The Honourable Sir Sze-yuen Chung GBM GBE JP
鍾士元爵士
(1917–2018)
Class of 1936 - The Elder Figure in Hong Kong politics
1936屆畢業 — 香港政壇元老
Chung Sze-yuen graduated from St. Paul’s College in 1936 and had served for many years on the College Council. Known as the ‘godfather of Hong Kong politics’, Chung was a key figure in ensuring Hong Kong’s peaceful handover.
Chung focused on engineering after his time at St. Paul’s. In 1941, he was one of only two Chinese engineers at the Whampoa Docks. During the war, Chung worked in China-controlled Jiangxi and furthered his studies in the UK after the war. In the 1950s, having founded Sonca Industries, Chung became a successful entrepreneur; he was invited to join the organising committee of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, marking the beginning of his public career.
Chung rose to the most senior positions in both the Legislative Council (1974–80) and the Executive Council (1980–88). In the 1980s, he led groups of Hongkongers to Britain and China to talk about their concerns about the future of the city. In the 1990s, he served as a Hong Kong Affairs Adviser to the Chinese government and was part of the Preparatory Committee of the HKSAR and the Selection Committee. After the handover, he was selected as the SAR’s first Executive Council Convenor.
Outside of politics, Chung was a key figure in establishing the Hong Kong Polytechnic (now Polytechnic University), City Polytechnic (now City University), and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. In 1990, he unified the management of Hong Kong’s public hospitals under the Hospital Authority, leaving an indelible mark on Hong Kong’s infrastructure. He was knighted in 1978, was conferred the GBE in 1989, and received the HKSAR’s GBM in 1997.