Media

Dr Cheng Yu-Tung, Chairman of New World Development Company Limited, generously donated HK$400 million to The University of Hong Kong (HKU) at an official cheque presentation ceremony today (March 19) in support of its campus development and the academic development and research of the Faculty of Law.
Officiating at the ceremony were Dr Cheng Yu-Tung, Chairman of New World Development Company Limited; Dr Victor Fung, Chairman of Council, HKU; Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor of HKU; and Professor Johannes Chan, Dean of Law, HKU.

Dr Victor Fung expressed gratitude to Dr Cheng for his generous support of the University. "We believe that this major donation of HK$400 million by Dr Cheng is a great investment in the tertiary education of Hong Kong. Most importantly, it is also the utmost encouragement to each member of the University."

Dr Cheng remarked, "The relationship between me and HKU dates back to 1997, the time when I began supporting the Faculty of Medicine in the form of student scholarship. Since then many Mainland medical professionals have been trained. When I first knew that the University had embarked on building the Centennial Campus to meet its strategic development plans, I wanted to make my contribution to HKU so that the new campus could be built as scheduled. As all of us know, the Faculty of Law of HKU was established 39 years ago and has fostered many outstanding lawyers. I hope my donation can not only be beneficial for the future development of the Faculty of Law in nurturing local talents, but also contribute to the Rule of Law of our Country and to its prosperity".

Professor Johannes Chan thanked Dr Cheng for his kind support of the Faculty of Law, pointing out that this gift is particularly constructive to the future five-year development plan of the Faculty. For example, the Faculty will continue to make use of the masters degree programme in Common Law to strengthen students' understanding of the legislation of China and also establish the Centre for Comparative Law and Chinese Law to facilitate research and exchange among Hong Kong, China and other countries. It is hoped that these two projects will be contributive to China's legislative reform and the promotion of the concept of Rule of Law in China.

Professor Chan said the donation will also support other projects including: recruiting the best world-class scholars as teachers; setting up scholarships to attract outstanding local and overseas students to study at HKU; facilitating the research on and training in arbitration and dispute resolution so as to meet the goal of the HKSAR Government for positioning Hong Kong as an arbitration hub in Asia; and introducing a "Legal Clinic " so students may equip themselves with hands-on experience by learning from experienced tutors-these students, in turn, can provide partial legal services to the needy.

In recognition of this generous gift from Dr Cheng, the University will name the building where the Faculty of Law will be located after the completion of the Centennial Campus the "Cheng Yu-Tung Building".

The new Centennial Campus is targeted for completion by 2011/2012 with three new buildings housing the Faculties of Arts, Social Sciences and Law. With the introduction of the four-year undergraduate curriculum in 2012, the expanded campus will aid in the accommodation the expected 40 per cent increase of the student body.

For media enquiries, please contact:-
Ms Polo Leung of HKU Development & Alumni Affairs Office (Tel: 2241 5677); or Ms Denise Wong of HKU External Relations Office (Tel: 2859 2600 ).