UBC Reports | Vol. 46 | No. 16 | Oct.
19, 2000
Award-winning building bears his name
Cheung-Kok Choi died recently at age 90. An industrialist, businessperson
and philanthropist in China, Hong Kong and Canada, Choi dedicated
himself to building bridges for the international exchange of information
and ideas.
The C.K. Choi Building for the Institute of Asian Research at
the university was made possible through his vision, dedication
and generous support.
The building, which opened in 1996, has won awards as a model
for sustainable design and construction. The institute — a cornerstone
of UBC’s international activities — comprises five research centres
which focus on China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and India and
South Asia.
“Although I have not had the benefit of a higher education and
do not consider myself an intellectual, I have always had a tremendous
desire for the pursuit of knowledge,” said Choi. Three principles
guided his life: that the traditional virtues of Confucianism provide
a prescription for human behaviour; that educational institutions
help to achieve greater academic excellence through the exchange
of the cultures of the East and West; and that education plays an
important role in increasing knowledge and understanding.
At UBC, he established numerous fellowships and prizes, including
the C.K. Choi Fellowship in Business Administration and the C.K.
Choi Scholarship in Engineering. He is survived by his wife, seven
children — five of whom who graduated from UBC — and eight grandchildren.
