September 1945 and gathered seven former staffs of Chung Ling on 23 September to discuss about reconstructions. On 15 October 1945, former students were open to registration to return to their studies. Preparations were complete by 31 October. A staff meeting was made on 2 November 1945, and a reopening ceremony was conducted on the 11th. Another ceremony was made on 8 December, and on 10 December 1945, classes resumed for the first time since the outbreak of the war in 1941. There were 847 students and 45 staffs upon the reopening of the school, exceeding expectations by the staffs which placed estimations at "only 500 to 600 students". By August 1946, the number had swelled to 1,323 with 320 boarding students, including foreign nationals as far as the Dutch East Indies and Burma, as well as 61 staffs. A census, dated February 1948, lists the school's official student count at 1,334. The record number of students came as a surprise, where it caused a major shortage in equipment, furniture, and classrooms. The need for a larger campus became dire once more, and in 1948 upon charity and donations 16 more classrooms in two separate buildings were constructed. By 1948, the school had three targets: The hall was expanded in 1949, where construction proceeded until May 1950. The hall was renamed the Huai-ze Hall (懷澤堂, meaning the Hall of Remembrance of the Li Tek Seah), as a gift of appreciation to the large-sums of donation from the Li Tek Seah, a local organisation. The hall was the largest in any Malayan school at the time, with an estimated capacity of over 2000 people, costing in excess of 250 thousand Malayan dollars. On 1 December 1950, 73 teachers protested against the school's decision to reduce allowances for all teachers. Starting from 3 March 1951, David Chen and Zhong Sen, Honorary Member of the board of directors, as well as their respective wives embarked on a series of official visits to schools of 7 different countries in Europe for an educational study, observing the local education systems. Chan Chong Yuk (referred to as "Chan Tsung Nyok" or "Tan Chong Gark", 1889–1951), the Director of Chinese Studies, was appointed as the acting-principal during Chen's trip. The visit ended on 22 July 1951 when the team returned to Georgetown. During the early 1950s, education reports and surveys were conducted on Malaya. Chung Ling was