Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1996

Mr. Thoma s Chen Tsen g Tao CBE Mr. Thomas Chen Tseng Tao is a we l l - k nown entrepreneur and leading property developer in Hong Kong. Though his family comes from Shunde, Guangdong Province, Mr. Chen was born in Hong Kong and received his primary and secondary education here. During the Japanese occupation he moved to the mainland and read banking at Fudan University, situated at that time in Beibei, Sichuan, a centre we l l - k n own t o scholars and academics. Graduating in 1946, Mr. Chen travelled to Shanghai before returning to Hong Kong where, in 1952 ， he went into the construction business which led later to work in Borneo. He returned to Hong Kong in the 1960s and began his career in property development. Today, although Hong Kong has a thriving and stable economy, a small change w i l l affect the whole community. A s most businesses rely very much on the driving force from property development, prosperity in that market has a profound overall effect. Yet, if we look back for a moment, we can see that despite its immense influence, property development has a brief history here of about 30 years. There were only a handful of companies until the early sixties, when the major companies of today emerged: among them, Mr. Chen's Hang Lung Development Company Limited plays a leading role. In Borneo, Mr. Chen acquired extensiv e experience i n architecture as we l l as construction itself. After returning to Hong Kong Mr. Chen was determined to improve the quality and design of buildings here. He joined his elder brother Mr. T.H. Chen, and together, with total commitment to effective strategy and management, characterized by their prudent and pragmatic style, the brothers raised property development to a completely new level. Mr . Chen's vision and knowledge equi p him to perceive the opportunities that promote and advance his business, helping him to maintain his leadership. When his brother passed away in 1986 ， Chen Tseng Tao became managing director and chairman of the group. Over the years, the Hong Kong Government through its own initiatives, such as its pub l i c housing po l i c y , has encouraged complementar y activities i n property development. A l l major property developers have thus cooperated with the government to provide many types of housing for the community, catering to their growing desire for pleasant, quality homes. Under the 10