Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2004

w i t ne ss to t he ir great respect f or and fondness of Dr. Ch o h -M i ng Li. People f r om all wa l k s, near and far, local and overseas, had been captivated by his zeal and converted by his persuasiveness to become the University's friends a n d s pon s o r s. M a n y h a ve r ema i n ed staunch supporters t i ll today, and not a f e w of t h em are w i t h us h e re t h i s afternoon. H i s c h i l d r e n, i n c l u d i n g D r. Jean Rogers w h o has made a special t r ip f r om the States to attend this ceremony, have told us h ow they have been impressed by their late father's indomitable spirit and his tremendous w i l l to succeed. A n d then the donor of this statue, Dr. Fong-ching Chen, calls h i m the ‘Master Bu i l d e r ', a t r ue leader w i t h irresistible charm and charisma. I do not i n t end to describe each and every feat achieved by Dr. L i to advance the cause of the Chinese University. They are simply too numerous to list. But I think I should explain w h y we are here and not anywhere else on the campus. If Dr. L i h ad had the o p p o r t u n i ty to choose, he w o u l d certainly have decided o n t he same s pot f or h is statue. The Institute of Chinese Studies is the place w h i c h f u n c t i o n a l ly a nd s ymb o l i c a l ly reflects the University's commitment to its distinctive educational mission, wh i ch is t o i n t e g r a t e C h i n e se a n d We s t e r n i n t e l l ec t ual and c u l t u r al t r ad i t i on s. So goes the mo t t o of I n s t i t u te set by its f o u n d i ng director: to combine t r ad i t i on and mode r n i t y, to b r i ng together China and the West. Indeed the Institute was established at Dr. Li's o wn initiative just four years after the University's establishment. It signifies the University's determination to develop Chinese Studies as a major field, i n wh i ch i t can c l a im d i s t i n c t i on a nd ma ke an i mp o r t a nt c o n t r i b u t i on to the w o r l d of scholarship. The action was consistent w i t h t he b a s ic p h i l o s o p h y of t he Un i v e r s i ty to n u r t u re its i n t e r n a t i o n al character and status wh i le cultivating its Men in black - six of the greatest men of CUHK Chinese University Bulletin Autumn • Winter 2004 44