Shot exclusively for HONG KONG TATLER
hat constitutes a day in the life of Peter Woo? That’s the question that informed our nine-hour photo shoot with our illustrious cover star this month. Woo, listed by Forbes magazine as Hong Kong’s 8th-richest man, is incredibly time-poor; that he managed to make room for us between running a multibillion-dollar empire, scuba diving in Palau with his son Douglas, and skiing his way around Chile, Europe, Japan, New Zealand and North America (Woo tells us he skied eight months of last year) was a real feat—and a coup for Hong Kong Tatler.
Our team of writers, photographers and stylists followed Woo’s every move, beginning with his morning coffee and a meeting with hotel management on the roof of the Wharf-owned Marco Polo Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. We then took off in a convoy of black vans to survey his philanthropic work at a school in Wang Tom Hom. Woo came alive in the schoolyard, dipping into games of basketball and volleyball with the kids and energetically charging through the grounds to check on new multimedia labs, talk to teachers and ask students how they are liking Project Wecan’s new programmes.
Our final stop was Wheelock House, Woo’s office in Central, where our team were flies on the wall during meetings between the dynamo and the myriad of Project Wecan corporate sponsors, who talked Woo through the many creative initiatives they have put in place within their adopted schools.
“Many people who work in Central and live in MidLevels may never know there is another world out there, but there is,” says Woo. “This community has so much to give disadvantaged kids. Give them a game-changer and you may suddenly spring alive an entrepreneur, which is going to be positive for the community. Rooting for the underdog is always a good thing.”
Woo, a notoriously private person, rarely gives interviews. He agreed to be our cover star in the hope it would inspire brands and companies to adopt a school as part of Project Wecan. “I hope this article really strikes to the heart of Hongkongers, to let them know there is something meaningful they can do for this city’s thousands of disadvantaged students.” We hope so too.
Turn to page 192 for the full story. photography Laurent Segretier styling Adele Leung grooming Megumi Sekine on the cover Jacket by Ralph Lauren; shirt Peter Woo’s own