Robert Hung-Ngai Ho | |||||||||||
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Born | 1932 (age 90–91) | ||||||||||
Education | B.A., 1956, Colgate University M.A., 1958, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism | ||||||||||
Occupation(s) | philanthropist, journalist | ||||||||||
Spouse | Greta | ||||||||||
Relatives | Robert Ho Tung (grandfather) | ||||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 何鴻毅 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 何鸿毅 | ||||||||||
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Robert Hung-Ngai Ho CM OBC (born 1932) is a Chinese Canadian-American philanthropist and former journalist.
Ho was born in Hong Kong in 1932 [1] to one of the richest families in then-British colony. [2] Ho's grandfather, Robert Ho Tung, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist. [3] Although born into a religiously Buddhist family, Ho did not become religious himself until adulthood. [4]
Ho graduated from Colgate University in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1958 with a Master's degree in journalism. [3] He then worked for The Pittsburgh Press , National Geographic, and Hong Kong's Kung Sheung Daily News , then owned by the Hotung family. [5]
He moved to Canada in 1989, settling in West Vancouver, British Columbia. [6] There he established the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Society in 1994, named in honour of his grandmother, Lady Clara Hotung (born Cheung Lin Kok); [7] the Vancouver Tung Lin Kok Yuen temple was consecrated in 1995. He further founded the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation in 2005 to fund Buddhist studies. [8]
In 2005, Ho launched the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, which encourages younger children to learn about Chinese culture. [2] The following year, he donated $4 million to the University of Toronto to fund Buddhist studies programs [3] and another $4 million to the University of British Columbia (UBC) for the same purpose. [9] In 2008, Stanford University renamed its Buddhist Studies Center in his honour after he donated $5 million. [8]
In 2009, Ho donated $15 million towards the establishment of a research centre at Vancouver General Hospital for the Vancouver Prostate Centre, the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, and the Ovarian Cancer Research Initiative. [10] As a result of his philanthropy, Ho received an honorary degree from Hong Kong University in 2009, [1] from UBC in 2012 [11] and from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2015. [12] He was also named Member of the Order of British Columbia in 2013 [13] and Member of the Order of Canada in 2018 in recognition of his philanthropic work. [14] [15]
In 2019, Ho donated $15 million to his alma mater Colgate University to establish the Robert Hung Ngai Ho Mind, Brain, and Behavior Initiative. [16] He and his wife Greta also donated $10 million to Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver to help build a mental health centre. [17]
Sir Robert Ho Tung Bosman,, also known as Sir Robert Ho Tung, was a businessman and philanthropist in British Hong Kong. Known as "the grand old man of Hong Kong", he was knighted in 1915 and 1955 (KBE).
The Grand Bauhinia Medal is the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system; it is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the postnominal letters GBM and the style The Honourable. The award was created in 1997 to replace the British honours system, following the transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The list was empty because no one awarded from 2003 to 2004. Bauhinia, Bauhinia blakeana, is the floral emblem of Hong Kong.
The Institute of Asian Research (IAR) at the University of British Columbia is a research institute founded in 1978 and has been the foremost research centre in Canada for the inter-disciplinary study of Asia. With a broad geographic reach extending to China, India and South Asia, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, the institute conducts research and teaching in policy-relevant issues informed by language and area studies.
The Prodigal Son is a 1981 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film starring Yuen Biao and directed by Sammo Hung, who also co-starred and wrote with Barry Wong. The film was released on 22 December 1981 and grossed HK$9,150,729. The Prodigal Son was nominated for two Hong Kong Film Awards and won the award for Best Action Choreography.
Articles related to Hong Kong include:
Buddhism is a major religion in Hong Kong and has been greatly influential in the traditional culture of its populace. Among the most prominent Buddhist temples in the city there are the Chi Lin Nunnery in Diamond Hill, built in the Tang Dynasty's architectural style; the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, famous for the outdoor bronze statue, Tian Tan Buddha, which attracts a large number of visitors during the weekends and holidays.
The Legend of the Condor Heroes is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. The series was first broadcast on TVB Jade in 1994.
Tung Lin Kok Yuen is a Buddhist nunnery and educational institution located at No.15 Shan Kwong Road in Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Founded in 1935 by Lady Clara Ho-Tung, it is home to approximately 30 nuns and 50 lay devotees.
The Condor Heroes Return is a Hong Kong television series loosely based on the stories of two characters in Louis Cha's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The series was released overseas in October 1993 before broadcasting on TVB Jade in Hong Kong in March 1994.
The Condor Heroes 95 is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. It was first broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong in 1995. Many of the cast from The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1994) reprised their roles in this series, such as Lau Dan and Wayne Lai. In addition, Jason Pai reprised his breakthrough role as Kwok Ching, whom he previously portrayed in The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1976) and The Return of the Condor Heroes (1976).
The Conqueror's Story is a Hong Kong television series based on the events in the Chu–Han Contention, an interregnum between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the founding of the Han dynasty in Chinese history. It was first broadcast in 2004 in Hong Kong on TVB Jade.
The Romance of the White Hair Maiden is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Liang Yusheng's novel Baifa Monü Zhuan. The series was first broadcast on ATV in Hong Kong in 1986.
Ho Tung Gardens, also known by its Cantonese name 'Hiu Kok Yuen', was a villa on the Peak, Hong Kong. It was built by Robert Hotung and his wife Clara in 1927. They referred to it as "The Falls", but it later became known as Ho Tung Gardens.
The Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC) is a prostate cancer translational research centre located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is a UBC and VGH Centre of Excellence and a designated national Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research. The VPC is hosted by the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.
Chiu Yuen Cemetery is a private cemetery located on Mount Davis, on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.
Eric Edward Hotung CBE was a Hong Kong billionaire businessman, financier, and philanthropist.