Our College is named to honor the memory of Mr. Choi Kai Yau, an influential entrepreneur and philanthropist who lived and worked in Macau and Hong Kong. Mr. Choi was born in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China in 1928. As a teenager, he came to Macau, and it is here that he first opened a seafood business as an adult. By 1957, Mr. Choi founded the Sun Wah Group in Hong Kong, establishing a core business in seafood processing, wholesale, and distribution. In the 1970s, the Sun Wah Group had a fishing fleet, factories and cold storage facilities in many coastal cities in Mainland China and Southeast Asia. In the 1980s, the Group expanded further, setting up branches in the USA, Canada, and Australia. Mr. Choi became renowned in the Pacific Rim as the “King of Seafood.”

Mr. Choi established the Group’s real estate business in 1976 in Macau under the name of San Kei, which has developed millions of square feet of buildings and has become one of the major land developers in Macau.

As a philanthropist, Mr. Choi contributed to educational and technological development in Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China. He established the Choi Educational and Cultural Foundation of Macau in 1989, sponsoring exchanges among China, Portugal, and Macau. He also established the Xin Hua School and Xin Hua Evening College in Macau. In 2006, the University of Macau honored Mr Choi by naming one of its complexes on the former Taipa campus the “Choi Kai Yau Building.”

In recognition of his life-long contribution to his country, Mr. Choi was invited to Beijing to meet with the then Chinese Premier, Mr. Zhu Rongji in 1992. Mr. Choi was also awarded the Meritorious Medal of Education by the Chief Executive of the Macau SAR. The Zijinshan Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences also named a minor planet numbered “5389” as the “Choi Kai Yau Star.” In 2014, the Choi Kai Yau College opened on the new campus of the University of Macau on Henqin Island — a further tribute to Mr. Choi’s distinguished life and legacy.

Dr. Jonathan Koon-Shum Choi is Chairman of the Hong Kong-based Sunwah Group and many branches and subsidiaries of a truly global conglomerate. Building upon the successful business founded by his father, the late Mr. Choi Kai Yau, the namesake of our College, he expanded, diversified, and globalized this enterprise into a significant multinational commercial establishment. Thanks to his business acumen and indefatigable efforts, he not only extended the business of the Sunwah Group into China, but also turned his group into a major factor promoting economic exchange between Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China, and the world. The impact of his commercial initiatives is felt internationally, particularly in Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Israel, India, Canada, and the United States.

Dr. Choi’s leadership in the business world is recognized by his service as Chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce for a record four terms, in addition to being the Chamber’s Permanent Honorary President. Nationally, he is a member of the Standing Committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, as well as the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, among many other national and international committees.

Dr. Choi not only gives generously to promote educational and cultural undertakings and international exchange, but also engages personally in countless initiatives in these areas. He is a member of the governing boards of many universities, including Fudan University, Nanjing University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, United College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in addition to being a member of the Council of the University of Macau.

For his dedication, accomplishment and contribution to business and society in Hong Kong, China, and in many parts of the world, Dr. Choi has been awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS) and the title of Justice of the Peace (JP) by the Hong Kong SAR Government. He is the recipient of honorary doctorates from Michigan State University in the United States, Vietnam National University in Hanoi, Lingnan University in Hong Kong, and De Montfort University in the United Kingdom. His outstanding contributions to society and country resulted in his being elected Deputy Director of the Committee for Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports of the National Committee of CPPCC of the PRC, and Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) of the PRC.