Finance sector says farewell to its 'headmaster' Ronald Li Fook-shiu
Godfather of stock exchange who spent 30 months in Stanley Prison is remembered as a mentor who loved a good conversation
1929-2014
The godfather of Hong Kong's stock exchange, Ronald Li Fook-shiu, was remembered fondly by friends and associates after dying of stomach cancer on Saturday afternoon at the age of 85.
Ronald Li's legacy in the development of what is now one of the world's largest bourses lives on despite a fall from grace in 1990 that took him from chairmanship of the exchange to a cell in Stanley Prison.
At the end of a years-long recurring battle with cancer, he spent his final days at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam. The news of his death emerged late on Monday night and was confirmed by a nephew, former chief justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang, and a niece, former Bar Association chairwoman Gladys Li.
Christopher Cheung Wah-fung, a lawmaker representing the financial services sector, mourned the demise of a father figure of stock-brokering.
"He was very much respected in financial circles," Cheung said. "We called him 'headmaster' because many of us had learned from him."