Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU) will hold its 52nd Graduation Ceremony cum Honorary Doctorate Presentation Ceremony on 23 November 2026 (Monday). At the ceremony, confer the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa on Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, and the degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa on Mr Kenneth FOK Kai-kong, in recognition of their significant contributions and profound impact on Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland.
Dr Charles CHEN Yidan (Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa)
Dr Charles CHEN Yidan is a Chinese entrepreneur, philanthropist, and educator. He is a Core Founder of Tencent, Founder and Honorary Chairman of Tencent Foundation, Founder of Wuhan College, and Founder of the Yidan Prize.
In 1998, Dr CHEN co-founded Tencent as its Chief Administration Officer. In 2007, led by Dr CHEN, Tencent launched the Tencent Foundation, the first charitable foundation in China’s internet industry. After stepping down from his executive role in 2013, he continued as Advisor Emeritus of Tencent and Honorary Chairman of Tencent Foundation.
Since 2009, Dr CHEN has dedicated RMB 2 billion to setting up Wuhan College on a not-for-profit basis, a pioneer of non-profit private universities in China. In 2016, Dr CHEN made an endowment of HKD 2.5 billion to set up a worldwide education award, the Yidan Prize. In 2018, he donated Tencent shares with a market value of over HKD 4 billion, with a philanthropic focus on the development of education.
Dr CHEN is a founding donor of Westlake University and served as a founding board member in 2018. He has been a member of the Harvard Global Advisory Council since 2019, a member of the International Advisory Council of Singapore Management University since 2019, and a member of the Court of the University of Hong Kong since 2021.
In recognition of his philanthropic contributions, Dr Chen received the China Charity Award and was among China’s top ten philanthropists. He topped the 13th China Charity Ranking in 2016 and was China’s top philanthropist on the 2017 Forbes China Philanthropy List. Dr CHEN is also known as “the First Man of Chinese Internet Philanthropy” and “the Father of Chinese Internet Philanthropy”.
The Hon. Kenneth FOK Kai-kong, BBS, JP (Doctor of Letters, honoris causa)
The Hon. Kenneth FOK Kai-kong joined the family business as Vice President of the Fok Ying Tung Group in 2003. The group’s diverse investments span real estate, education, hotels and leisure developments in both Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland, especially in the Nansha free trade zone of Guangdong province.
Mr FOK was appointed as a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Vice Chairman of the 13th Committee of the All-China Youth Federation. He is currently a deputy to the National People’s Congress and Executive Vice President of the Hong Kong Federation of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. In 2025, Mr FOK was re-elected as a member of the Legislative Council for the Sports, Performing arts, Culture and Publishing functional constituency.
Kenneth FOK has long been dedicated to promoting sports and cultural development. He previously served as Vice-Chairman of the Elite Sports Committee and an ex-officio member of the Sports Commission of the HKSAR Government, and a director of the Hong Kong Sports Institute. Currently, he holds leadership positions in multiple local sports associations. In addition, he serves as the President of the Federation of District Sports Associations of Hong Kong, which he founded to unite sports associations across all 18 districts of Hong Kong and drive the development of grassroots sports.
Mr FOK joined the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China in 2009, ,and currently serves as its Vice President and the Chairman of the Hong Kong China Olympic Academy. Under his leadership, Hong Kong Sports Press Association successfully hosted the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Asia Congress in 2025. Furthermore, he led the Olympic Committee’s bidding team to successfully secure the right to host the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) annual awards ceremony and general assembly in 2026.
In the fields of arts and culture, Mr FOK serves as Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, a board member of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, and a member of the Culture Commission under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau. In 2021, he spearheaded “The ARThletes” project to promote a new paradigm of cross-sectoral cooperation in culture and sports. He subsequently led the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in presenting the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo (HKPAX) in both 2024 and 2026.
Mr FOK holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from the University of Oxford and was conferred an Honorary University Fellowship by Hong Kong Baptist University in 2023. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 2016 and was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2025 by the HKSAR Government.