The vigil, organized Sunday afternoon, was organized by Henderson Land Development, the conglomerate he founded in 1976, ahead of the funeral scheduled for Monday.
Among many who seen at the service were city leader John Lee Ka-chiu, Angela Leong On-kei – the fourth wife of late tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun, Bank of East Asia executive chairman David Li Kwok-po, and various Hong Kong ministers.
Local resident Lai, 68, came to pay tribute to the late business leader for his “good treatment to his workers”. Lai had a relative who used to work for Lee.
“After the birth of his grandchild, he offered a HK$10,000 red packet to every employee from top to bottom, instead of the packets being given to him by his employees,” he said, as cited by South China Morning Post.
“There are a bunch of multibillionaires in Hong Kong. Are they as generous? Did they treat employees as well as him? He did not just do it once.”
Alex Ip, a 69-year-old Hongkonger, attended the service, saying he was “curious about the occasion” and aware of Henderson’s contributions to Hong Kong through Towngas, which it controlled.
At the service, Henderson distributed booklets chronicling the late tycoon’s co-founding of Sun Hung Kai Properties in 1963, alongside his other accomplishments and life philosophy.
“His generosity matched his business achievements. Believing ‘you must excel at both earning and giving’, he channeled his wealth into society,” the booklet stated.
It highlighted his HK$1 billion charity pledge from personal funds if the Hang Seng Index hit 30,000, a target met in 2018. He honored the pledge, and all beneficiary projects have been completed.
Louis Loong Hon-biu, secretary general of the Real Estate Developers Association’s executive committee, described the tycoon as “a highly respected industry leader,” noting his long tenure as the group’s vice-president.
The real estate and construction sector lawmaker added that Lee Shau-kee was “admired for his dedication to his work and his astute leadership.”
“Lee made significant contributions to Hong Kong’s economy and was committed to education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation. He was also a mentor to his juniors,” Loong said.
“It is indeed sad to see Lee pass away. As the younger generation, we will strive to uphold his spirit and continue to serve Hong Kong and our country with respect and dedication.”
Lee, who passed away in March at 97, was Hong Kong’s second-richest person with a net worth of US$30 billion, according to Forbes.
He was also renowned for his extensive philanthropic legacy, with a focus on education.
He donated to universities in Hong Kong and founded the Hong Kong Pei Hua Education Foundation in 1982 to support education and workforce development in China.
Besides education, Lee also contributed to many other projects. Among his notable donations were a plot of land in Yuen Long for Hong Kong’s largest youth hostel and The Warmth Project, which provided 330 million yuan (US$45.6 million) to train one million farmers and 10,000 village doctors in China.
