The School

Prior to March 2005, the school was known outside of mainland China as PRIVATE PUI CHING COMMERCIAL COLLEGE. Its official name in China was PEI ZHENG COMMERCIAL COLLEGE. The difference is the result of translation. PUI CHING is the Cantonese phonetic translation of two Chinese characters which become PEI ZHENG if translated according to the officially specified manner. Since the early 50's, every Chinese character has an official romanized equivalent. However, the school is funded by the alumni of the PUI CHING schools which have been in existence for over a century, long before there is something called romanized Chinese. A large number of the PUI CHING alumni now live outside of China and they know their school by the name PUI CHING. That is the reason why the school retains PUI CHING in its unofficial name.

Since March 2005, when the Ministry of Education gave the school the right to grant a bachelor's degree and the name of the school was changed to Guangdong Pei Zheng College (GPZC) to signify that it is now a full-fledged four year college. Outside of China, the school will keep the name PUI CHING and it will be called Guangdong Pui Ching College.

The PUI CHING group of schools is probably the biggest school group in South China. It consists of 3 high schools (called middle school in China) in Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangzhou; 5 primary schools in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou East, Guangzhou West, and Taisan; and the Guangdong Pei Zheng College in Huadu. The total number of students in those nine schools is over 20,000. Guangdong Pei Zheng College alone has over 10,000 students as of September 2005.

For years, if overseas Chinese want to sent their children back to China for education, Pui Ching has always been their top choice. As a result, there are almost as many Pui Ching alumni in North America as in China. Traditionally, Pui Ching is a school known for its math and physical sciences. Hence, many Pui Ching alumni in North America are scientists, engineers, doctors and professors. Among the Pui Ching alumni, you will find Noble Prize Winner, Dr. Deniel Tsui and Field Medal winner (in mathematics), Dr. S.T. Yao. Almost half of Hong Kong's university presidents are Pui Ching alumni.

In the early days, the school was funded mostly from donation by the Pui Ching alumni but it is now financially quite strong and it has been able to fund itself for the past few years.

Most of the institutes of higher education is owned and operated by the government - central, provincial or city. GPZC is one of the few private colleges in China. Until recently, China did not allow private 4 year college. This year, 2005, two private colleges in Guangdong Province has been grant the right to run a 4-year program and give a bachelor's degree. Pui Ching alumni should be proud and much honored that GPZC has become the first full-fledged private 4-year college in Guangdong Province.

According to the official in charge of the licensing of colleges who visited the school in 1998, from the Central Government's Education Ministry, the school, then known as PZCC was the only truely private college in China totally operating under a board of trustees with no government officials' interference. It is also the private college with by far the biggest campus.

In 1998, PZCC was given the 'most advanced institution' award by the Central Government and many other honors since then.