EdUHK to Confer Honorary Doctorates on Distinguished Individuals
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) will confer honorary doctorates on three distinguished individuals in recognition of the significant contributions they have made in their respective fields in advancing education and inspiring the next generation. They are (in alphabetical order by surname):
• Dr Charles Chen Yidan
• Professor Ge Zhaoguang
• Dr Zhang Yimou
Dr Charles Chen Yidan
~ Doctor of Education, honoris causa
Dr Charles Chen Yidan, core founder of Tencent, Honorary Chairman of Tencent Charity Foundation and founder of the Yidan Prize, is a pioneer of Chinese internet philanthropy who has devoted himself to advocating the power of education.
Inspired by his illiterate grandmother, who raised his father to become the very first university graduate in the village, Dr Chen believes education is the ultimate driving force for social progress. Graduating from Shenzhen University with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Chemistry, Dr Chen went on to pursue a master’s degree in Economic Law at the Law School of Nanjing University and a doctoral degree in Business Administration at Singapore Management University (SMU).
As one of the core founders of Tencent, Dr Chen oversaw the company’s administration, legal matters and human resources through his role as the Chief Administration Officer. Today, Tencent is one of the world’s leading technology giants, with its communications and social media services connecting over a billion people worldwide. In 2007, Dr Chen established Tencent Charity Foundation, making it an inspiration for the internet industry. In 2009, he set up Wuhan College, a non-profit private university in mainland China.
Dr Chen believes that education can enhance human wellbeing. In 2016, he donated HK$2.5 billion to launch the Yidan Prize, a global education accolade that recognises individuals or teams who have made outstanding contributions to education.
In 2019, he became a member of the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University and a member of the International Advisory Board of SMU. He was also appointed as a Court Member of The University of Hong Kong in 2021.
He topped the 13th annual China Charity Ranking in 2016, and was listed first in the Forbes China Philanthropy List the following year. In recognition of his enormous contribution to the education sector, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong conferred honorary doctorates in humanities and social science on him in 2017 and 2020, respectively.
Professor Ge Zhaoguang
~ Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa
A distinguished professor at the National Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies and the Department of History at Fudan University, Professor Ge Zhaoguang is an exemplary scholar who has studied the history of Chinese thought with great meticulousness and insight.
Professor Ge studied classical literature at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, engaging in extensive reading in literature, history and philosophy, and consequently establishing a solid research foundation. After graduation, he began studying Zen Buddhism from the perspective of cultural history. His first book, Zen Buddhism and Chinese Culture, was published in 1986 and was awarded the first-ever China Book Prize in 1988.
In 1998, Professor Ge published his magnum opus, A History of Chinese Thought, which challenged the conventional historical interpretations and historiographical traditions, thus opening a new chapter in the study of history of Chinese thought. Over the years, Professor Ge has tirelessly worked on his publications, including A History of Chinese Zen Buddhist Thought: From the 6th to 10th Century, Here in ‘China’ I Dwell: Reconstructing Historical Discourses of China for Our Time, and What Is China: Territory, Ethnicity, Culture, and History. These internationally acclaimed books subsequently won significant awards in the United States, Japan and South Korea after they were translated into English, Japanese and Korean.
Professor Ge is also passionate about teaching. From 1984 to 1992, he was an associate professor at the Department of History at Yangzhou Normal College (now Yangzhou University). Between 1992 and 2006, he was a professor at the School of Humanities of Tsinghua University, and subsequently became a visiting scholar and adjunct professor at universities in Belgium, Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States.
In 2007, Professor Ge joined Fudan University, where he was the founding director of the National Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies. He was later appointed one of the first Princeton Global Scholars at Princeton University in 2009 and was a visiting professor there from 2010 to 2013.
Dr Zhang Yimou
~ Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa
Dr Zhang Yimou is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning film director. The only ‘Double Olympic Director’ in the world, Dr Zhang is famous for his unique and well-crafted style in demonstrating Chinese cultural heritage to the audience.
Against all odds, Dr Zhang was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy in 1978 and became a top student there. Upon graduation, Dr Zhang worked as a photographer at the Guangxi Film Studio. With his first project One and Eight, he won the Outstanding Photography category at the Chinese Film Awards, marking a remarkable debut in the industry.
In 1988, Dr Zhang made his directorial debut in Red Sorghum and won Best Drama at the 8th Golden Rooster Awards, Best Drama at the 11th Hundred Flowers Awards, and the Golden Bear for Best Picture at the Berlin International Film Festival. Over the years, Dr Zhang has received numerous nominations at the Oscars and other international film festivals. His commercial films, including Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower and The Flowers of War, also gained huge success, establishing him as a renowned director.
In 2008, at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, Dr Zhang used an ancient Chinese sundial to start the ceremony, which skilfully incorporated mass performances to showcase four great inventions from China. Dr Zhang was again appointed as chief director for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, making him the first person in the world to have overseen the ceremonies of two Olympic Games.
In recognition of his significant contribution to movies and visual arts, Dr Zhang was conferred honorary doctorates from City University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Yale University and Boston University. In 2018, Dr Zhang won the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker award at the Venice International Film Festival, becoming the first Chinese filmmaker to receive this honour.
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EdUHK to Confer Honorary Doctorates on Distinguished Individuals
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