Chu Lin’s tenure as principal, he placed a strong emphasis on the learning of calligraphy and hired renowned local calligraphers such as Liu Chucai (birth and death years unknown), Goh Teck Sian (1893–1962), Wong Jai Ling (1895–1973), Chang San Sheh (1898–1969), Liu Pao Kiang (1935–2023) and Tan Keng Cheow (1907–1972) to teach calligraphy at the school. In 1953 and 1954, the school organised two exhibitions to showcase students’ calligraphic works, which were considered the earliest calligraphy exhibitions in Singapore. ⁵ In 1968, with the support of Tan Keng Cheow, a group of Chung Cheng High School students and alumni set up the Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore, where Tan was the mentor. ⁶

Chung Cheng High School has produced many leaders in politics, business and the arts. Among them are business and Chinese community leaders Wee Cho Yaw (1929–2024) and Kho Choon Keng; former political office holders Hwang Soo Jin, Lee Chiaw Meng (1937–2001), Ch’ng Jit Koon (1934–2024), Ho Cheng Choon (1935–2007), Ho Kah Leong, Lee Yiok Seng; former parliamentarians Phua Bah Lee (1932–2021), Lim Guan Hoo (1939–1977), Yeo Choo Kok (1936–2007), Tan Cheng San, Ng Yeow Chong (1921–1987), Tay Boon Too (1933–2018), Koh Lip Lin (1935–2015), Ong Ah Heng, Ngeow Pack Hua, and Low Thia Khiang; and Cultural Medallion recipients Low Ing Sing (1924–2002), Tay Bin Wee (1926–2000), Lim Tze Peng (1921–2025), Chng Seok Tin (1946–2019), Han Lao Da, Chew Kok Chang (Zhou Can), Tay Teow Kiat, Tan Siah Kwee, Chua Mia Tee, and Siew Hock Meng. Wee Cho Yaw, Liu Thai Ker, Ch’ng Jit Koon, and Lim Tze Peng were also awarded the Distinguished Service Order for their contributions to Singapore’s development.

 Tuesday Report: When the Bell Rings 2

Principals and years in service