Big Philanthropists in East Asia: a Sampling of Their Key Donations

Li Ka-shing, a Hong Kong businessman, is generally regarded as Asia’s most generous philanthropist,

but many other wealthy people in East Asia have a passion for charity.

During the past few years, several Hong Kong businessmen have given multimillion-dollar gifts to higher-education institutions as part of a fund-raising effort by the local government, which has promised to match private donations to universities and colleges.

Henry Fok, a real-estate and shipping magnate who died last year, awarded $102-million to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2005. A foundation he created has contributed a total of $767-million over the past 30 years for education, sports, and economic development.

Other wealthy people in East Asia are also stepping up their giving. A philanthropist in Taiwan this month pledged $454.4-million to National Taiwan University, in Taipei. The gift from Terry Gou, chairman of Hon Hai Precision Industry Company, an electronics manufacturer, will support medical research and a new 500-bed cancer clinic at the school, according to the IDG News Service, a technology news wire.

Despite such donations, it is hard to identify all the major donors in the region due, in part, to the lack of public information about nonprofit groups and philanthropists. Indeed, in May, Forbes Asia said it would discontinue its annual list of the most generous Chinese because of the difficulty in collecting data.

Below is information about several big donors in China.

Name: Stanley Ho
Location: Hong Kong, Macau
Business: Casinos
Philanthropy: Mr. Ho has given mostly to colleges and universities in Hong Kong and abroad. In 2005 the gambling tycoon pledged about $64-million to the University of Hong Kong, and in May he awarded almost $5-million to the University of Oxford, in England, for a Chinese-history program.

Name: Huang Rulun
Location: Beijing
Business: Real estate
Philanthropy: Since 2003, Mr. Huang has awarded $83-million to poverty relief, education, and other charitable efforts in China, according to the Hurun Report, a Chinese financial magazine.

Name: Lee Shau Kee
Location: Hong Kong
Business: Real estate
Philanthropy: Mr. Lee has primarily supported higher education in Hong Kong. This year, he pledged $51-million to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Name: Run Run Shaw
Location: Hong Kong
Business: Film
Philanthropy: Among other charitable efforts, Mr. Shaw established the Shaw Prize, which provides annual awards of $1-million each to researchers in astronomy, mathematics, and medicine.

Name: Yu Pengnian
Location: Shenzhen
Business: Hotels
Philanthropy: Mr. Yu is the biggest donor in China outside Hong Kong, according to the Hurun Report, having given $260-million since 2003, primarily to pay for medical operations for poor people who have cataracts.