(From left) Dr. Yung Chi Tung, Dr. Pang Shao Hsien and Dr. Leslie Gifford Kilborn, were photographed in a ceremony in 1960.

Dr. Shao-Hsien Pang (1900-1992) was a native of Lufeng, Guangdong. He excelled in his studies from a young age and attended the Affiliated High School of Soochow University and Soochow University. In 1927, he worked for the Young Men’s Christian Association of China and served as the General Secretary of the YMCA in Shantou. Dr. Pang started his further studies in the United States in 1936 and earned his master’s degree in education at Springfield College. In 1948, he was invited by Lam Chi Fung (1892-1971), the President of the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, to take up the post of General Secretary of the organisation.

In addition to developing the YMCA’s affairs in Hong Kong, Dr. Pang contributed to the local issues of churches, healthcare, education, sports, and social welfare. He is a founder of Council on Christian Literature for Overseas Chinese (now the Chinese Christian Literature Council). He initiated the establishment of the Hey Ling Chau Leprosarium and led the construction of the United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong. The Chinese YMCA College and the Chinese YMCA Secondary School were also founded under his leadership.

Dr. Pang also supported Bishop Ronald Hall in founding Chung Chi College. He served as a member of the College’s Board of Governors from 1952 and dedicated to College development. He later succeeded as the Chairman of the Board in 1960, overseeing campus expansion efforts, and participated in founding The Chinese University of Hong Kong, which incorporated Chung Chi as one of its constituent colleges. Dr. Pang was appointed as a member of the first University Council. In 1964, Dr. Pang stepped down as the Board Chair but remained a Board member, continuing his support for the College’s future.

His contributions to local society earned him accolades. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Springfield College, and was presented with the Coronation Medal and appointed MBE by Queen Elizabeth II. The Hong Kong Government also appointed him as a Justice of the Peace.