Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

CITATIONS Bandung in Indonesia in 1939’ where he joined his elder brother in a sundries and local produce business. He made remarkable progress in a couple o f years but, with the occupation of Indonesi a by the Japanese in 1941 ， Mr. Tin, operating in a militarized zone, soon found it necessary to give up and move to Jakarta. There he joined his relatives and moved from trading into industry, and had his first experience in salaried employment. During his time in Indonesia, Mr. Ti n gave his ail in diligence and entrepreneurial spirit to building up his business. He also showed a remarkable flair in making the most of commercial opportunities. I n 1945 Japan surrendered, and Mr. Tin, seeing great potential in the field, began his effort i n the processed rubber industry. His hard work yielded fast results, for, by 1951, he had become a young industrialist known all over the Indonesian capital, and h e was only 31. Much concerned about the surging anti-Chinese sentiments in Indonesia, Mr. Tin mad e another opportune move i n 1958. He closed down his highly successful rubber business and relocated his resources to Hong Kong which, at that time, could boast of no favourable economic factors for the investor. As we al l know, Hong Kong is a stamp-sized place and its major attraction to international traders lies in its stability and the government's laissez-faire policy. In addition, it is a predominantly Chines e community. Thus Mr. Tin wa s able to raise his five sons and fou r daughters in a Chinese-language environment, providing them with an education based on Chinese culture and Confucian values. And indee d Mr. Tin's children have all grown up to be worthy citizens dutiful to their families and k i nd to their friends, upholding high principles and commanding great respect in the conduct of their business. When Mr. Tin first came to Hong Kong he was entirely unfamiliar with the place. Bu t this hardly deterred the entrepreneur who was intent on building his fortune and fame in this land. Mr. Tin wisely discerned the great international trade potentials that were latent in Hong Kong at the time, and decided to devote himself to the development of plastic film manufacture and associated industries. To this end he purchased and reclaimed lan d in Tuen Mun on which he built extensively to accommodate his plants and offices. By the autumn of 1960 the magnificent edifices of Tin's Industrial Estate had risen bold and unchallenged by the Tuen Mun seaside, to the admiration and praise of the business community in Hong Kong. Mr. Tin soon branched out his business into the international market and ， from then on, his business empire has gone from strength t o strength. It has been 40 years since and Mr. Tin's effort has born abundant fruit ， as witnessed by the accolade given to him as ‘King of Synthetic Leather', as he has come to be known the world over. Mr. Tin is a businessman of great intelligenc e and courage, and the exemplary ethics he observes have earned him great trust in the business community. With these, he too k in his stride the bank run of 1965, the social turmoils in 1967, the collapse of the stock market in 1973’ the irregularities in global oil supply in 1974’ the anxieties over Hong Kong's future in 1982 ， the fall of the property market in 1984, and the Asian financial crisis of 1997. These are events which toppled many a well structured firm wit h a solid foundation, and have driven many others abroad. Yet Mr. Tin steered hi s enterprise safely out of troubled waters on each occasion by being constant amidst changes, and persevering amidst challenges. The Tin business empire has also reached unsurpassed heights in reputation and growth ， thank s to Mr. Tin's immense courage and sustaining power in the face of hardship. Despite his great success Mr. Tin is a modes t gentleman who leads an austere life of self- restraint. When asked how one should bear himself in life i n order to achieve success, he suggests the four virtues of 'diligence, frugality, sincerity, and modesty'. He believes that one should not differentiate between top jobs and junior jobs and that, whatever one's station in life ， one should be loyal to his own calling and be happy with it. It is only with this attitude that one can hope for improvement and gradual achievement o f success. In point of fact Mr. Tin has at his command Chinese University Bulletin Spring • Summer 2001 46