The Fudan community and the world bid farewell to Dr. Lee Shau Kee, founder of Henderson Land and Fudan’s Senior Trustee, who passed away at 97 on March 17. His legacy shines through the Lee Shau Kee Library at Fudan’s Jiangwan Campus—a beacon of knowledge and hope for generations.
Born in 1928 to a merchant family in Shunde, Guangdong province, Lee started his business in Hong Kong in his 20s and established Henderson in 1976. Lee’s decades-long success in real estate development and investment made him one of the wealthiest people in the world.
For nearly two decades, the Lee family, led by the late Lee Shau Kee, and his eldest son, Peter Lee Ka Kit (Fudan Trustee & Henderson Land Chairman), has forged a profound partnership with Fudan University. This cross-generational collaboration, spanning education, talent cultivation, and global academic innovation, stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment to advancing higher education and fostering cultural exchange between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.
In 2007, Lee was appointed as a member of Fudan University’s Fourth Board of Trustees, marking the beginning of a transformative relationship.
He launched the Lee Shau Kee Scholarship in 2007, empowering Hong Kong students to study at Fudan with tailored mentorship and national identity programs. He inspired students with his wisdom: “Virtue as action, scholarship as purpose”, when he was honored as Fudan’s 10th Honorary Doctorate in 2008.
Funded with a generous donation of 100 million yuan by Lee Shau Kee, the Lee Shau Kee Library officially opened its doors on September 9, 2008. Spanning nearly 20,000 square meters, this architectural marvel blends European classical elegance with modern innovation, setting a new benchmark for academic libraries in China. Breaking away from traditional library models, the facility embraces the cutting-edge “Information Commons” concept, integrating book retrieval, digital resources, and research tools, providing seamless access to global academic databases and cross-disciplinary materials.
“Donating to educational institutions not only directly benefits students but also creates a lasting legacy for future generations and uplifts society as a whole. It is a meaningful investment that yields profound and enduring rewards,” Lee once remarked. The Lee Shau Kee Library now stands as a testament to his vision—a space where openness, collaboration, and wisdom ignite the minds of future leaders.
Lee Shau Kee became Fudan’s Senior Trustee in 2009, deepening his family’s bond with the university. In November 2024, his son Peter Lee Ka Kit unveiled the Fudan University Peter Lee Distinguished Professorship Program, recruiting global scientific leaders to advance AI, biomedicine, and sustainability.
Today, his family’s commitment lives on—in every scholar inspired, every book opened, and every dream nurtured at Fudan.
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Presented by Fudan University Media Center
Writer: WANG Mengqi
