Reconnecting with the Wadham Hong Kong Community
Date Published: 16.10.2023
Reuniting after pandemic delays left a five-year gap since last Wadham trip to Hong Kong.
Wadham holds a unique relationship with a strong alumni base in Hong Kong, and the Warden, Robert Hannigan, and our Development Director, Julie Hage, were delighted to visit the city at the end of September to catch up with our many alumni and friends there. It was the College’s first visit to Hong Kong since 2018, due to the pandemic, and a long-overdue opportunity to introduce the Warden to our alumni there.
There were several highlights of the visit, the first being a celebration ceremony in honour of Dr Lee Shau Kee and family’s transformational support of Wadham. Hosted by Dr. Lee’s daughter, Margaret Li, granddaughter Kristine Li and Chairman of Henderson Land, Colin Lam, along with about a dozen Dr Lee Shau Kee Scholars, the event was also an opportunity to celebrate Dr Lee Shau Kee’s elder sons, Dr. Peter Lee and Dr. Martin Lee, who this year were inducted as Foundation Fellows of the College. The Warden thanked the Lee family for their extraordinary generosity and friendship over many decades, both to the Lee Shau Kee Scholarship programme and the new Dr Lee Shau Kee Building in the Back Quad.
This was followed by a popular alumni reception hosted by Foundation Fellow, William Doo Jr, at the elegant Hong Kong Club, and attended by 45 alumni and guests. The Warden briefed guests on news from Oxford and shared plans for the coming years and how Wadham will build on the successful foundations laid by our Access to Excellence campaign – so much of which would not have been possible without the prodigious support of our alumni and friends in Hong Kong. Indeed, the list of Dr Lee Shau Kee Scholars in attendance, spanning back to 1979, was a warm testament to the College’s strong links with Hong Kong.
“The strength of our alumni groups around the world continues to impress"
Robert Hannigan said, “The strength of our alumni groups around the world continues to impress and the community in Hong Kong is as strong as anywhere. The College is very proud of the extraordinary achievements of our Hong Kong alumni. Decades of friendships have clearly made a mark and I am grateful to our volunteers and supporters here for their continuous efforts to nurture these significant Oxford - Hong Kong connections”.
We are grateful for the warm hospitality and the keen interest in Wadham’s and Oxford’s mission and we look forward to welcoming alumni from Hong Kong - and anywhere - back to Oxford over the coming months.
