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Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) presented the eighth installment of the widely-acclaimed Sun Hung Kai Properties Nobel Laureates Distinguished Lectures today, with Nobel Laureates in physics Professor Yang Chen Ning (1957) and Professor Martin L Perl (1995). The lectures attracted over 500 academics, political and business leaders, students and members of the public. The laureates met with more than 100 secondary and tertiary students and spoke about their passion for learning and CUHK also had Professor Yang’s Nobel medal on public display today to mark the 50th anniversary of his winning the prize.

The lectures were broadcast live to local universities, CUHK Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Community College, the Peking, Fudan, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Tsinghua, Zhejiang, Nanjing and Sun Yat-sen universities on the mainland. They were also available on the Hong Kong Education City web site. The broadcast was intended to promote academic exchange and allow more people to benefit from the lectures.

The two Nobel laureates in physics have made significant contributions to elementary particle physics. Professor Yang spoke on the process of discovering parity nonconservation in weak interactions in his lecture: The Great Excitement in 1957 about Parity Nonconservation. The fact that this year marks the 50th anniversary of his winning the Nobel Prize made the lecture even more special. His discovery was one of the most important in the field of physics since World War II.

Professor Perl began as an engineer and then physicist, conducting elementary particle research and teaching while also working in Silicon Valley. His lecture was: Developing Creativity and Innovation in Engineering and Science, offering insight into innovation and technology.

Sun Hung Kai Properties is committed to promoting education and life-long learning in order to help people meet the challenges of globalization, with the Nobel lectures offering an opportunity for Hong Kong to benefit from the expertise of world-class scholars.

CUHK Vice-Chancellor Lawrence J Lau praised SHKP and SHKP Vice Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Raymond Kwok for their generous support for the lecture series and thanked the two speakers, saying: “We firmly believe that the Nobel laureates’ passion for knowledge, vision, and concern for humanity can invigorate the intellectual community, and their accomplishments will inspire people to strive for excellence. We want to encourage discovery and dissemination of knowledge with these lectures and demonstrate the university’s commitment to Hong Kong and the academic world.”

CUHK is hosting an exhibition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Professor Yang’s Nobel Prize with a display explaining parity and his contributions to CUHK. The exhibition opened today and will run until 30 October (except Sunday) in CUHK’s Yueh Chiao Art Gallery, 1/F, Shaw College Lecture Theatre. The public are welcome from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.

The lecture series sponsored by SHKP began in 2004, with the intention of having Nobel laureates speak to a broad cross-section of the community and promote discovery and the dissemination of knowledge, professional and entrepreneurial expertise and contributions to humanity. Today’s lecturers bring to 15 the number of Nobel laureates or renowned scholars who have taken part in the series.