XN000022-1978-01-12 — Page 2

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1978

GOVERNOR OPENS SUI-LOONG PAO BUILDING AT CHINESE UNIVERSITY

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THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE SAID TODAY THE GOVERNMENT, THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE AND THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG WERE GREATLY IN DEBT TO THOSE WHO HAD DONATED TOWARDS THE CAPITAL COST OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY.

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE SUI-LOONG PAO BUILDING AT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY, SIR MURRAY DESCRIBED THEIR DONATIONS AMOUNTING TO ABOUT $34.5 MILLION AS A PUBLIC SPIRITED RESPONSE TO THE NEEDS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN HONG KONG.+

HE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT BY ALL CONCERNED IN ESTABLISHING THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY IN MERE TEN YEARS.

+ IT HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS TASK IN WHICH MANY PEOPLE HAVE PLAYED A PART -- ARCHITECTS, ADMINISTRATORS, CONTRACTORS AND OFFICERS IN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE BUT UNDOUBTEDLY THE MAIN BURDEN HAS FALLEN ON THE UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS OFFICE OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR HIMSELF, HE SAID.

FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH AT THE OPENING OF THE SUI-LOONG PAQ BUILDING:

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+MR VICE-CHANCELLOR, DR. PAO, MR PAO SUI-LOONG, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF THE PAO FAMILY WE ARE TODAY CELEBRATING THE OPENING OF THIS FINE BUILDING. THIS IS ANOTHER STEP FORWARD IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY AND TIME TO CONSIDER WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED.

+CHUNG CHI COLLEGE HAS BEEN ON THIS SITE SINCE 1956, BUT THE START OF CONSTRUCTION WORK ON THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS DATES FROM DECEMBER 1967 WHEN MY PREDECESSOR SIR DAVID TRENCH, PLANTED A TREE TO COMMEMORATE THE EVENT.

+I SAY PLANTED, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT IN FACT IT HAD TO BE PUT IN A SMALL HOLE CHISELLED OUT OF CRUMBLING ROCK AND GRIT, BECAUSE THE SITE WE ARE NOW STANDING ON WAS THEN A WILDERNESS OF EXPOSED ROCK AND DUST. THAT WAS ALMOST EXACTLY TEN YEARS AND ONE MONTH AGO.

+ BY ANY STANDARDS, SINCE THEN THE PROGRESS HAS BEEN REMARKABLE. BY MID-1973, ONLY FIVE AND A HALF YEARS AFTER THAT FIRST CEREMONY, THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY WAS ASSEMBLED ON THIS ONE SITE: AND WE ARE NOW LOOKING AT A LARGE MODERN UNIVERSITY SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED IN A MERE TEN YEARS.

+ IT HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS TASK IN WHICH VERY MANY PEOPLE HAVE PLAYED A PART ARCHITECTS, ADMINISTRATORS, CONTRACTORS AND OFFICERS IN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE UPGC: BUT UNDOUBTEDLY THE MAIN BURDEN HAS FALLEN ON THE UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS OFFICE OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR HIMSELF.

/+THE CAPITAL