This year commemorates the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.
Since 1997, now a quarter of a century ago, Hong Kong has seen the beginning of a new
era. For the Pao family, the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return
to the motherland has a special meaning. During the Sino-British negotiations on the future
of Hong Kong, Yue-Kong (YK) Pao served as an unofficial ambassador who facilitated smooth
communication between the Chinese and British sides. He was able to play this role due to
his close ties with both Deng Xiaoping and dignitaries from various countries. He helped
explain China's position and was committed to promoting mutual understanding and ensuring
the success of the negotiations. Further, YK Pao served as Vice Chairman of Hong Kong's
Basic Law Drafting Committee. In that capacity, he helped formulate and implement the
Sino-British Joint Declaration and set the stage for the successful realisation of “one country,
two systems.” While considering himself a citizen of the world, YK Pao was foremost proud of
his Chinese heart, saying, "I was born in China, grew up in China, and my roots are in China.
YK Pao was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, in 1918 and was the 29th-generation direct descendant of Pao Zheng (an official from the Song dynasty). He worked in Shanghai's banking industry before moving to Hong Kong to found the World-Wide Shipping Group. This company went on to become one of the world's preeminent shipping companies, its success earning YK Pao the nickname "King of the Sea." During his lifetime, YK Pao made significant contributions to China's reform and opening up, Hong Kong's return to the motherland, and the development of his hometown Ningbo.
In May 1985, Deng Xiaoping met with YK Pao at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
YK Pao's business spanned the world, but he remained Chinese in heart and soul and never forgot his roots in Ningbo, and always reminded his family to remember their origins. He believed passionately in the importance of modernising and opening China, in particular the need to develop education in China as a foundation for a modern country. To this end, he spared no effort to support the development of education in China by donating funds to build schools, establishing libraries, and setting up scholarships.
YK Pao’s handwritten letter to Deng Xiaoping describing the donation of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Library.
In 1981, YK Pao presented a letter to Deng Xiaoping confirming the donation of US$10 million to build the Pao Siu Loong Library at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Deng accepted this large donation with appreciation. YK Pao's donation was the first of its kind for Chinese universities since 1949 and served as a catalyst for other overseas Chinese to begin contributing to China's modernisation.
On July 6, 1981, Deng Xiaoping met with YK Pao and Pao Siu Loong in Beijing.
He happily accepted the donation confirmation letter and expressed
his appreciation for the Pao family’s patriotism.
Notably, due to the efficient use of this donation, after the completion of the Pao Siu Loong Library on the Xuhui campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University the remaining funds from the project were used to construct the Pao Yue-Kong Library on the school’s Minhang campus. YK Pao’s motto of “Use sparingly, work diligently” lives on through this library.
On June 10, 1982, during the laying of the foundation stone of the Pao Siu Loong Library,
YK Pao (2nd from right), Chai Shufan (middle), and the wife of President Marcos of the
Philippines (2nd from left) attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Pao Siu Loong Library (prior to renovation)
Pao Yue-Kong Library
In 1984, YK Pao donated US$20 million to establish Ningbo University, for which he received high praises from Deng Xiaoping. Of YK Pao, Deng Xiaoping said, “He loves his country and hometown, is visionary and has done a good deed!” Deng wrote the name “Ningbo University” in calligraphy which the university then used as a plaque. With the establishment of this school, YK Pao’s hometown gained its first full-fledged university, an important milestone in the city’s education development. After that, YK Pao further pledged HK$5 million to help build Ningbo University Sports Centre and donated RMB 6.3 million to build Ningbo University Library.
Vice Premier Wan Li of the State Council, YK Pao and his wife, and Lu Xuzhang
at the foundation ceremony of Ningbo University. October 1985
YK Pao’s hopes for the first graduates of Ningbo University
In addition, YK Pao supported the development of education in China through the establishment of various scholarships. In 1983, he donated US$1 million to establish the “Pao Siu-Loong Chinese Student Scholarship.” He later donated another US$1 million and renamed it the "Pao Siu-Loong and Pao Yue-Kong Scholarship for Chinese Students Studying Abroad" and transferred responsibilities for fund management to Zhejiang University. Subsequently, YK Pao donated £14 million to co-found the Sino-British Friendship Scholarship Fund with the Chinese and British governments to support Chinese students’ study in the UK. Over a ten-year period, the scholarship programme supported over 1,000 scholars’ study in the UK, many of whom returned to China to become academic and government leaders.
Further, YK Pao was committed to supporting education in his hometown. He participated in the construction of Ningbo Siu-Loong School, donated HK$5 million to build Ningbo YK Pao Library, and donated HK$6.5 million to support the reconstruction of Zhongxing Middle School in Ningbo's Zhenhai Village.
Although he is no longer with us, YK Pao’s spirit and values live on and thrive in his family and in the wider Pao School community: patriotism, a global vision, strong self-discipline, perseverance, integrity, a philanthropic spirit, and passion for education.
In 2007, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, to commemorate YK Pao and continue his work of cultivating talents, his eldest daughter Professor Anna Sohmen Pao, his grandson Philip Sohmen, and Professor Tan Fuyun founded YK Pao School in Shanghai. With the mission of "developing whole-person education, passing on traditions of Chinese culture and fostering an international perspective,” Pao School will continue to make its own contributions to education development in China.
Group photo of the three founders of Pao School at the High School (Songjiang) campus
Since the establishment of Ningbo University 35 years ago, continuous efforts have resulted in it’s growth. It now offers 11 disciplines, has more than 20,000 students, and is recognised as an especially prestigious university with the "Double First-Class" distinction. As honorary president, Professor Anna Sohmen Pao has always fully supported the university’s construction and development and has recently donated the Pao Yue-Kong Running Track and the Pao Yue-Kong Park.
In 2018, the Pao family participated in the commemoration of the centenary of
YK Pao’s birth and donated the "Pao Yue-Kong Running Track” to Ningbo University.
In 2018, the Pao family contributed RMB 10 million to establish the “YK Pao Student Social Action Fund" at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. With regards to this fund, Professor Anna Sohmen Pao explained that the purpose of the donation is to support college students’ cultivation of real world skills, which can help society better protect the vulnerable. In this manner, students can deepen their knowledge off campus and enhance the school with what they have learned when they return to campus. Since 2019, Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s annual summer social action team has expanded to more than 1,000, with tens of thousands of students and nearly 1,000 teachers traveling throughout China and even overseas to carry out activities. The scope of the group’s activities is wide and includes epidemic prevention and control, poverty alleviation, improvement of urban public space, public health, rural revitalisation, and refined urban governance.
Professor Anna Sohmen Pao spoke at a celebration marking the centenary of YK Pao’s birth
At the celebration of the centenary of YK Pao’s birth, Professor Sohmen Pao and Philip Sohmen donated the
Pao Yue-Kong Student Social Practice Fund to Shanghai Jiao Tong University on behalf of the Pao family
Philip Sohmen, a 3rd generation Pao family member, has consistently upheld the Pao family’s fine traditions and is committed to the development of education, culture and sports. As a director of the China Overseas Friendship Association, he is based in both Shanghai and Hong Kong, and actively contributes to the promotion of one country, two systems and cross-strait peace. As the vice president of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Youth Association and the Executive Committee of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Development Association, he has played an important role in helping the young people of Hong Kong and Macao to develop patriotism and fondness for their motherland, and enhance exchanges with their counterparts in mainland.
Philip Sohmen participated in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland
On the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, Philip Sohmen participated in the celebration of the occasion, alongside the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), during which President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech.
President Xi Jinping mentioned that: “We must give special love and care to young people. Hong Kong will prosper only when its young people thrive. We must help young people with their difficulties in studies, employment, entrepreneurship, and purchasing of housing, so that more opportunities will be created for their development and accomplishment.”
Young people are the future, and so, to help prepare them for the next era we must keep pace with the times. The Pao family have supported educational development for generations. Through this work, it is their hope to cultivate young talents for the motherland and to witness every young person realise their dreams.
Enriching educational opportunities in China is a family tradition that began
with my grandfather and continued with my mother, I am carrying on this
tradition. I hope to pass on my grandfather's spirit - having a Chinese heart
while being a citizen of the world - and through my efforts help more compatriots
from Shanghai and all of China make their way onto the world stage.
—— Philip Sohmen
