Bulletin Special Supplement Professor Arthur K C Li: A Six-Year Term as Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University (1996–2002)

In my first year at Cambridge, I was, at one time , obsessed with rowin g to the detriment of my studies . One da y h e summone d m e an d tol d me , ‘You'r e a fabulous rowe r fo r th e College ! Bu t it' s tim e t o consider this : eve n th e bes t rowe r reache s hi s pea k at 25, but you can be a doctor unti l you'r e 80 ! You'l l be 26 i n n o time. I t would b e too lat e to regre t then . Rowing ma y b e great bu t i s it worth givin g u p othe r things for? ' I went o n t o become a doctor. • An y simila r character s yo u hav e me t at The Chines e University tha t yo u fin d particularl y unforgett - able? • Prof . Gerald Cho a is certainly the mos t unforgettabl e person durin g my 20 years at University . H e was the founding dea n o f th e Facult y o f Medicine . Wer e i t not for him , I might no t hav e returned to Hon g Kon g in 198 2 o r joined th e University . 大一那年我曾迷上了划艇而一度 荒廢學業。一天他召我去見他，對我 説：「你代表學院划得真棒呀!不過， 也該是時候想想，划得再好，到了廿 五歲就到顛峰，開始走下坡了；做醫 生卻可以一直做到八十歲啊! 要知光 陰如白駒過隙，一目乏眼就廿六歲，到 時才後悔可遲了。划艇是好，但值得 為 這 個 而 放 棄 其 他 東 西 嗎 ？ 」 我終於還是選擇了當醫生。 •那麼在中大的二十年裡，令你最難忘 的人物又是誰？ •這大概要數蔡永業敎授了。他是醫學 院的創院院長；不是他，我也許不會 於八二年回香港來，也不會在中大任 敎。 年輕的李國章（左二）代表英皇學院參加劍橋校內的划艇賽 The youn g Arthur L i (left 2) representin g King' s Colleg e i n a rowing competitio n a t Cambridg e 中文大學校刊•特刊 Chines e Universit y Bulleti n • Specia l Supplemen t 28