Obituary: Graduate, political leader and philanthropist Dr Chee Hwa Tung dies at 89
The University of Liverpool is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Chee Hwa 'CH' Tung (BEng Hons Marine Engineering 1960, Hon LLD 1997), a distinguished alumnus, honorary graduate, philanthropist and the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region. Dr Tung maintained a lifelong relationship with the University and its students.
He will be greatly missed by our University community. His commitment, together with his generosity, leaves a lasting legacy through the many lives he touched and the opportunities he helped create for future generations.
Dr Tung’s life and career
Born in Shanghai in 1937, Dr CH Tung moved to Hong Kong at the age of 12. He was the eldest of five siblings and his father, CY Tung, was a shipping magnate.
He studied in China and Hong Kong, before coming to Liverpool in the late 50s to study Marine Engineering. While a student, he enjoyed watching Liverpool Football Club play at Anfield. He graduated in 1960 and shortly after, his brother, Dr Chee Chen Tung studied Marine Engineering at the University, graduating in 1964.
During the 60s, Dr Tung worked as an engineer in Massachusetts for General Electric for almost a decade before returning to Hong Kong in 1969 to work for his father’s shipping business. Soon after, he took over his father’s empire and was chairman and chief executive officer of the Orient Overseas Container Liner, which became one of the largest container shipping groups in the world.
In 1997, Dr Tung became the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. During his public service career, he championed a number of long-term initiatives and made significant contributions to Hong Kong's development. Following his tenure as Chief Executive, Dr Tung continued his public service through a number of national and international roles, including Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the China-United States Exchange Foundation.
Dr Tung and the University
The Tung family have been generous supporters of the University, funding scholarships and making a significant contribution to our state-of-the-art concert hall, the Tung Auditorium, which brings a diverse programme of musical performances to the community.
The Tung family began to support scholarships for students from Hong Kong and mainland China in 2013 and have since supported 60 undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students. Speaking of the support, former Tung Foundation scholarship student, Professor Ruiqi Zhang (MA Archaeology 2015, PhD Archaeology 2020) who now works at Shanghai University, said: “I deeply regret that I never had the opportunity to thank Mr Tung and his family in person. Yet their kindness, and what it taught me about generosity and responsibility towards the next generation, will remain with me.
“I remain profoundly grateful to the Tung family and to the University of Liverpool for the support I received during my years there.”
Our Vice Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones, said: “We were very saddened to hear of Dr CH Tung’s passing. He and his family have been longstanding supporters of the University, and their generosity has transformed the lives of many students through the Tung Foundation Scholarships.
"Sadly, I did not have the opportunity to meet Dr Tung personally. However, I know how highly respected and admired he was within our community and I know he will be missed by many. We will always remember his generosity and the lasting legacy he created through his support of the University.”
On hearing of Tung’s passing, Richard Hartwell, Artistic Director of The Tung Auditorium, said: “I am saddened to hear the news of Dr CH Tung’s passing. We remain incredibly grateful for the transformational gift from CH and CC Tung, which enabled us to build the Tung Auditorium here in Liverpool, as part of the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre.
“We are approaching the fifth year since The Tung Auditorium’s opening and it continues to provide hundreds of hours of specialist music teaching, opportunity for student music-making and a home for our professional concert series, which invites artists from around the world to perform in state-of-the-art acoustics. We wish to share our condolences with the Tung family at this time.”
As well as studying at the University in the late 1950s, Dr CH Tung received his honorary degree from the University in 1997 and was made a Doctor of Laws.
The University’s Hong Kong Alumni Network were also privileged to enjoy Dr CH Tung’s remarkable leadership as Trustee.
Dr CH Tung is survived by his wife, Betty Tung Chiu Hung-ping, their three children and grandchildren.