Media

SCULPTURE UNVEILED AT HKU "DR RAYSON HUANG: A STUDY IN BRONZE"

27 Sep 2005

 

HKU Pro-Chancellor Dr the Honourable David KP Li and HKU Vice-Chancellor Professor Lap-Chee Tsui have today unveiled a bronze sculpture of Dr Rayson Huang, former Vice-Chancellor of HKU in the Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU. The sculpture will be installed at the Foyer of the Rayson Huang Theatre.

The ceremony attracted many guests and friends of the HKU family, including the Principal and current students of his secondary school, Munsang College, his former hallmates of St. John's, representatives of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce, his colleagues in the Croucher Foundation and the Basic Law Drafting Committee, his former HKU colleagues, teachers and students, and last but not least, members of the HKU Council and management team.

The sculpture "Dr Rayson Huang: A study in Bronze" was commissioned by Dr the Hon David KP Li to show his gratitude for Dr Huang's contributions to the development of HKU towards becoming a world class university. "In fact, I am indebted to Dr. Huang for adopting me into the HKU family, as it was he who recommended me to my initial appointment to the University Council back in 1979," Dr. the Hon David KP Li said. "Rayson opened the door of opportunity for Hong Kong's brightest students. Total student stood at 4,000 when he joined the University as Vice-Chancellor in 1972. When he retired in 1986, enrolment had doubled to 8,000," Dr. Hon David KP Li explained.

Speaking about Dr. Huang's dedication to serve the HK community, as a member of the Legislative Council for 6 years, a member of the Basic Law Drafting Committee and a founding trustee of the Croucher Foundation among various public appointments, Dr. the Hon David KP Li said "all of us in HK owe a great debt of gratitude to Rayson for his tireless efforts on behalf of the University, and the community at large".

HKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Lap-Chee Tsui was thankful for Dr. Huang's contributions when he said "Dr. Huang is a person with visions, under his able leadership, the campus was redeveloped to accommodate two to three times more students than the original 4,000 when he first joined HKU as Vice-Chancellor". Prof. Lap-Chee Tsui went on to explain the need for campus expansion today due to the new 3-3-4 education system, and University's plan to recruit more outstanding international students from around the globe.

When expressing his gratefulness to the honour bestowed on him, Dr. Huang said "for me no honour can possibly be greater than this, it is something I could never have dreamt of for the eighty odd years of my life. This sculpture, placed in the lecture theatre bearing my name, has a special significance for me: it will give me a warm, filial feeling that I have a continual presence in my Alma Mater at all times, wherever I may be".

At the ceremony, Professor Johannes Chan, Dean of the Faculty of Law, and Dr Linda Tsui, the first woman president of HKU's Student Union, shared with the audience their memories of university life during Dr Huang's time as the Vice- Chancellor.

Dr. Linda Tsui said that identity with China was a major issue between students and the University in those days, many who were active in students' movement had now become leaders in different fields of our community. "The University today would not be what it is with a different Vice-Chancellor in the 70s", Dr. Tsui said.

Professor Johannes Chan recalled there were marked differences in the treatment between local and expatriate teachers, eg expatriate staff was automatically entitled to staff quarters which were not available to local staff. "Things are of course very different and more equal now," Professor Chan said, "however, one thing remains the same, academic freedom and plurality remain the core values of the University until today" he continued.

After the unveiling ceremony, there were music performances given by HKU's Music Department, Student Union Choir and Students' Union Philharmonic Orchestra. The highlight of the musical interlude featured two Cantonese pop-songs on solo violin by Dr Huang, they were "When in Life's Journey Tears are Shed" and "The Drama of Life" both composed by Mr. Michael Lai and arranged by Mr Anthony Cheng, a postgraduate student of the Department of Music, HKU.

Dr Huang was the first alumnus and the first Chinese appointed to the post of Vice-Chancellor. He served HKU for 14 years from 1972 to 1986 and is one of the two longest-serving Vice-Chancellors to date. He has made significant contributions to HKU. He initiated the first extensive Main Campus Redevelopment Project since the second world war, shaping the way the campus looks today. Since his retirement, Dr Huang has remained involved with the University and the Hong Kong Community through alumni networking and promotion of research activities in the local tertiary institutions through the Croucher Foundation of which he is a founding trustee.

The bronze sculpture weighs 23kg, and has a dimension of 56cm (height) x 46cm (width) x 29 cm (depth). It has taken artist Mr. She Wai-ming 2 months to complete.

For media enquiries please contact Miss Cherry Cheung, Senior Press Officer, HKU (tel: 28592606).

Photo Caption：

Photo 1："DR RAYSON HUANG: A STUDY IN BRONZE"
Photo 2：Dr Rayson Huang and the sculpture
Photo 3：HKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Lap-Chee Tsui, Pro-Chancellor Dr. the Hon David KP Li and Dr Rayson Huang
Photo 4：Violin solo performance by Dr Huang
Photo 5：Performance by Dr Rayson Huang and String Quartet
Photo 6：Speech - Dr Rayson Huang
Photo 7：Speech - Pro-Chancellor Dr. the Hon David KP Li
Photo 8：Speech - HKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Lap-Chee Tsui
Photo 9：Pro-Chancellor Dr. the Hon David KP Li, HKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Lap-Chee Tsui, Dr Rayson Huang, Dr. Linda Tsui, Professor Johannes Chan and members of the Senior Management Team
Photo 10：Dr. Linda Tsui and Professor Johannes Chan
Photo 11：A friendly greeting
Photo 12：Dr Rayson Huang