Mr Ho Sai-chu is a prominent business figure and a philanthropist well known for his remarkable contributions to construction industry, education, social well-being as well as the promotion of Chinese art and culture both in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Currently the Director of Fook Lee Construction Company Limited, Fook Lee Holdings Limited, and United Builders Insurance Company Limited, Mr Ho studied at Hong Kong Technical College – the predecessor of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The eldest son of Hong Kong construction industry leader Mr Ho Iu-kwong, he joined his father’s company Fook Lee at a young age. One of the most iconic projects he spearheaded was Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the most advanced healthcare facility in post-war Hong Kong.
Enthusiastic about the welfare of his peers in the construction sector and zealous in serving society, Mr Ho has held countless public offices since the 1960s, including President of Hong Kong Construction Association. He is Life Honorary Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. Once serving as Director of the MTR Corporation Limited and the Hong Kong Airport Authority, he was also a Legislative Councillor and has been a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference for 25 years. He also served as Chairman for Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Occupational Safety and Health Council, and Hong Kong Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society, and was President of Caritas Lok Heep Club and New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association among many others.
Mr Ho is also a benefactor universally recognised for his charitable works. As the Chairman of the Ho Iu Kwong Charity Foundation, he made generous donations to his alma mater PolyU for the construction of Ho Iu Kwong Building and Ho Iu Kwong and Kwok Pui Chun Square. Other educational institutes that have received donations from the foundation include the Confucian Academy, Lingnan University, Guangzhou University, Jinan University and Southeast University. Carrying on his family’s dedication towards art and culture, he donated 355 pieces of his father’s collection of Chinese painting and calligraphy artworks to the HKSAR government as the permanent collection of Hong Kong Museum of Art in 2018. He donated another eight pieces of artworks in 2021 to continue to promote the quintessence of Chinese culture.
His family foundation has also keenly supported various worthy causes in Mainland China, particularly in Guangzhou, with respect to education, culture, healthcare, child welfare and disaster relief, earning him the title of Honorary Citizen of Guangzhou City.
For the tremendous contributions he had made to the formulation of labour policies, public and social services in Hong Kong, Mr Ho was awarded a Silver Bauhinia Star, a Gold Bauhinia Star, and a Grand Bauhinia Medal by the HKSAR government in 1999, 2007 and 2015 respectively.
Chairman Lam, University Council Members, President Teng and Honoured Guests,
First and foremost, I thank The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) for conferring the honour of University Fellow on me, truly the greatest honour I could receive from my alma mater. It also brings back my fond memories over 60 years ago when I studied at the Hong Kong Technical College – the predecessor of PolyU. The campus has evolved a lot since then, but one thing hasn’t changed a bit – PolyU still strives to equip its students with knowledge, skills and a sense of mission that enable them to contribute to society.
I joined my father Mr Ho Iu-kwong’s construction company in the 1960s. It was one of the fastest growing phases in Hong Kong’s history as the construction industry took off during that period and I was fortunate to be part of it. Besides his legacy in the building business, I also inherited my late father’s passion in Chinese culture and art. My father had always taught us to embrace our identity as Chinese and I passed on this nationalist mind set to my children and grandchildren accordingly. They were taught to recite poems from Tang Dynasty and lyrics from Song Dynasty when they were little because culture and art are essential in shaping our moral values.
In the same line of thought, our family donated Chinese paintings and calligraphy to the Hong Kong Museum of Art in 2018, all from our father’s Chih Lo Lou Collection. More artworks from our private collection were donated in 2021. Our father named his studio Chih Lo Lou, meaning “bliss” for the pleasure one derives from viewing ancient masterpieces, while alluding to a Chinese saying that “It is blissful to perform good deeds.” To carry on with his philanthropic endeavours and to share his passion in Chinese culture with the public, we were proud to present these invaluable works, hoping all people can benefit from the Chinese wisdom that dates back to centuries ago.
From the Government Trade School on Wood Road, to a global powerhouse in tertiary education that it now is, PolyU celebrates its 85th Anniversary in 2022. I sincerely wish PolyU many more years of ground-breaking innovations and academic excellence to come, making even more remarkable contributions to our nation and Hong Kong. Thank you.
