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Unveiling Ceremony of “Lui Che Woo Building”, School of Life Sciences, Peking University and “LUI Che Woo Prize” Symposium

29 Jun 2018

Unveiling Ceremony of “Lui Che Woo Building”,

School of Life Sciences, Peking University and

“LUI Che Woo Prize” Symposium

Date: Friday, 29 June 2018

Time: 9:30 a.m.

Venue: Yangguang Hall, Yingjie Exchange Centre, Peking University

President Lin Jianhua, Vice-President Wang Bo, Dean Wu Hong, dear guests, faculty members and students of Peking University, and friends from the media,

Gooding morning, it gives me great pleasure to be able to meet with you here at Peking University on the monumental occasion of its 120th anniversary. As an Honorary Trustee of the University, may I again offer my most sincere blessings.

Peking University is a university for the world as much as it is a university for us Chinese. To be a member of the university is an utmost honour, recognition of my endeavours over eighty-nine years, and a great source of encouragement for a man who was in his eighties.

The “Lui Che Woo Building” of the School of Life Sciences of Peking University, built with the sponsorship of the “Lui Che Woo School of Life Sciences Fund” and officially unveiled today, is an appreciation of mine not only to Peking University, but also to my country, my fellow compatriots, and to the world.

For people of my generation, the idea of “country” has first and foremost been associated with poverty, backwardness, suffering and humiliation. Born in war-torn times, I moved to Hong Kong at the age of four to escape from the scourge of guns and cannons.

As a young boy, I experienced the misery brought by the Japanese invasion. I remembered asking the adults: “Why are we Chinese being bullied like this?” To which the answer was one I could never forget. “Chinese are poorly educated, that’s why we are being bullied,” they said. 

I was overwhelmed by sadness and indignity. At thirteen I left school amidst the war, but I never forgot these words. All through my life I have held a deep appreciation for the importance of education, which underlined my initial aspiration for supporting education when I was in a position to do so.

The School of Life Sciences of Peking University is the leading scientific research institution in China’s life science sector in terms of general strengths. It is my genuine hope that my goodwill will result in great achievements in life sciences in China and the cultivation of more talents for the nation and world who will enrich contributions to the well-being of humankind through scientific research.

For now, however, as a member of the Board of Trustees of Peking University, I would like to call upon the people of Peking University not only to unveil the mystery of life and challenge new heights in technological development, but also to devote their effort to aspects which I always like to draw upon:

We should emphasise cultural and moral development as much as technology and materialistic development; nurture spiritual well-being and moral values as much as we protect life and health. The more advanced our technology and materialistic life is, the more effort we should make to investigate cultural and moral issues, so that technology is used in a proper way towards the betterment of human life.

Let the revival of the five-thousand-year civilized country flourish with a humanistic glory. I know in my heart that this is where Peking University can make a unique contribution. Over the past 120 years, she has made outstanding contributions in this regard. In the new era, we are all looking forward to its further success and greater achievements.

I founded the “LUI Che Woo Prize – World Civilisation” in 2015 to extol individuals or organizations whose selfless dedication has contributed to the furtherance of world civilization. I have been greatly encouraged by the recognition for “LUI Che Woo Prize” shown by President Lin Jianhua, who described it as a prize to reward contributions to humanity and the foundation of human civilization during his visit to Hong Kong last year.

Talking about the foundation of civilization, Peking University without a doubt is a leading and outstanding institution that lays such foundation. The topic of our forum today, “Facing the World: The Role, Opportunities and Challenges of Promoting Sustainable Development in China”, seems to be a broad one. Yet it is closely related to every individual. I sincerely thank the colleagues of Peking University for their ardent support of the forum and the LUI Chi Woo Prize.

Time never slows down and the world rolls on whatever is happening therein. Against the long history of human civilization, the individual is but a shooting star that lights up the sky for the split of a second. But is not human civilization, in its depth and vastness, created through the emerging of one sparkle after another in a never-ending fashion?

This never-ending nature of human civilization is also manifested in Peking University’s history, 120 years and still going with a young and vigorous spirit. During these 120 years, Peking University has been closely tied to the fate of the Chinese race, and China’s return to take centre stage in world affairs. In the future, Peking University will make yet more contributions to the entire human society in terms of Chinese wisdom and spirit.

As a man going into his nineties and a Chinese who is fortunate enough to make some contributions at the international level, I also challenge myself to keep learning, making progress, embracing the world, facing the future, and creating achievements. Thank you!