Chen Zengxi
Chen Zengxi (1923 – 8 March 1986), ancestral home Shunde, Guangdong,[1] was the founder and first Chairman of Hang Lung Group, father of Ronnie Chan and Walter Chan, and a principal member of the Chan Zengxi family.
Life
Chen Zengxi came from a wealthy family. Before World War II, he studied civil engineering in Japan. Afterwards, he worked for Wing Lung Group under the Wu family, overseeing foreign exchange and property mortgage operations. In the early 1950s, he established Ta Lung Properties in Hong Kong. His younger brother, Chen Zengtou, joined him to undertake construction contracts for the government and other developers.
On 13 September 1960, he founded Hang Lung Group. In the early 1960s, [2]he secured land‑swap rights with the government: trading land adjacent to Lai Yuen Amusement Park on Hill Road, Kowloon, in exchange for land in Ho Man Tin where Margaret Hospital was built, then developing the Prosperous Garden estate for substantial profit. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he diversified into dry cleaning, liquefied petroleum gas, parking facilities, finance, and insurance. He led Hang Lung to its public listing in 1972.
In 1977, he developed Telford Gardens and Amoy Gardens in Kowloon Bay; in 1984, he built Kornhill and Kwun Yiu Gardens. In 1985, after falling seriously ill, he lived privately and sought medical treatment abroad. In early 1986, he was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and passed away on 8 March 1986 at age 63.[3] His funeral was held on 10 March, followed by cremation. He was survived by his wife and three sons. In accordance with his wishes, the family established the Chen Zengxi Memorial Fund to support emerging talent, with his former associate Yan Shangxian as trustee.
Legacy
Morningside Group was founded by his sons Ronnie Chan and Walter Chan as a diversified enterprise in venture capital and property development.
In September 2014, Ronnie and Walter Chan, through the Morningside Foundation, donated US$350 million to Harvard University—the largest single gift in Harvard’s history. In recognition of Chen Zengxi, the Harvard School of Public Health was renamed Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.[4]
References
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%99%B3%E6%9B%BE%E7%86%99#cite_ref-1
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150925065017/http://www.hanglung.com/zh-hk/hang-lung-group/about-us/corporate-profile.aspx
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%99%B3%E6%9B%BE%E7%86%99#cite_ref-3
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/china/2014/09/140908_hkchen_harvard