Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

exceptional business discernment and a remarkable abilit y to enlist the service o f men of great capabilities. Hence he is able to turn adverse business situations to advantage, and working for him is a joy indeed. Mr. Tin is very much a hands-on industrialis t and always the most hardworking member of the team. He truly earns the trust and respect of those in his employ, hence the exemplary cooperation and dedication that one finds in the Tin industrial empire. In 1982, Mr. Tin established the K.P. Tin Foundation. The objectives of the Foundation are to comfort the elderly and assist the young, to build schools and promote education, to enhance and promote culture, to contribute to the welfare o f fellow-citizens, and to contribute to the community and the country. Mr. Tin has donated generously over the years to facilitate these lofty goals, and the charities the Foundation has endowed or supported are virtually uncountable. The major beneficiaries of the Foundation include the schools of education attached to over 30 institutions of tertiary education found in the 31 provinces, cities, autonomous regions and centrally administered municipalities of China, over 40 secondary schools, as well as several hundred public amenities such as hospitals, roads and bridges in Mr. Tin's homeland. The Foundation has also supported the project on the reform of the structure and contents of teachers' training programmes in higher education in the 21 st century initiated by the Ministry of Education, financed the Biological Specimen Hall of the Natural Science Museum in Beijing, contributed to the Astronomical Science Exchange Centre at the Purple Mountain Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Nanjing, and subsidised 550 school libraries in rural schools all over the country. The extent to which the Foundation has assisted in the promotion o f education in China is very extensive indeed. Mr. Tin has a special predilection for charities of an educational nature. This has to do with his philosophy that a country's prosperity is dependent on its human resources, and the nurture of human resources in turn hinges on education. The prerequisite for the development of education lies in the effective training o f teachers, hence teacher training is, drawing an agricultural parallel, nothing less important than sowing the good seeds and providing efficient irrigation. Whether in building up a business or a school, it is essential that the objectives be clearly and properly defined, and the details will then neatly fall into place. Mr. Tin has been subsiding educational efforts without territorial discrimination. His good work is seen everywhere, to the benefit o f the nation as a whole. In his philanthropic acts, Mr. Tin has never sought to further his own name. And yet his reputation is legion all over the land. In 1982 he was awarded the Badge of Honours, and in 1988 he received a commendation from the Taipei authorities. In 1993, the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing named the asteroid 2886 the Tin Ka Ping Star, from which time on Mr. Tin's name has joined other luminaries in adorning the firmament. In 1996 Mr. Tin was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. He is also the recipient of a number of honorary degrees and fellowships, and civic awards have included honorary citizenship of over 30 provinces, cities and prefectures. Scores of universities have offered honorary professorships to Mr. Tin. Mr. Tin has been a staunch supporter of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and, early in 1992’ the ‘K.R Tin Foundation Fund for Academic Research and Development' was established at The Chinese University. As a token of the University's profound appreciation, a library-cum- multi-purpose buildin g was named after Mr. T i n in recognition of his magnanimity and contributions to academic research. Together wit h his wife Mr. Tin has built up a family that is exemplary in familial virtues, and many future generations will speak of his charitable acts. Mr. Vice-Chancellor, in recognition of his great benevolence to the community and outstanding achievements, I present to you Mr. Tin Ka Ping, for the award of the degree of Doctor of Social Science, honoris causa. The 56th Congregation for the Conferment of Degrees 47