Tung Chee-hwa says his grey-haired think tank is still "very sharp"

You're never too old to canvas views from the young, so long as you remain "very sharp", according to former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa.

The 77-year-old dismissed concerns that some members of his new 89-strong think tank were not up to the task. The oldest member is 97.

Critics have expressed reservations about the effectiveness of the Our Hong Kong Foundation, which is dominated by familiar figures from the political and business sectors, where young faces are rare.

But Tung hopes the platform can draw on the experience of senior residents to bridge societal rifts that have deepened in the wake of Occupy Central protests.

"I always use my brain, like you young people. I crave knowledge and am also curious about things," he said yesterday. "Sometimes, we shouldn't look only at age."

The foundation has three honorary advisers, with an average age of 91. Sinologist Professor Jao Tsung-I turns 97 this year, while Nobel Prize-winning physicist Yang Chen-ning is 92 and former chief justice Yang Ti-liang is 85.

Among the youngest advisers are medalled cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze, 27, and former swimmer Sherry Tsai Hiu-wai, 31.