CUHK
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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) earlier held a donation ceremony for the establishment of the ‘Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin R&D Centre for Chinese Medicine’ in gratitude for the HK$100 million donation made by Dr. Li Dak Sum.  Officiating guests included: The Honourable C Y Leung, Chief Executive of the HKSAR and CUHK Chancellor; Dr. Li Dak Sum, Chairman of Roxy Property Investment Company Limited and Corporate Advisor of Sharp-Roxy (HK) Limited and his wife Mrs. Li Yip Yio Chin; The Honourable Eddie Ng, Secretary for Education; Dr. Vincent Cheng, Chairman of the Council of CUHK; Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK; and Prof. Shaw Pang Chui, Director of the Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin R&D Centre for Chinese Medicine and Professor of the School of Life Sciences, CUHK.

An endowment fund named the ‘Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Education Development Fund’ will be set up with the HK$100 million donation to support CUHK in advancing its research in Chinese medicine.  In addition, the ‘Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Scholarships’ will be set up to facilitate academic exchange between CUHK and Fudan University in Shanghai as well as the tertiary institutions in Ning Po, and make awards to outstanding students from families with financial difficulties.  In appreciation of Dr. Li’s contributions to CUHK, apart from the establishment of the ‘Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin R&D Centre for Chinese Medicine’, the new wing of the University Library will also be named as ‘Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Building’. 

At the donation ceremony, Prof. Joseph Sung expressed his deep gratitude to Dr. Li for his generosity.  He said, ‘We have been honoured to receive Dr. Li’s staunch support since the early days of CUHK’s establishment.  Dr. Li not only served as a member of the Board of Trustees of New Asia College, CUHK, but also repeatedly donated to CUHK to grant financial assistance to students and support CUHK’s research and teaching.  This time, Dr. Li has again made a donation of a substantial amount, enabling CUHK to establish a Chinese medicine research centre.  The contributions made to the Chinese medicine sector will benefit the community in the long run.’ 

Dr. Li Dak Sum, a renowned businessman, has always been supportive of charitable works, particularly in education.  Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Li remarked, ‘I am so pleased to collaborate with CUHK once again and be able to contribute my humble share towards the excellence of teaching and research as well as the long term benefit of the community at large.’  He continued, ‘I look forward to seeing a new era in Chinese medicine research brought about by the newly established Centre.’

In recent years, CUHK has attained considerable achievements in Chinese medicine research.  Prof. Shaw Pang Chui said that the new Centre’s major tasks will include: (1) to utilize CUHK’s existing experience and through multidisciplinary collaboration to analyze the ingredients and effectiveness of Chinese medicine, resulting in better authentication and quality control of Chinese medicinal materials; (2) to collect, arrange and investigate the Chinese medicinal materials from the Lingnan region; (3) to provide workshops and training to local Chinese medicine practitioners and international Chinese medicine researchers.  He said, ‘We hope that our works will be able to enhance the development and research of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong.  In addition, we wish to promote the quality control and assurance of Chinese medicinal materials and products in Hong Kong; and to provide training towards expertise in the Chinese herbal industry.  As a result, the Chinese medicine industry and high tech sector can be developed and promoted.  The Centre is also planning to collaborate with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the United Kingdom, to enhance its development.’

The newly established ‘Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin R&D Centre for Chinese Medicine’ will strengthen its collaboration with international and mainland prestigious schools and institutes to promote Chinese medicine research.  The Centre will also cooperate with the Food and Health Bureau and the Department of Health, HKSAR, to position Hong Kong as an international hub for the development of Chinese medicine.