Speech by SHKP Vice Chairman & Managing Director Raymond Kwok at SHKP Book Club Launch

21 Apr 2005


Honoured guests and ladies and gentlemen from the media,

It is my pleasure today to announce the creation of the SHKP Book Club, an endeavour that we hope will help advance the culture of reading in Hong Kong.

Sun Hung Kai Properties has been actively promoting personal development for many years, and this has included sponsoring many educational programmes to help young people. We believe in life-long learning, and this is what led to the idea of starting the SHKP Book Club. We hope that this initiative will help ingrain the habit of reading in members of our community.

Reading and learning have been integral to Sun Hung Kai Properties corporate philosophy for many years. We have an in-house library with a broad spectrum of resources, to promote intellectual development among staff. I am also part of an informal reading circle with some of my colleagues, who take the time to share good new books with each other or circulate recommendations over the companys intranet. The SHKP Book Club is meant to be an extension of the reading circle concept into the community, so that more people learn to appreciate the benefits of reading.

I have been an avid reader quite a long time. Reading broadens my thinking and provides great satisfaction. It is also worthwhile in that it teaches new things, and constant learning is essential in todays fast-paced knowledge-based economy. Reading expands a persons horizons, enhances powers of analysis and sharpens judgement, all of which are essential to staying competitive in an ever-changing world.

The SHKP Book Club will host a series of events to encourage reading. It will recommend 50 Chinese and English books this year, and stage book review competitions each quarter. There will also be a major book fair and a wide variety of other activities. A dedicated Internet site will go on line next Monday, to provide comprehensive information about the club, its aims and programmes.

This is a particularly good time to announce our reading campaign, since this coming Saturday will be World Book Day. I hope that the SHKP Book Club will be a great success and that more people in Hong Kong will be introduced to the joy of reading.

Thank you.
Speech by SHKP Vice Chairman & Managing Director Raymond Kwok at SHKP Book Club Launch

21 Apr 2005

Honoured guests and ladies and gentlemen from the media,

It is my pleasure today to announce the creation of the SHKP Book Club, an endeavour that we hope will help advance the culture of reading in Hong Kong.

Sun Hung Kai Properties has been actively promoting personal development for many years, and this has included sponsoring many educational programmes to help young people. We believe in life-long learning, and this is what led to the idea of starting the SHKP Book Club. We hope that this initiative will help ingrain the habit of reading in members of our community.

Reading and learning have been integral to Sun Hung Kai Properties corporate philosophy for many years. We have an in-house library with a broad spectrum of resources, to promote intellectual development among staff. I am also part of an informal reading circle with some of my colleagues, who take the time to share good new books with each other or circulate recommendations over the companys intranet. The SHKP Book Club is meant to be an extension of the reading circle concept into the community, so that more people learn to appreciate the benefits of reading.

I have been an avid reader quite a long time. Reading broadens my thinking and provides great satisfaction. It is also worthwhile in that it teaches new things, and constant learning is essential in todays fast-paced knowledge-based economy. Reading expands a persons horizons, enhances powers of analysis and sharpens judgement, all of which are essential to staying competitive in an ever-changing world.

The SHKP Book Club will host a series of events to encourage reading. It will recommend 50 Chinese and English books this year, and stage book review competitions each quarter. There will also be a major book fair and a wide variety of other activities. A dedicated Internet site will go on line next Monday, to provide comprehensive information about the club, its aims and programmes.

This is a particularly good time to announce our reading campaign, since this coming Saturday will be World Book Day. I hope that the SHKP Book Club will be a great success and that more people in Hong Kong will be introduced to the joy of reading.

Thank you.