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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will confer honorary doctorates on the following seven distinguished persons at its 77th Congregation to be held on Thursday, 4 December, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to their respective areas of academic and cultural progress, the promotion of community welfare, and the development of CUHK.

Ms. CHEN Wai-wai Vivien is the Chairman and Managing Director of the Nan Fung Group as well as the founder and President of her own foundation named The Chen Wai Wai Vivien Foundation Limited.  Like her late father, Dr. Chen Din-hwa, Ms. Chen is both a distinguished entrepreneur and philanthropist.  Ms. Chen is the Chairperson of The D. H. Chen Foundation, which was established by her father to support worthy causes in medicine, education and welfare.  Ms. Chen has been a staunch supporter of CUHK.  Through her own Foundation and The D. H. Chen Foundation, she has made substantial donations to support the development of Shaw College and Lee Woo Sing College, as well as numerous research projects and educational activities in Chinese medicine, mood disorders, eating disorders and therapeutic physical mental exercise.  The University will confer upon Ms. Chen the degree of Doctor of Social Science, honoris causa for her remarkable contributions to the economic development of Hong Kong and the community in need.

Dr. Joseph KOO is a respected composer and music director of Cantopop songs.  Early in the 1960s, Dr. Koo joined both Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Limited and Golden Harvest movie studios as a film music composer and arranger.  His music pieces won several awards in the Golden Horse Film Festival and the Asia Pacific Film Festival.  Over the past few decades, Dr. Koo has composed over 1,200 songs and many of them became the classics of Cantopop.  His works changed the Hong Kong music scene in 1970s, where most popular music had been dominated by adaptations of the melodies of foreign songs.  Dr. Koo was awarded the Highest Honour Award of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) Ten Best Chinese Music Programmes, the Music Accomplishment Award of Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong, made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star from HKSAR Government.  The University will confer upon Dr. Koo the degree of Doctor of Social Science, honoris causa for his influence on Cantopop music and his contributions to the Hong Kong music industry.

Renowned economist Prof. Lawrence Juen-yee LAU is Ralph and Claire Landau Professor of Economics of the Institute of Global Economics and Finance at CUHK.  He served as the sixth Vice-Chancellor of CUHK from 2004 to 2010.  He specializes in Economic Theory, Economic Development, Economic Growth, and the Economies of East Asia, including China.  He developed one of the first econometric models of China in 1966, which he has continued to revise and update since then.  Serving as Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, Professor Lau made notable contributions to the academic and research excellence of the University, including the establishment of five new Colleges to accommodate the addition of 3,000 undergraduate students as the University reverted to a four-year curriculum.  He also led the University in formulating a 10-year Strategic Plan and identified five academic areas for focused research investment.  In recognition of his academic achievements in economics and important contributions to CUHK, the University will confer upon Professor Lau the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. 

Prof. Robert C. MERTON is currently the School of Management Distinguished Professor of Finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management, University Professor Emeritus at Harvard University and Resident Scientist at Dimensional Holdings, Inc.  Professor Merton received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1997 for a new method to determine the value of derivatives.  His research focuses on finance theory including lifecycle finance, optimal intertemporal portfolio selection, capital asset pricing, pricing of options, risky corporate debt, loan guarantees, and other complex derivative securities. Recognized for translating finance science into practice, Professor Merton received a number of awards, including the inaugural Financial Engineer of the Year Award from the International Association of Financial Engineers, and the 2011 CME Group Melamed-Arditti Innovation Award.  The University will confer upon Professor Merton the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, in recognition of his significant contributions in the field of economic sciences and finance. 

Renowned writer Mr. MO Yan is Dean of the College of Literature of the Chinese National Academy of Arts, Director of Beijing Normal University International Writing Center and, Vice-President of China Writers Association.  He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012.  Mr. Mo Yan started his literary career in the 1980s and his international breakthrough came in 1986 when he published the epic novel Red Sorghum.  After this success, Mr. Mo Yan went on to publish numerous works, including Big Breasts and Wide Hips, Sandalwood Death as well as Life and Death are Wearing Me Out, which were translated into many languages.  Mr. Mo Yan also received the Nonino International Prize for Literature, the Grand Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize and was made a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by France.  In recognition of his phenomenal achievements in Literature, the University will confer upon Mr. Mo Yan the degree of Doctor of Literature, honoris causa. 

Prof. WANG Shu, a world-class architect, is the Dean and Professor of the School of Architecture of the China Academy of Art.  In 2012, he became the first Chinese citizen to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often referred as the Nobel Prize of architecture.  Professor Wang’s architecture is exemplary in its strong sense of cultural continuity and re-invigorated tradition.  His buildings have a very rare attribute – a commanding and even, at times, monumental presence, while functioning splendidly.  The History Museum at Ningbo is one of his masterpieces.  Highly regarded in his field, Professor Wang was awarded the First Architecture Arts Award in China and the Gold Medal of the Academy of Architecture in France.  He was elected as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine in 2013.  The University will confer upon Professor Wang the degree of Doctor of Social Science, honoris causa for his exceptional achievements and contributions to the field of architecture.

A specialist in mechanical engineering, Prof. ZHOU Ji is the President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.  His research interests include the engineering application of optimization design, computer-aided design (CAD), numerical control and computer integrated making system (CIMS) technologies.  He and his team also developed a series of software products, which have been widely used in various industries such as machinery, aeronautics, astronautics and energy.  During his service as the Director-General of the Hubei Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Professor Zhou successfully turned Wuhan into a leading optical science research and manufacturing base, helping the municipality to win the nickname ‘The China Optical Valley’.  Professor Zhou’s achievements earned him four third-class National Scientific and Technological Progress Prizes and 14 Provincial Scientific and Technological Progress Prizes.  He was also elected as a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Engineering.  The University will confer upon Professor Zhou the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causafor his remarkable contributions in the field of mechanical engineering and the development of science and technology in China. (Professor Zhou is unable to come to Hong Kong to attend the Congregation due to an urgent commitment.  The University will confer the degree on him in absentia.)