Three Facilities on Chung Chi Campus Formally Opened
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The Esther Lee Building, the Lee Hysan Concert Hall, and the Chung Chi College Administration Building were officially opened on 9th December 2002 on the Chung Chi campus. Dr. the Honourable Donald Tsang, acting chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, officiated at the ceremony. The platform party consisted of Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, Secretary for Education and Manpower; Dr. Lee Hon-chiu, chairman of the University Council; representatives of the Lee Hysan Foundation and the Lee Family; Prof. Ambrose King, vice-chancellor of the University; Mr. Karl Kwok, chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chung Chi College; Prof. Rance Lee, head of Chung Chi College; and Prof. Daniel Law, dean of arts.
The Esther Lee Building, a 12-storey teaching block with a total construction area of around 14,400 square metres, houses four well-equipped lecture theatres and a state-of-the-art concert hall. The building is home to the Department of Economics and the Nethersole School of Nursing, as well as a number of research institutes, laboratories, and centres.
The relationship between the late Dr. Esther Yewpick Lee and the University dates back to some 40 years ago when Dr. Lee's husband, Dr. Richard Charles Lee, took an active part in the planning of the University as vice-chairman of the Provisional Council. He subsequently served as vice-chairman of the Council of CUHK for some 20 years. To give permanent recognition to the contributions made by the Lee family over the past four decades, including a bountiful bequest of some $140 million from Dr. Esther Lee for the development of CUHK, the new teaching block is named the Esther Lee Building.
The 269-seat Lee Hysan Concert Hall inside the Esther Lee Building is equipped with excellent acoustics and is ideal for chamber music, choral, and other musical performances. The construction of the Lee Hysan Concert Hall was made possible by the generous support of the Lee Hysan Foundation, which has always been a staunch supporter of higher education and cultural development, and an arch patron of the University and Chung Chi College.
The six-storey Chung Chi Administration Building houses offices for the college's administration, including the College Head's Office and the College Office, the Dean of General Education's Office, the Board Room, and the Kilborn Room. Other units include the Health Promotion Office, the Video Workshop, the Alumni Room, and the College Lounge.