SHANGHAI'S CY TUNG Maritime Museum is distinct in many ways. At 13,000 sq ft, it's one of the smallest free-standing museums in China. Having been erected in just six months from the time ground was broken, it is also one of the most quickly built museums on the mainland. And it's the only one across the border built in honour of a Hong Kong resident: CY Tung.
The shipping magnate, who died in 1982, would be proud. While Tung Chee-hwa, his eldest son, may be the family's newsmaker these days, the chief executive's sister, Alice King Tung Chee-ping, is ensuring future generations learn about the achievements of her father: one of China's most influential tycoons.
The museum King has established, which opens tomorrow, is situated on the campus of China's second-oldest tertiary institution. Jiao Tong University, established in 1896, has a long background in maritime studies and is also the alma mater of Chinese leader Jiang Zemin. The museum, formerly a boys' dormitory, has been transformed into a rustic, minimalist space showcasing not only the life of Tung but also the country's seafaring history.
In partnership with the university, the Tung Foundation, set up for education and cultural patronage after the magnate's death, contributed several million dollars towards the project.
The museum, co-designed by King and Hong Kong architect Nelson Chen Bing-wah, is King's most monumental effort to commemorate her father. Also in the works are the publication of his memoirs and a documentary about his life.
'A lot of people overseas know of my father,' says King, a Hong Kong art gallery owner. 'But nowadays in Hong Kong and China, not many people know about the work that he did. My father was a dreamer who spent his whole life trying to conquer the sea; he was the first Chinese to own a shipping company. No one would undertake a task like that unless he had some romantic notion.'