Property tycoon Gordon Wu’s 35-year dream of massive bridge connecting Hong Kong with Pearl River Delta cities finally realised

Hopewell Holdings chief brought up the idea of a bridge with Zhuhai municipal government way back in 1983

Trailblazer Wu was among first wave of Hong Kong investors to plough money into projects in Guangdong

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Gordon Wu is known as a trailblazer. Photo: Roy Issa

Published: 7:22pm, 23 Oct 2018Updated: 12:30am, 24 Oct 2018

When President Xi Jinping opened the mega bridge connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau on Tuesday, property tycoon Gordon Wu Ying-sheung finally saw a project he first mooted 35 years ago come to fruition.

The 82-year-old founder and chairman of developer Hopewell Holdings, who brought up the idea of a bridge with the Zhuhai municipal government way back in 1983, was among some 700 guests, including state leaders, marking the opening of the project, a milestone in Beijing’s broader push to integrate the region.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who entered the ceremony hall in Zhuhai side by side with Xi, gave a five-minute speech.

Work started on the bridge in 2009 in mainland China. Photo: Reuters

Despite the big celebrations, there was no tour of the bridge, which had been hit by a two-year delay and a cost overrun of billions of dollars.

“The quality of the bridge is very good from design to construction,” an upbeat Wu said before the ceremony started on Tuesday morning at immigration clearance facilities in Zhuhai.

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