Media

HKU Libraries : A Ceremony marking the gifts of “Po Chung’s Personal Development Collection” and a couplet composed by Mr Yeung Sui Sang with calligraphy by Mrs Helen Chung

03 Apr 2009

Mr Chung Po Yang (Po Chung) SBS OBE JP will be donating "Po Chung's Personal Development Collection" to the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Libraries at a ceremony to be held in the Main Library at HKU on Wednesday 8 April 2009 at 2:00 p.m. The ceremony will also be marked with the presentation of a piece of verse: a couplet composed by Mr Yeung Sui Sang, with calligraphy by Mrs Helen Chung.

HKU Vice-Chancellor Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Mr Yeung Sui Sang and Mr and Mrs Chung will officiate at the Ceremony.

Mr Chung Po Yang (Po Chung)

After attending university in the USA, Mr Chung returned to Hong Kong, joined DHL Express and co-founded its Asia Pacific division. Mr Chung has held a top-ranking position with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and helped establish the HKU Centre for Asian Entrepreneurship & Business Values in 2006. He is a committed community service leader, a social entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a patron of the arts and conservation, and an accomplished painter. Mr Chung founded the Creative Initiatives Foundation and the Good Life Initiative. His latest book, The First 10 Yards: the 5 Dynamics of Entrepreneurship, has just been published.

Mr Chung, who retired from the corporate world in 2001, saw his own life as "an entrepreneurial journey". These personal insights, which led him to combine his ideas on entrepreneurship with his thoughts on redesigning life, can now be found in the "Po Chung's Personal Development Collection", a collection of books donated by Mr Chung. According to Mr Chung, the objective of setting up this collection was to help people to open their minds to "the science of life management and the art of living".

Additionally, the University Libraries is pleased to receive a gift of a piece of verse, a couplet composed by Mr Yeung Sui Sang, with calligraphy by Mrs Helen Chung. 

Mr Yeung Sui Sang

Mr Yeung is a veteran media professional who loves the study of couplets, writing columns about them in several newspapers.  His publications include:《憑聯寄意》(Express Feeling through Couplets),《聯賞聯想》(Imagination and Appreciation of Couplets),《書聯碧合》(Antithesis of Couplets),《意在聯外》(Meanings of Couplets),《樂在聯中》(Enchantment of Couplets).

Mrs Helen Chung

Mrs Helen Chung started her artistic journey one Sunday afternoon in 1995, when two of her daughters were practicing for dance recital and were therefore late for a painting lesson with Mr Lam Yat-Chi (林逸之), who was waiting in the family's library.  To keep Mr Lam from becoming impatient, Mrs Chung decided to take their place.  It was her first painting lesson.  For the next five years she joined the fun, mainly painting "flora and birds." During a group exhibition in 2003, Mrs Chung received many compliments for two of her works of calligraphy, which led her to concentrate on improving her calligraphic technique and style.  Mrs Chung is now widely recognised for her "cursive script" (cao-shu), although she also practices the running script style of Lin Sanzhi (林散之).

The Couplet to celebrate the spirit of the Collection

The couplet has been specially composed by Mr Yeung, with calligraphy by Mrs Chung, for the HKU Libraries, and conveys the message about the importance of books and education for intellectual cultivation.

    香港重培才，大學仁風留史冊

    圖書能醒世，館藏寶典輔英賢

    As Hong Kong attaches great significance to education,

    This University has cherished in its records all acts of benevolence and excellence;

    And as books can help to awaken the world,

    Our Libraries' precious collections/dictionaries are of valuable assistance to all intellectual readers.

Media and press members are cordially invited to attend.  Details as below:

Date: 8 April 2009 (Wednesday)

Time: 2:00 pm

Venue: G/F, New Wing, Main Library, University of Hong Kong

Media contacts: Ms Carmen Tsang, HKU Libraries (Tel: 2859-2211)