Five from HK, Macao honored for roles in reform, opening-up
Awardees were given medals for their contributions to the country’s development at the Great Hall of the People
Five people from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions were awarded for their outstanding contributions to the country’s advancement at a grand gathering to mark the country’s 40 years of reform and opening-up in Beijing on Tuesday.
They were among 100 Chinese people who were awarded medals of “reform pioneers”. Four from Hong Kong are former director general of the World Health Organization Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, 71; Hong Kong tycoon Tsang Hin-chi, 84; and late industrialists Henry Fok Yingtung and Wong Kwan-cheng.
The only one from Macao was late industrialist Ma Man-kei.
The awardees or family members on their behalf received the medals at the gathering held at the Great Hall of the People. President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the event on Tuesday morning.
The late Wong Kwan-cheng, who died in 1986 at the age of 79, was recognized as an exemplar of Hong Kong industrialists and businessmen who fully supported the country’s reform and opening-up.
Wong was former chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. His efforts provided platforms for more Hong Kong people in the industrial and business sectors to participate in the country’s reform and opening-up.
Wong founded the K.C. Wong Education Foundation in 1985 to help cultivate mainland high-tech talents.
He also contributed to the implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle. As a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee in the 1980s, Wong participated in drafting the SAR’s constitutional document.
Margaret Chan was honored as a facilitator of healthcare cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. She was the first Chinese to become director general of the World Health Organization, a role she took from 2006 to 2017.
Chan served in the Hong Kong SAR Government for 25 years in the medical sector and joined the WHO in 2003. She contributed to broader exchanges and cooperation in healthcare between China and the international community. She also led the WHO’s fight against global health threats including Ebola and Zika viruses.
Chan is a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body. She was ranked by Forbes as the 30th most powerful woman in the world in 2014.
Hong Kong tycoon Tsang Hin-chi, 84, is a pioneer in the country’s industrial development. He founded Goldlion Group in 1968, and has steadily invested in the manufacturing industry on the mainland.
He was a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature, from 1994 to 2008. He was appointed a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee in the 1980s. In 1992, Tsang became a member of the first group of Hong Kong affairs advisers to the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office under the State Council.
The late Henry Fok Ying-tung was a famous businessman, politician and philanthropist. He died in 2006 at the age of 83.
In 1979, Fok invested in the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou — the Chinese mainland’s first five-star hotel built and managed with overseas capital and expertise.
Fok’s investment helped support sports development on the mainland, including a HK$100-million Sports and Physical Education Foundation he set up in 1984 to support athletes and sports projects.
After Beijing was confirmed as the host of the 2008 Olympic Games, Fok donated more than HK$200 million to build the National Aquatics Center, also known as the “Water Cube”, in Beijing.
Late industrialist Ma Man-kei from the Macao SAR was also among the 100 honorees. He died in 2014 at the age of 95. Ma was the former vicechairman of the CPPCC National Committee and former president of the Macao Chamber of Commerce.
The industrialist suggested the central government proactively encourage overseas Chinese to invest in the motherland, and took the lead in investing in the country’s industrial sector.
Ma made use of his reputation in the overseas Chinese business community promoting the reform and opening-up. He also led groups of Hong Kong, Macao businesspeople to invest in the mainland.
He served as deputy director of the Macao Basic Law Drafting Committee and the Macao SAR Preparatory Committee in the 1990s, contributing to the return of Macao in 1999.