Chung Chi-yung: tributes to 'selfless' principal of first private university
Dr Au Wing-kwong might have ended up following a completely different path if he had not been given the chance to study at Hong Kong's first and only private university by its co-founder, who died on Sunday aged 93.
To those who knew her, Dr Chung Chi-yung, vice-president and principal of Shue Yan University, was not just a selfless educator; she was always ready to lend anyone a helping hand.
Au did not have a father and started working on the docks when he was 18. A Shue Yan professor who knew him told Chung his story, and she decided to let him study social work.
Chung, a doctor of law and reportedly China's first female judge, was heading the social work department at that time due to a lack of staff, and she later wrote a letter of recommendation for Au so he could continue his studies in Britain.
"Principal Chung was a very responsible teacher and she cared about her students a lot," said Au, who, after returning to Hong Kong in 1997 from Britain, could not find a job and was recruited by Chung.