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Political heavyweights, business tycoons, academic leaders, and community figures converged at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point on Saturday to pay their respects to Tung Chee-hwa, the city's first Chief Executive following its return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
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Tung, who also served as a vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, passed away on September 8 at the age of 89.
A heavy police presence was established around the venue starting at noon to manage traffic and crowd control, while florists and couriers delivered hundreds of floral wreaths that spilled over into an adjacent outdoor basketball court due to space constraints within the funeral parlor.
The entrance to Fuk Hoi Hall was shielded by exhibition screens, leaving only a solemn white-and-black horizontal banner bearing the words of deep mourning for the former leader. A public memorial service and formal funeral rites are scheduled for Sunday morning, followed by the departure of the funeral cortege.
Successive city leaders and senior officials gather at funeral hall
Current and former government leaders arrived throughout Friday afternoon to pay their last tributes.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu was among the earliest senior officials to attend the vigil, joining all three living former chief executives—Leung Chun-ying, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, and Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor—who arrived with their spouses or aides.
Current administration officials also turned out in full force, including Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, alongside their respective deputies and various bureau directors.
Leading figures from the judiciary and legal profession, including the territory's first Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal Andrew Li Kwok-nang, Bar Association Chairman Victor Dawes, and former justice secretaries Wong Yan-lung, Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung, and Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, were also in attendance to honor the former leader's legacy.
Business leaders and academic representatives honor former leader's legacy
Prominent figures from Hong Kong's commercial and financial sectors arrived in continuous succession to pay their respects.
Delegations from major real estate and conglomerate families included Sun Hung Kai Properties Chairman Raymond Kwok Ping-luen alongside senior board members Kwok Ping-kong, Adam Kwok Kai-fai, and Christopher Kwok Kai-wang, as well as Wheelock Chairman Douglas Woo Chun-kuen and executive committee chairman Stewart Leung Chi-kin.
The banking sector was represented by Bank of East Asia Executive Chairman David Li Kwok-po and his family, while CLP Holdings Chairman Michael Kadoorie, Lan Kwai Fong Group Chairman Allan Zeman, and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Chairman Carlson Tong Ka-shing also attended.
Academic institutions were prominently represented, with Chinese University of Hong Kong Vice-Chancellor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming leading a delegation alongside Council Chairman John Chai Yat-chiu.
Representatives and council leaders from the University of Hong Kong, Polytechnic University, and City University also attended or sent wreaths, reflecting Tung's long-standing patronage of higher education and scientific research in the territory.
National funeral committee formed with top state and local leaders
A high-level funeral committee has been established to oversee the ceremonial arrangements, headed by Shi Taifeng, head of the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
The four vice-chairmen of the committee comprise CPPCC Vice-Chairman Leung Chun-ying, CPPCC Vice-Chairman and Secretary-General Wang Dongfeng, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong, and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.
Former chief executives, principal officials, and community leaders have also been appointed as committee members.
Attendees recalling their interactions with Tung noted that the understated and solemn atmosphere of the memorial hall closely matched his personal ethos and governance style.
Former media executive Wang Zheng, who travelled specifically to attend the service, reflected on meeting Tung more than two decades ago, remarking on the former leader's unpretentious demeanor, warm approachability, and moderate governance approach, which many in Hong Kong remembered fondly.
