The Esther Lee Building, the Lee Hysan Concert Hall and the Chung Chi College Administration Building at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) were officially opened today. Dr the Honourable Donald Tsang, Acting Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region officiated at the ceremony. The platform party consisted of Dr Lee Hon Chiu, Chairman of the Council, CUHK, representatives of the Lee Hysan Foundation: Dr Deanna Lee Rudgard, Mr Peter T C Lee, Mr Lee Chien and Mr Michael T H Lee, Professor Ambrose Y C King, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, Mr Karl Kwok, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chung Chi College, CUHK, Professor Rance Lee, Head of Chung Chi College, CUHK and Professor Daniel Law, Dean of Arts, CUHK.

　　The Esther Lee Building is a 12-storey teaching block with a total construction area of around 14,400 square metres. The Building houses 4 well-equipped lecture theatres and a state-of-the-art concert hall. The completion of the Esther Lee Building further strengthens the University in providing all-round quality education to its students and to provide better research facilities for staff members. The Building houses two CUHK academic departments, namely, the Department of Economics and the Nethersole School of Nursing, as well as a number of research institutes: the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, the Assessment and Training Centre jointly established by the Faculty of Business Administration and the Department of Psychology, the Joint Laboratory for Geoinformation Science established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and CUHK, and The Hong Kong-America Center.

　　The relationship between Dr Esther Yewpick Lee and CUHK dated back to some 40 years ago, when Dr Lee's husband Dr Richard Charles Lee took an active part in the planning and operation of the University as Vice-Chairman of the Provisional Council and subsequently, the Council of CUHK for over 20 years. To give permanent recognition to the contributions given by the Lee family over the past four decades, including the magnanimous donation from the bequest of the late Dr Esther Lee for the development of CUHK, this new teaching block is named the Esther Lee Building.

　　Housed in the Esther Lee Building, the Lee Hysan Concert Hall is a happy addition to the world of music in Hong Kong. The Concert Hall has 269 seats and is equipped with the best acoustics in Asia. It is suitable for chamber music, choirs and other music performances. Mr Philipp Klais, the fourth generation of the Klais family that has been involved in the making of organs for over one hundred years, built a unique organ with high tonal and aesthetic standards for this Hall. The Lee Hysan Concert Hall is a venue for music students to receive the best professional training as well as a rendezvous for music lovers in Hong Kong. The construction of the Lee Hysan Concert Hall was made possible by the generous support of the Lee Hysan Foundation, which has always been supportive of higher education and cultural development, as well as the support of the University and Chung Chi College.

　　The new six-storey Chung Chi Administration Building houses offices for the College's administration. These include the College Head's Office and the College Office, the Dean of General Education's Office, the Board Room and the Kilborn Room. Newly added units include the Health Promotion Office, the Video Workshop, the Alumni Room that offers an ideal place for College alumni to reunite and take breaks, and the College Lounge where College members can socialize at leisure. The original Administration Building of Chung Chi College was erected in 1956 with the foundation stone laid by Dr L Kilborn, then Chairman of the Board of Governors. Along with two adjacent old College building, it was demolished in 1995 for a new campus development project which provided improved facilities for the furtherance of the unique collegiate system of CUHK, and strengthened the unity of the staff, students and alumni of Chung Chi College.