Newsletter No. 81

Fou r to be Honoure d at the 50 th Congregat i on Andrew Parkin and Serena Jin to Deliver Their Citations Lord Wilson of Tillyorn Prof. Jonathan D. Spence Tang Hsiang Chien Mr. Thomas Chen Tseng- tao F o u r distinguished persons w i ll be awarded honorary degrees at the University's 50th congregation to be held on Thursday, 18th January, in the Sir Run Run Shaw Hall. The Rt. Hon. Christopher Patten, Governor of Hong Kong, w i ll officiate at the ceremony as Chancellor of the University. The four awardees this year are Lord Wilson, who will receive the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa; Prof. Jonathan D. Spence, who will receive the degree of Doctor of Literature, honoris causa; Mr. Tang Hsiang Chien and Mr. Thomas Chen Tseng-tao, both of whom will receive the degree of Doctor of Social Science, honoris causa. Their citations will be written and delivered by Prof. Andrew Parkin (Department of English) and Dr. Serena Jin (Department of Translation). Dr. K.R Fung (Department of Biochemistry) will be the mace-bearer and Lord Wilson w i l l address the congregation on behalf of the honorary graduates. Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, GCMG Lord Wilson became Hong Kong's 27th Governor in April 1987, an office which he held until July 1992. A career diplomat and a leading sinologist in Britain, Lord Wilson has been closely involved with Hong Kong affairs for more than 15 years since he became Political Adviser to Lord MacLehose, the then Hong Kong Governor, in 1977. Before that he studied Chinese in Hong Kong from 1960 to 1962. Lord Wilson played a key role in Britain's negotiations with China about Hong Kong's future, which culminated in the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984. He continued to play a major part in Hong Kong affairs as British Senior Representative on the Sino- British Joint Liaison Group in the three years that ensued. Under Lord Wilson's governorship, Hong Kong embarked on the new airport project and a major expansion of tertiary education, and undertook improvement plans in many areas, particularly in housing, health and welfare, and environmental protection. Her Majesty the Queen appointed him Knight Grand Cross in the Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG) in 1991, and honoured him with a life peerage in 1992 for his outstanding contributions. As Chancellor of the University during his years as Governor, Lord Wilson was a staunch supporter of the University's academic and research developments. He encouraged the University to establish academic links with Yale University and other centres of excellence worldwide. Since retiring from Hong Kong, Lord Wilson has assumed the chairmanship of the Scottish Hydro-electric Plc. He is also currently chair of the Scottish Committee of the British Council, senior lay member of the Court of Aberdeen University, and a member of the House of Lords. Prof. Jonathan D. Spence, LHD, L i t tD Prof. Spence is an eminent historian and esteemed educator from the United States. He is internationally famous for his extensive writings on Chinese history since the sixteenth century. His works have been translated into many languages including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, Italian, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and Swedish. They have also won him many prizes, such as the Los Angeles Times History Prize (1982), and the Vursel Prize of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters (1983). Among Prof. Spence's best-known publications are The Search for Modern China (1990), The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci (1984 ), and Emperor of China, Self-Portrait of K'ang-hsi (1974). Prof. Spence has been teaching at Yale University for three decades, and has contributed substantially towards the development of graduate studies in history, East Asian studies, and other courses in the humanities. He has served as special adviser to Yale presidents and is active in the promotion of Sino-US academic exchanges. For many years, including his term as chair of Yale's Council on East Asian Studies from 1977 to 1979, Prof. Spence has fostered academic exchanges between Yale and CUHK. He visited United College in 1992 as Distinguished Visiting Scholar of the year. Mr. Tang Hsiang Chien, JP As one of Hong Kong's most outstanding industrialists, Mr. Tang has played a pivotal role in internationalizing Hong Kong's textile and garment production. He is the founder of Peninsula Knitters Ltd., which since the 1960s has been one of the world's largest suppliers of textile products, with factory plants in Hong Kong, Shantou, Shanghai, Xinjiang, and Great Britain. Mr. Tang has made generous contributions to institutes of higher learning in Hong Kong and China. Over the years he has lent unceasing support to the University's various development and exchange programmes. He is currently member of the Council of The Chinese University, chair of the Board of Trustees of New Asia College, and member of the United College Board of Trustees. In China Mr. Tang has established the Tang's Education Fund to support educational endeavours. He has also helped to set up a library at Shanghai University. Mr. Tang is very active in public service. He is chair of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Economic Development Association, honorary president of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, a Hong Kong Affairs Adviser, and a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Mr. Thomas Chen Tseng-tao, CBE Mr. Chen is director of one of Hong Kong's leading property developers — Hang Lung Development Company Ltd. Hang Lung has been a most successful enterprise whose business is highly diversified. It covers property development, hotels, car park management, restaurants, and department stores. Mr. Chen is also a keen supporter of higher education. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of United College. To help strengthen cancer research, Mr. Chen has donated HK$10 mi l l i on to the University's Hong Kong Cancer Institute. In the public service arena, Mr. Chen serves on various public organizations and government committees, contributing his expertise to areas of property development, urban renewal, and new airport planning. He was a member of the Provisional Airport Authority and is currently vice- president of the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong, and a member of the Land and Building Advisory Committee. New Hopes for Stroke Patients CU Researchers Find an Effective Drug Stroke patients worldwide can now look forward to better chances of rehabilitation, thanks to researchers at the University's Faculty of Medicine. Stroke is the third most common cause of death in developed countries and the leading cause of disability in adults. Yet no drug was found to be effective for its treatment. The majority of strokes are caused by a blockage in the blood supply to the brain by a blood clot. Researchers at the Faculty of Medicine have now found that low- molecular-weight heparin, a new drug with greater biological activity and better safety margin than standard heparin, can effectively prevent blood clotting. They showed that by treating stroke patients with low-molecular-weight heparin, the likelihood of death and severe disability was reduced by 30 per cent. The research was undertaken with four hospitals in Hong Kong. The results of the research have just been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world's most prestigious medical journals.