Arthur Li

{{family name hatnote|Li|Arthur Li|Li Kwok-cheung|lang=Hong Kong}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Arthur Li Kwok-cheung

| native_name = {{nobold|李國章}}

| native_name_lang = zh-hk

| honorific-suffix = GBM, GBS, JP

| image = Arthur Li.jpg

| caption =

| office = Vice-Chancellor of Chinese University of Hong Kong

| chancellor = Chris Patten
Tung Chee-hwa

| term = 1996–2002

| predecessor = Charles Kao

| successor = Ambrose King

| office1 = Secretary for Education and Manpower

| 1blankname1 = Chief Executive

| 1namedata1 = Donald Tsang

| term_start1 = 1 July 2002

| term_end1 = 30 June 2007

| predecessor1 = Fanny Law

| successor1 = Michael Suen

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1945|6|27}}

| birth_place = Hong Kong, Empire of Japan

| relations = Koon-chun Li (great grandfather)
Fook-shu Li (father)
Tze-ha Wu (mother)
David Li (brother)

| spouse = Diana Chester

}}

{{Chinese

|t=李國章

|s=李国章

|j=lei5 gwok3 zoeng1

|p=Lǐ Guózhāng}}

Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, GBM, GBS JP ({{zh-t|李國章}}; 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 (HKU). He was Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) from 1996 to 2002 and Secretary for Education and Manpower from 2002 to 2007. Li’s dictatorial and ruthless leadership style led some to refer to him as "King Arthur" and even "the Tsar".{{cite news|title=Five things to know about Arthur Li's appointment as HKU council chairman|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1896777/five-things-know-about-arthur-lis-appointment-hku-council|date=31 December 2015|newspaper=South China Morning Post}} He is the grandson of the co-founder of the Bank of East Asia, Li Koon-chun, and brother of its current chairman, David Li. He was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM) by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2017.{{cite web|url=https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/201706/30/P2017062900879_262114_1_1498740755626.pdf |title=Appendix to the 2017 Honours List |publisher=Hong Kong SAR Government|date = 1 July 2017 |accessdate=5 October 2020}}

Life and career

Li was born into the prominent Li family. His grandfather, Li Koon-chun, was the founder of the Bank of East Asia. His father, Li Fook-shu, was the unofficial member of the Executive Council and Legislative Council. His brother, David Li Kwok-po, 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 and Harvard Medical School, 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. {{Citation needed|date=September 2012}}

Li's tenure as Secretary for Education and Manpower was marked by an era of education reforms that included the School-Based Management Policy. 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, and later between Chinese University and the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

Li's appointment by CY Leung to the governing board of the University of Hong Kong 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.[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/news.htm?englishnews&20150321&56&1086109 Arthur Li made a HKU council member], RTHK, 21 March 2015[http://www.ejinsight.com/20150423-most-hku-staff-have-no-confidence-in-arthur-li-poll-shows Most HKU staff have no confidence in Arthur Li, poll shows], EJ Insight, 23 April 2015 Further, Li's general attitude towards staff has been said to be 'hostile' and 'critical'.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AJJbdw1RHY "昨晚政府刊憲委任一向仇視港大的李國章做校委會主席，引起港大校友和師生不滿。" 多名校委不滿李國章入主港大陳祖為批政府一意孤行]"Li had weeks earlier blamed the drop in international ranking of local universities on "academics who would rather appear in talk shows than do their job of teaching" [http://www.ejinsight.com/20150423-most-hku-staff-have-no-confidence-in-arthur-li-poll-shows Most HKU staff have no confidence in Arthur Li, poll shows], EJ Insight, 23 April 2015For example, upon appointment he promptly criticised HKU professors for having "become intellectually incompetent".[http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1757525/hku-professors-insulted-king-arthur-lis-claims-over-slip-academic HKU Professors Insulted], South China Morning Post, 6 April 2015

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 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,[http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1872028/university-hong-kong-alumni-vow-action-stop-ex 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2178036/arthur-li-lead-university-hong-kongs-governing-council|title=Arthur Li to lead HKU governing council for another three years|date=2018-12-14|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=2018-12-30}} His reappointment elicited criticism from the Hong Kong University Students' Union.{{Cite web|url=http://www.hkusu.org/en/tit-for-tat-statement-from-the-hong-kong-university-students-union-on-the-re-appointment-of-arthur-li-kwok-cheung-as-the-hku-council-chairman/|title=Tit for Tat – Statement from the Hong Kong University Students' Union on the re-appointment of Arthur Li Kwok Cheung as the HKU Council Chairman – The Hong Kong University Students' Union|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-30}} 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, calling it a lie and claiming it was not built to honour those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.{{Cite news|title='Pillar of Shame' is a lie, says HKU Council chair Arthur Li|work=The Standard HK|url=https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/185387/'Pillar-of-Shame'-is-a-lie,-says-HKU-Council-chair-Arthur-Li}}

= Reputation =

His leadership style has seen him being referred to as "King Arthur" or even "the Tsar".{{cite web|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1721258/king-arthur-li-tipped-hong-kongs-next-chief-executive|title='King' Arthur Li tipped as Hong Kong's next chief executive|date=22 February 2015|work=South China Morning Post}}

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.{{Cite web |last=Standard |first=The |title=Treasury chief comes flat out on top |url=https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/4/244569/Treasury-chief-comes-flat-out-on-top |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=The Standard |language=en}} In August 2023, his declaration of interests showed that he owned more than 30 properties in Hong Kong, and 2 properties in the United Kingdom.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-09 |title=16 Hong Kong top advisers declare ownership of 110 properties, 450 plots of land |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3230565/16-hong-kong-top-advisers-declare-ownership-110-properties-and-450-plots-land-7-affiliated-citys |access-date=2023-08-10 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}

Appointments

Before his appointment, Li was Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), as well as:

Professor of Surgery and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK
Member of the Education Commission and Member of the Committee on Science and Technology
Member of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority
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, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong
Member of the board of directors of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Member of the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute
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