Physics laureate Charles Kao Kuen arrived in Hong Kong yesterday for a series of celebrations to mark his triumph in the 2009 Nobel Prize.
The 75-year-old physicist and his wife are here as guests of the government and Chinese University, where Kao served as vice-chancellor from 1987 to 1996.
The festivities will begin on February 5, when the couple will attend the opening of an exhibition at Chinese University about Kao's work and life. They now live in the San Francisco Bay area. The event will be broadcast live on the university's website.
Kao and his wife will also attend a ceremony to rename the Hong Kong Science Park auditorium - popularly known as the 'Golden Egg' owing to its shape - as the Charles K Kao Auditorium and a commemorative stamp design prize presentation.
The authorities are being tight-lipped about the dates and times of the events to protect Kao, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, from excessive publicity because of concerns about his health.
Kao, known as the 'father of fibre-optics', jointly won the Nobel Prize in physics last year for his achievements in the development of fibre-optic communications.