The University received a total of HK$3 million in donations from Dr. Tan Siu Lin, SBS, Chairman of the Tan Siu Lin Foundation and the Sun Yat-sen Education and Charity Foundation. Two donations, each of HK$1 million, were made in 2020 and 2021 respectively through the Tan Siu Lin Foundation in support of the development of the School of Chinese Medicine, while another HK$1 million was donated via the Sun Yat-sen Education and Charity Foundation to support the “Dr. Sun Yat-sen Research Work” of the Department of History.

In recognition of the Foundations’ generosity, a cheque presentation ceremony was held on 9 June 2021. Officiating at the ceremony were Dr. Tan Siu Lin, SBS, Dr. Henry Tan, BBS, JP and Mr. Sunny Tan, Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Director respectively of the Tan Siu Lin Foundation and the Sun Yat-sen Education and Charity Foundation; Professor Alexander Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor; Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, Associate Vice-President (Chinese Medicine Development) and Director of the Clinical Division of the School of Chinese Medicine; and Professor Clara Ho, Head of the Department of History.

Other guests and HKBU representatives attending the ceremony included Mr. Maurice Wang Mao Lin, MH, Chairman of the HK and Macau Taiwanese Charity Fund; Mr. Lin Tian Maw, Founder of the Fund’s Compassion Award; Mr. Christopher Ho, Director of the Chairman’s Office of the Luen Thai Group; and Mrs. Lily Chan, Director of University Advancement and Secretary-General of the HKBU Foundation.

At the ceremony, Dr. Tan Siu Lin congratulated Professor Wai on his appointment as the President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU. He said that he was grateful to see that the two Foundations and the University have maintained a long-lasting partnership.

President Wai expressed his deepest gratitude to Dr. Tan Siu Lin and congratulated him on receiving the 15th Compassion Award, which was presented by the HK and Macau Taiwanese Charity Fund in 2020. He said that with Dr. Tan’s generous support, HKBU's School of Chinese Medicine is allowed to organise regular Free Chinese Medicine Consultation Days and offer subsidies for the underprivileged to use its Chinese medicine treatment services. His donations have also enabled the Department of History to conduct ongoing quality research on Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

In appreciation of Dr. Tan’s concerted efforts and his two Foundations’ ardent support towards the University over the years, President Wai presented him with a Chinese calligraphy piece specially prepared by Dr. Daniel Lau, Associate Director and Associate Professor of the Academy of Visual Arts.

Dr. Tan Siu Lin is an Honorary University Fellow of HKBU, and he is a kind-hearted philanthropist with a deep commitment to charity. Dr. Tan has been giving generously to HKBU, and in particular, he has supported the development of the School of Chinese Medicine and the Department of History. Part of the donation that Dr. Tan made to the School of Chinese Medicine this year came from the cash prize of the Compassion Award that he received in 2020. The gift has enabled the School to provide free medical services to people in need, and this meaningful initiative has greatly benefitted the community.