Hong Kong media mogul and philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw (Shao Yifu), aged 107, passed away at home on Jan.7. Shaw was enthusiastic to charity, especially fondly in China’s mainland, where he donated over 4.75 billion HK dollars ($744 million) over the years, mostly to education. His name is on many buildings in the mainland due to his generous donations. He also allocated money to establish the Run Run Shaw Prize known as the Nobel Prize of the east that awards excellence in science and research.
On Jan.11-15, 1987, presidents of 10 mainland universities that have received Shaw's donations go to Hong Kong to make reports to Shaw.
On Aug.1, 1992, Shaw visited ECNU’s Yifu Library, which had been expanded with his donation. Besides the library, other two buildings of the University, namely, Building of Middle School Principals Training Center of Ministry of Education, and the Teaching Building of the Primary School Affiliated to ECNU were also built with Shaw’s donations.
Former Presidents Mr. Yuan Yunkai and Mr. Zhang Ruikun of ECNU recalled Shaw’s donations and his visit to the University. In 1986, Shaw donated 10 million HK dollars to 10 universities in the mainland and ECNU was the first university to receive the donation. With the donation, the library on Zhongbei Campus was expanded. To remember Shaw’s generosity, the library was later named as Yifu Library.
In 1992, Sir Shaw and his wife Fang Yihua visited Yifu Library on Zhongbei Campus.
On Jan.11-15, 1987, former President Yuan Yunkai, and former Vice President Xiang Lisong went to Hong Kong and introduced the design, usage, process and benefits of the expansion project of Yifu Library to Shaw. “Each university has ten minutes to introduce their projects at the meeting,” recalled Yuan. “After the meeting, all the participants of the meeting took a group photo. With Sir Shaw’s invitation, we also had a dinner at his mansion.”
On Dec. 27, 1989, the inauguration ceremony of Yifu Library was held. On Behalf of Sir Shaw, Dr. Ma Lin, former president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong attended the ceremony. On Aug. 1, 1992, Sir Shaw and his wife Fang Yihua came to ECNU and visited Yifu Library. “On behalf of ECNU, I went to where Sir Shaw and his wife lived in Shanghai to greet them. Shaw was very amiable and not talkative. When I expressed our thanks for his generosity, he only responded with a few words like ‘my responsibility, my responsibility’,” recalled former Vice President Zhang Ruikun.
Three buildings of the University are built with Shaw's donations.
After the visit, Shaw also donated 6 million HK dollars to the construction of the Building of Middle School Principals Training Center of Ministry of Education, and another 500,000 HK dollars to build the Building of Middle School Principals Training Center of Ministry of Education.
“If possible, I want to come here and have a look again,” said Shaw when he finished his first visit to the University.
Written by: Liu Jinyu
