A ceremony to mark the completion of the Ho Tim Building, named after the benefactor Dr. Ho Tim, was held in the Main Building recently.

Vice President Cen Zhangzhi hosted the ceremony. Dr. Ho Tim's wife and their son as well as their granddaughter attended the event. Tsinghua President Gu Binglin, Vice Director of the University Council He Meiying and about 150 guests and university faculty also attended the ceremony.

The new building was jointly funded by late Hong Kong banker and entrepreneur Dr. Ho Tim and Tsinghua University . Dr. Ho donated 10 million Hong Kong dollars for the project. Begun from October 2003, the construction of the building was completed as planed. It will be used by the Department of Chemistry for teaching and research. Located in the teaching area of the School of Sciences , it is connected to the Old Chemistry Building by a corridor.

Dr. Ho Tim (1909-2004) was among the first generation of Chinese bankers in Hong Kong . He is one of the co-founders of Hang Seng Bank. During his life, Dr. Ho made many generous donations for the public welfare, particularly in areas of education, medicine, and poverty relief. He passed away in Hong Kong in November 2004.

President Gu expressed his heartfelt condolence for the recent passing of Dr. Ho.

“What Dr. Ho Tim and his family donated is far beyond the material wealth we saw today. More importantly, it demonstrates his high expectation of a strong and prosperous China , a large team of high-level intellectuals, and Tsinghua's marching towards the goal of becoming a world-class university.”

After the ceremony, Ms. Ho and her son, President Gu and Professor He Meiying co-unveiled the building. The guests then made a visit of the building and were briefed about the construction of the building by the designer Professor Guan Zhaoye, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Translated by Liu Aixiang