Late HK philanthropist hailed for cultural contributions

A ceremony was held on Monday in Yuanmingyuan Park in Beijing to remember the late Hong Kong business tycoon and philanthropist Tsang Hin-chi (1934-2019) for his contributions to the protection of cultural heritage.

Yuanmingyuan, also known as the Old Summer Palace, was the former imperial resort during Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The 350-hectare compound was looted and burned by the invading Anglo-French forces in 1860 and gradually fell into ruins in the following decades.

Tsang, then head of Goldlion Holdings Ltd, visited the site in 1993. Seeing the destroyed architectural splendor, he immediately decided to donate 8 million yuan (roughly equaling $1.45 million then) for the timely restoration of the walls and rescuing of the relics at the site.

According to Li Xiangyang, deputy director of Yuanmingyuan administration, that project greatly benefited the protection of the site as the restored walls clearly marked the internal boundary within the Old Summer Palace before the 1860 inferno. The walls in Yuanmingyuan were about 17,000 meters long.

On May 24, 2019, a bronze bust of Tsang was established in Yuanminyuan Park to honor his contribution. And that day became an annual memorial day to hail the Hong Kong philanthropist's patriotism.

Tsang's charity has also made great contributions to supporting education, sports and space missions in China.

During Monday's ceremony, his family, representatives from Goldlion and delegates from the units which were once supported by his donations, paid tribute to the bronze bust and sang songs to remember Tsang.

Yuanmingyuan Park and Goldlion also announced they will launch collaborative efforts in the development of cultural products in the future to prolong the cultural legacies of Yuanmingyuan.