With a heavy heart, we pay our deepest respects to Mr. YEUNG Chun Tong, the Director of Sun Museum and an eminent promoter of Chinese culture. Mr. Yeung's passing is a great loss to the museum and culture community as a dear friend and mentor.
Mr. Yeung graduated from Queen's College and the University of Hong Kong's Department of Chinese. He also obtained his Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Hong Kong, specializing in the history of Chinese ceramics. His academic career spanned multiple fields, including Chinese history, art archaeology, and the history of Chinese ceramics. From 1974 to 1976, he worked at the Hong Kong Museum of Art (formerly the City Museum and Art Gallery). In 1977, he joined the University Museum and Art Gallery (formerly the Fung Ping Shan Museum) at the University of Hong Kong; he was promoted to Director in 1997 and served concurrently as an Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Art History, teaching courses in museum studies, Chinese material culture, the history of Chinese ceramics, and connoisseurship, until his retirement in 2012.
In 2013, Mr. Yeung joined the Simon Suen Foundation. He had a remarkable vision and determination to establish an independently operated art museum in Hong Kong - Sun Museum. Since its opening in 2015, Sun Museum has organized 59 exhibitions and published 35 exhibition catalogues under Mr. Yeung's leadership. Additionally, Mr. Yeung has hosted 139 public cultural lectures, covering a wide range of topics on traditional Chinese culture and art, greatly benefiting the general public. Mr. Yeung also authored four books on Chinese culture, personally illustrating the volumes to introduce Chinese heritage in an engaging and light-hearted manner.
Under Mr. Yeung's leadership, Sun Museum, a pioneering independent museum, has gained widespread acclaim for its contributions to Hong Kong's cultural and artistic development, as well as its efforts in promoting Chinese heritage. This success is a testament to Mr. Yeung's steadfast dedication and visionary approach.
Mr. Yeung was erudite, upright and unpretentious, humorous and kind-hearted. He was always professional and dedicated in his work, serving as a shining example for us all. He took great pleasure in nurturing talents in the cultural and artistic fields, and we are honoured to have worked under his guidance.
The passing of Mr. Yeung is a tremendous loss to the museum and culture community and to Sun Museum. His contributions have enriched Hong Kong's artistic life and left behind an invaluable cultural legacy. His spirit will forever inspire us to uphold our mission of promoting Chinese culture and to continue striving for the advancement of Hong Kong's cultural and artistic endeavours. We will remain steadfast in our commitment, and live up to Mr. Yeung's vision for Sun Museum. As we prepare to relocate the museum to Sai Ying Pun later this year, we will wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to the opening exhibition "Hong Kong Paintings in Sai Yuen Lane", carrying on the work that Mr. Yeung had initiated.
Mr. Yeung, we will forever respect you and cherish our memories of you.
Sun Museum
August 1, 2024