NewsBack to News Index

Post Date: 15-November-2018

In Memoriam: Sir Sze-yuen Chung

The College would like to express its deepest regret at the passing of one of our favourite sons, Sir Sze-yuen Chung (Class of '36). Our condolences to his family on their loss. There are few more celebrated Hong Kongers than Sir SY Chung, as he was an integral cog in the wheel of Hong Kong's advancement in the post-war era up to and including Hong Kong's return to the motherland. His contributions are hard to over-estimate given his pivotal role in Hong Kong's growth. While we mourn his passing, we celebrate the greatness of his work for Hong Kong, and recognise the Paulian spirit within him as he served his family, his city and his country.

Chung was born in Hong Kong on 3 November 1917. His father was an importing metal merchant. He attended the Anglo-Chinese schools including St. Paul's College and was a member of the St. John's Ambulance and lifesaver of the Royal Life Saving Society as a youth. Chung was a keen volleyball player and played for his school, St. Paul's College. He was also the vice-captain of the Hong Kong team in the Shanghai national volleyball tournament in 1948. After he graduated from the St. Paul's College in 1936, he went to study Engineering at the St. John's University in Shanghai. However, he was cut off from Shanghai when it was invaded by Japan in 1937 during his summer vacation. He went on obtained admission to the University of Hong Kong. In May 1941, he was graduated with first class honours in bachelor of science degree in Engineering in 1941. He married Cheung Yung-hing in 1942 and had two daughters and one son. He died on 14 November 2018, shortly after his 101st birthday.

Sir  SY Chung was a Hong Kong politician who served as a Senior Member of the Executive and Legislative Councils during the 1970s and 1980s in the colonial period and the first Non-official Convenor of the Executive Council in the SAR period. For his seniority in the Hong Kong political arena, he was nicknamed the "Great Sir" and "Godfather of Hong Kong politics". An-engineer-turned-politician, Chung was appointed to various public positions by the colonial government including the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI) in the 1960s before he was an Unofficial Member of the Legislative and Executive Councils. As a Senior Member of the Executive Council, Chung was involved heavily in the Sino-British negotiations on the Hong Kong sovereignty in the early 1980s, in which he sought to voice the concerns on the behalf of the Hong Kong people between the Chinese and British governments.

After his retirement from the colonial positions in 1988, he began to take Beijing appointments of pre-handover posts. In 1997, he was invited by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa to become the first Convenor of the official Members of the SAR Executive Council until his second retirement in 1999.

Here is a partial list of the honours he had received for his service:

•	Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) (1968)
•	Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) (1975)
•	Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan) (1977)
•	Knight Bachelor (1978)
•	Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) (1983)
•	Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE) (1989)
•	Recipient of the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM) (1997)

Rest in peace, our beloved alumnus, from all Paulians around the world.