Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, GBM, GBS JP (; born 27 June 1945) is a Hong Kong doctor and politician. He is currently member of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the chairman of the Council of the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

(HKU). He was Vice-Chancellor of the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university an ...

(CUHK) from 1996 to 2002 and

Secretary for Education and Manpower The Secretary for Education is a principal official in the Hong Kong Government, who heads the Education Bureau (EDB). The current office holder is Christine Choi. History The position of Secretary for Education and Manpower was set up in 198 ...

from 2002 to 2007. Li’s dictatorial and ruthless leadership style led some to refer to him as "King Arthur" and even "the Tsar". He is the grandson of the co-founder of the

Bank of East Asia The Bank of East Asia Limited, often abbreviated to BEA, is a Hong Kong banking and financial services company, headquartered in Central, Hong Kong. It is currently the largest independent local Hong Kong bank, and one of two remaining family ...

, Li Koon-chun, and brother of its current chairman,

David Li Sir David Li Kwok-po (; born 13 March 1939, London, England) is a Hong Kong banker and politician. He is the Executive Chairman of the Bank of East Asia and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong. He was a member of the Legislative C ...

. He was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM) by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2017.

Life and career

Li was born into the prominent Li family. His grandfather, Li Koon-chun, was the founder of the

. His father,

Li Fook-shu Li Fook-shu, Order of the British Empire, OBE, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, FCA, Justice of Peace, JP (; 30 May 1912 – 21 May 1995) was a Hong Kong businessman and politician. He was the chairman of the Bank of East ...

, was the unofficial member of the Executive Council and Legislative Council. His brother,

David Li Kwok-po Sir David Li Kwok-po (; born 13 March 1939, London, England) is a Hong Kong banker and politician. He is the Executive Chairman of the Bank of East Asia and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong. He was a member of the Legislative C ...

, succeeded his father to become the chairman of the Bank of East Asia and member of the Legislative Council. An alumnus of St. Paul's Co-educational College and a classmate of Professor Lawrence J. Lau, Li received his medical training at the University of Cambridge. He was subsequently trained at

Middlesex Hospital Medical School Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

and

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

, before returning to Hong Kong to become the founding chairman of the Department of Surgery and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Li's tenure as Secretary for Education and Manpower was marked by an era of education reforms that included the

School-Based Management Policy The School-Based Management Policy is an education policy within the Education Ordinance of the Education Bureau in Hong Kong. The policy was made law when The "Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004" bill was passed by Legco in July 2004. Under ...

. Since 2000, the Education and Manpower Bureau has implemented a number of mandates, including having teachers spend more time with students outside the classroom, adding exams for subjects such as English and history, and ordering that teachers take benchmark assessments to prove their language abilities. Li ostensibly retired from public service in 2007. In the role, he caused controversy by proposing mergers first between Chinese University and

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public research university in Clear Water Bay Peninsula, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991 by the British Hong Kong Government, it was the territory's third institution ...

, and later between Chinese University and the

Hong Kong Institute of Education The Education University of Hong KongUniversity title ...

. Li's appointment by

CY Leung Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Ma ...

to the governing board of the

in 2015 has been met with strong criticism, particularly from academic staff (mostly pro-democrats): a poll has shown most to have little to no confidence that Li will uphold academic freedom. Further, Li's general attitude towards staff has been said to be 'hostile' and 'critical'. Six months later, when it became known that Li was likely to take over the chairmanship of the Council upon the expiry of the term of

Edward Leong Edward Leong Che-hung (, born 23 April 1939, Hong Kong) was the non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. By training a physician, he graduated from Queen's College, Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong as Bachelor of Me ...

on 6 November, there was further strong opposition, with 87 percent of members of HKU Academic Staff Association and almost three-quarters of members of the Professional Teachers Union opposed,University of Hong Kong alumni vow action to stop ex-minister Arthur Li taking over as chairman of ruling council
SCMP, 25 Oct 2015 due to his stance during the University of Hong Kong pro-vice-chancellor selection controversy. In December 2018, Li was reappointed for a second three-year term to the Council. His reappointment elicited criticism from the

Hong Kong University Students' Union The Hong Kong University Students' Union (HKUSU; ) was a students' union in Hong Kong registered under the Societies Ordinance founded in 1912. It was the officially recognized undergraduate students' association of the University of Hong Kong ...

. Academic Staff Association chairman William Cheung Sing-wai expressed that "there has been a chilling effect" during Li's tenure. In December 2021, Li criticized Hong Kong's

Pillar of Shame ''Pillar of Shame'' is a series of sculptures by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt memorialising the loss of life during specific events or caused by specific circumstances in history. Each sculpture is an tall statue of bronze, copper or concrete. ...

, calling it a lie and claiming it was not built to honour those killed in the

1989 Tiananmen Square massacre The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

Reputation

His leadership style has seen him being referred to as "King Arthur" or even "the Tsar".

Personal life

He was married to Diana Chester, a registered nurse and graduate of New Hall College, Cambridge University who died in 2013. Li owns more than 40 properties.

Appointments

Before his appointment, Li was Vice-Chancellor of the

(CUHK), as well as: * Professor of Surgery and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK * Member of the

Education Commission The Education Commission of Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special ...

and Member of the Committee on Science and Technology * Member of the

Hong Kong Hospital Authority The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Governme ...

* Member of the Hong Kong Medical Council * Member of the University Grants Committee * Member of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong * Member of the Hospital Governing Committee of

United Christian Hospital United Christian Hospital is an acute district general hospital in Kwun Tong of New Kowloon in Hong Kong, operated by the Hospital Authority. The hospital has 1,174 beds and staff of 3,000, serving eastern Kowloon. Founded in 1973, it has link ...

Kwun Tong Kwun Tong is an area in the Kwun Tong District of Hong Kong, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowloon ...

, Hong Kong * Member of the board of directors of the

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is a public corporation set up by the Hong Kong Government in 2001 to foster innovation and technology development in Hong Kong Roles and responsibilities HKSTP manages fac ...

* Member of the

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) was established by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in 2000 as an R&D centre for information and communications technologies. The Insti ...

* Vice-President of the Association of University presidents of China * Patron of the Royal College of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland * Regent of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh * Honorary Fellow of the American Surgical Association * Hon Fellow of the America College of Surgeons * Hon Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and Glasgow * Hon Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine

References

External links