Introduction
From winning the first Olympics gold medal in 1984 by a Chinese athlete Xu Haifeng to hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Olympic Games have always stirred the passionate interest of the Chinese people. This exhibition brings the excitement of the Olympic Games past and present, with a unique HKUST slant.
In the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Professor Chia-Wei Woo, our Founding President, now President Emeritus, was Advisor to the Chinese Olympic team. Twenty-four years on, Professor Woo shares his passionate involvement with the Chinese athletes at that time by recalling his personal experience and feelings of that historic event through a series of articles in Wen Wei Po entitled “零的突破” or “Breaking through the zero barrier”. This year, the Olympics come to Beijing, and with it the torch relay through the streets of Hong Kong. Our current President, Professor Paul C. W. Chu, our then Council Chair, Dr. John Chan and our youngest gifted undergraduate, Mr. Yik Hei Chan, were given the honour of being torchbearers of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in the Hong Kong leg. Separately, and subsequently, over 40 UST members, including Vice-President for Academic Affairs Professor Roland Chin and Students’ Union President Max Yeung, took part in a torch relay organized by the Sai Kung District Council.
This exhibition cheerily captures the fond memories of these special moments. The exhibits in the first display case relating to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics are drawn from the private collection of Professor Chia-Wei Woo. The 2008 display case features the two authentic torches carried by President Paul Chu and Mr. Yik Hei Chan and the uniforms they wore during the relay. Yik Hei has kindly agreed to show his disassembled torch, giving us an “inside” view of how the Lenovo-designed torch is constructed and how it works.
Mounting an exhibition in two weeks’ time is no small challenge. Our profound gratitude goes to President Chu and Yik Hei for lending us their torches and uniforms; to our colleagues who generously lend us their precious mementos; and to Professor Chia-Wei Woo for his treasured remembrances and for sending us his uniforms all the way from Shanghai.