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The Art Museum has been honoured to receive two major donations: one from the family of Lui Shou-kwan, acclaimed Hong Kong artist of the twentieth century, for 28 of Lui's paintings, and another from the 2014 global Art Conservation Project funded by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The media briefing was held on 29 January 2015 at the Art Museum. The monetary donation will be used to conserve the masterpieces.

Lui Shou-kwan (1919–75), one of the representative figures in the modern history of Hong Kong art, was a leading advocate of the new ink painting movement from the 1960s to the 1970s. He was recognised for blending Western abstract art with traditional Chinese painting, and striving to revitalise Chinese ink painting.

In 2013, the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), joined forces with the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford University, for the exhibition 'Two masters, two generations and one vision for modern Chinese painting'. This popular exhibition led to a donation of two paintings by Lui Shou-kwan from the Friends of the Art Museum in March 2014. This time, Lui's family has shown incredible generosity by donating 28 of his works. The Art Museum is honoured to be entrusted with these important paintings by the artist's family.

Created between 1967 and 1972, most of the works donated by Lui's family are exemplary paintings that he painstakingly prepared for his students on the ink painting course in the Department of Extramural Studies, CUHK. It is especially meaningful that the university will be the paintings' long-term custodian. Professor Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, notes that 'It is important to point out that CUHK can preserve this body of works for many generations to come'. This group of paintings not only attests to Lui's profound understanding of the Chinese tradition, it also constitutes primary research data that offer new insights into Lui's artistic practice.

Thanks to Bank of America Merrill Lynch's global Art Conservation Project, a generous donation has been made to the Art Museum, CUHK, for the restoration of Lui Shou-kwan's paintings. This enables their long-term preservation. The works will be put on display in a special exhibition in 2016, on completion of the conservation project.

(Source: Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

In recognition of the unwavering contributions from our benefactors, the Opening Ceremony of the Golden Jubilee Garden of Appreciation and Dinner Reception were held on 6 December 2014. Officiated by Dr Vincent Cheng, Chairman of the Council of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Joseph Sung, the Ceremony took place at the Golden Jubilee Garden of Appreciation, flanked by Sir Run Run Shaw and Y C Liang Halls. Over 150 major benefactors, friends, alumni, faculty members and staff of CUHK joined this meaningful occasion to celebrate the opening of the Garden. Unprecedented in the history of CUHK, the Dinner Reception was held in the auditorium of Sir Run Run Shaw Hall.

We will be for ever grateful
Professor Sung highlighted in his speech that the speedy growth of the University in the past five decades is made possible by the generous support and wise counsel from community leaders, supporters, friends and alumni of CUHK. The Golden Jubilee Garden of Appreciation was created, on the occasion of the University's 50th anniversary, in recognition of the indispensable contributions from our major benefactors over half a century.

The Garden is designed by Professor Yutaka Yano from the School of Architecture of CUHK. It features eight portals symbolising the gates of knowledge offered by our Faculties of Arts, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science and Social Science. The water, flowing along the two sides of the main pathway of the Garden, represents the support from our benefactors for the cultivation of young talents and the development of CUHK. Proposed by members of the CUHK 50th Anniversary Fund Raising Committee, an installation in the shape of the hillside of CUHK, has been erected in the Garden. The installation comes with a screen with names of our major benefactors moving above the skyline of CUHK like clouds. This installation serves as a means to acknowledge the support from our donors, and more importantly a tool to educate our students to appreciate the contributions from our benefactors; learn to be thankful; and give back to the society after their graduation.

Brilliant performances by alumni
Alumni Ms Akina Fong and Mr Allan Au were invited to be the masters of ceremony of the Opening Ceremony as well as the Dinner Reception. The Dinner was kicked off by the recitation performance by Ms Milly Chow, alumna of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, and Ms Cheuk Chun-lam, student of the Department of Music. The passage recited by Ms Chow is written by Professor Ho Che-wah, Chairman of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, and Professor Simon Haines, Chairman of the Department of English. Dr Vincent Cheng announced in his speech that CUHK have raised more than the institutional ceiling of HK$1.14 billion, and received the maximum amount of HK$600 million matched grant under the 6th round of Matching Grant Scheme operated by the HKSAR Government. "This was made possible by the staunch support from our benefactors, alumni and friends, as well as through the concerted efforts of our faculty members and staff under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor Professor Joseph Sung," said Dr Cheng.

In line with the theme of the 50th anniversary of CUHK – "Embrace our Culture; Empower our Future" – the Dinner featured three videos produced by the Audio-Visual Division of the Communications and Public Relations Office, namely "Now and Then", "Dreams Come True" and "Soaring over CUHK", to demonstrate the advancement of the University in the past five decades; illustrate how CUHK serves as a platform for faculty members and students to realize their dreams; and showcase the peaceful and stunning campus of the University. To express our appreciation to our donors, alumnus Dr William Ng performed a beautiful piano piece, while alumna Ms Judy Ho, accompanied by Ms Jennifer Tse, presented at the Dinner a delightful harp and flute performance.

Moving forward to the second 50 years
Celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013, the University organized a wide range of commemorative events throughout the year. The Opening Ceremony of the Golden Jubilee Garden of Appreciation was a finale event in celebration of the Golden Jubilee of CUHK. The event enabled CUHK members to meet with the benefactors and thank them in person. Moving forward to the second 50 years, CUHK will continue to nurture generations of brilliant young talents for the society by upholding its motto "Through learning and temperance to virtue" and mission "To combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West".

Ms Sylvia Chang, renowned actress, scriptwriter and director, visited The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) on 31 October as the guest speaker for the Shun Hing Lecture Series in Arts and Humanities co-organized by CUHK and Shun Hing Group. Ms Sylvia Chang spoke on the topic ‘Failure is the Nutrient of Success’, attracting about 700 CUHK staff and students, alumni, high school students and members of the public. Live webcast was also arranged. Ms. Chang inspired the audience with her experience and interacted with them in the question-and-answer session.

Ms Sylvia Chang was born in Chiayi, Taiwan. She is a famous director, scriptwriter, filmmaker, actress, composer and singer in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Ms Chang has been involved in the film industry for more than 40 years, acting in over 100 movies. Her superb acting skills have been well-recognized through major film awards, including the Taipei Golden Horse Film Award for Best Leading Actress, and the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress, as well as numerous nominations at film festivals.

In the 1980s, Ms Chang made the move from acting to producing and directing. Her film style is distinctive and full of realism. She was strong in scripting the emotions of women and describing the range of feelings from youth to old age. As a result, her films resonated with many fans in different age groups. Ms Chang’s popular works include: Passion, Tonight Nobody Goes Home, Sisters of the World Unite, and 20 30 40. Ms Chang also produced a film Run Papa Run, which depicted in depth, the relationship of a man with his daughter. Ms Chang has received many awards and nominations for her exceptionally creative contributions to film, including Best Film and Best Screenplay at the Asia Pacific Film Festival.

Introduction of Shun Hing Lecture Series in Arts and Humanities

The Shun Hing Lecture Series in Arts and Humanities was established with a generous donation from the Shun Hing Group. The lecture series aims at promoting cultural knowledge and scholarly pursuits in the arts and humanities. Distinguished scholars from four major areas, Music, Drama and Film, Literature and Art, as well as Philosophy and Thinking, have been invited to give public lectures. Previous lectures hosted by picture book author Mr. Jimmy Liao, composer Dr. Lam Bun-ching, sculptor Prof. Wu Weishan, and Confucian Scholar Prof. Tu Weiming have been very successful in inspiring the younger generation.

Following in the philanthropic footsteps of the Group’s Founder, the late Dr William Mong Man Wai, who firmly believed in the spirit of giving back to society, the Shun Hing Group embraces corporate social responsibility and over the years has generously donated towards various projects in education, scientific research, arts and culture, sports and recreation, as well as environmental protection.

Source: Communications and Public Relations Office, The Chinese University of Hong Kong