Celebrating Dr Lee Shau Kee's Legacy

The exhibition was held in the Dr Lee Shau Kee Building, which sits at the heart of the College, and marked the first anniversary of Dr Lee’s passing in March 2025, aged 97.

Dr Lee was a lifelong advocate for education. The Lee Shau Kee Scholarship scheme, which began in 1979 and ran for almost three decades, supported 100 students to study at Wadham, many of whom held leadership roles in public service, law, business and the arts.

On Monday night the Warden, Fellows, colleagues and students were honoured to welcome Dr Lee’s daughter, Margaret Lee, his granddaughter, Victoria Li, and his grandson-in-law Jonathan Kwok for the long-awaited opening of the exhibition.

We were also delighted to welcome back Victor Lee (Engineering, 1993), convenor of the LSK Scholars, who had travelled from Hong Kong for the occasion. Lee Shau Kee scholars spanning several decades also joined us.

Guests gathered in the late afternoon sun for a reception and official opening of the exhibition, which was followed by a welcome from the Warden, Robert Hannigan CMG, and moving speeches from Emeritus Fellow in Law, Jeffrey Hackney, and Victor Lee, who has been instrumental in supporting the longstanding Wadham – Hong Kong community.

Born in 1928 in Guangdong, Dr Lee moved to Hong Kong in 1948 at the age of nineteen. He began his career in finance and trading before turning to property, recognising early the city Hong Kong was about to become.

For Dr Lee, business was always the means rather than the end. His credo was simple: one must excel at both earning and giving. His philanthropy reached across China and beyond, including training programmes for over a million farmers and ten thousand village doctors.

Jeffrey Hackney said: “The Exhibition in honour of such a great man gave us all immense pleasure and we hope we conveyed to Dr Lee’s family and associates and indeed to the wider Oxford academic community how much we respected and admired him. I know I speak for all the Wadham tutors who were lucky enough to teach Dr Lee’s students in saying how much we benefited from them, and on behalf of all Fellows to say we are grateful for the comradeship of the holders of the Law Fellowship which Dr Lee endowed. We were specially honoured to be graced with the presence of Dr Lee’s family.”

Robert Hannigan, Warden, said: “When then-Chancellor Lord Patten opened the building in 2022, he spoke of Dr Lee’s name being woven into the fabric of the College and how the Lee family is transforming lives with their vision for opening up doors to disadvantaged young people. With Margaret, Victoria and Jonathan present tonight, I want to echo Lord Patten’s thanks, and hope that his inspired legacy will be carried on into future generations.”

Following Dr Lee’s passing in 2025, the Henderson Land Group held a memorial exhibition in Hong Kong. Wadham hosted a smaller version of this exhibition, focusing on Dr Lee’s educational philanthropy.

Visitors were able to tour the multi-room exhibition for the first time, which traces Dr Lee’s life across several themes: his beginnings, his business, his philanthropy, Wadham, and his family. Displays featured photographs covering all the decades of Dr Lee’s life, maps showing the vast reach of his work and messages from the many hundreds of beneficiaries of his generosity throughout the years.

The Lee Shau Kee scholarship scheme was one of Oxford’s most extensive, and Lee Shau Kee scholars have made their mark not only on Oxford and Hong Kong but on the world. They continue to give back to the next generation of Wadham students, and in 2013 the scholars came together to honour the man who had changed their lives by funding the Lee Shau Kee Scholars Seminar Room.

In addition to the scholarship programme, Dr Lee lead-funded Wadham’s Dr Lee Shau Kee Building, which was the first purpose-built outreach centre of its kind in the UK. More than 50,000 pupils from under-represented backgrounds have come through the building’s doors thanks to Dr Lee’s generosity. In 2015 Dr Lee was admitted to Oxford’s Chancellor’s Court of Benefactors.

The Wadham community was deeply saddened by Dr Lee’s passing in 2025 and this occasion offered an opportunity to express our appreciation for his life and work.

By gathering to honour his memory, we reaffirmed Dr Lee’s belief in the power of education for public good, and looked to a future of continued friendship with the Lee family and our Hong Kong community.

We are grateful to the Lee family for their generosity in supporting the exhibition and to the Henderson Land Group for their thoughtful guidance.

Visitors are warmly welcome to visit the exhibition in the Dr Lee Shau Kee Building until 3rd May.