Born in 1928 in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China, Mr Choi Kai Yau was the Founder and Chairman of the Sun Wah Group.
    Mr Choi was the seventh child and youngest son of eight children. His father passed away when he was still very young and consequently, Mr Choi was only able to receive two years of primary school education in his village. As a teenager, he left his hometown for Macau, where he eventually established a seafood business. Applying his intelligence, sharp instincts, diligence and discipline, Mr Choi founded the Sun Wah Group in 1957 in Hong Kong, establishing a core business in seafood processing, wholesale and distribution. In the 1970s, Sun Wah Group expanded by establishing its own fishing fleet, factories and cold storage facilities along many coastal cities in Mainland China and Southeast Asia. In the 1980s, the Group further expanded by setting up branches in the USA, Canada and Australia. Mr Choi was renowned as the “King of Seafood”.
    Mr Choi established the Group’s real estate business in 1976 in Macau under the name of San Kei, which has developed over millions of square feet of buildings and has become one of the major land developers in Macau.
    Mr Choi’s kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness to his family, relatives, staff and the less fortunate have impressed and inspired many people. Mr Choi contributed significantly, not only financially, but also with his personal time, to educational and technological development in Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China.
    In 1979, Mr Choi returned to his hometown of Zhongshan and decided to rebuild the deteriorated Guangdong Zhongshan Overseas Chinese Middle School. He called on his friends to join him in rebuilding the school, traveling to USA, Canada, Australia and Japan to appeal for donations from their friends as well as their family members abroad. Since the re-establishment of the school, Mr Choi continuously contributed money, time and effort to the school, transforming it into one of the best schools in Zhongshan and Guangdong Province. Many of its students have gone on to study at top universities, including Tsinghua University and Peking University. Mr Choi was fondly referred to as the “Unofficial Principal” by the students. In Zhongshan, Mr Choi also established a primary school, a kindergarten, the Zhongshan Science and Technology Centre and the Choi Kai Yau Foundation Building.
    Mr Choi established the Choi Educational and Cultural Foundation of Macau in 1989, sponsoring educational and cultural exchanges among China, Portugal and Macau. He also established the Xin Hua School and Xin Hua Evening College in Macau. In 2006, the University of Macau honored Mr Choi by naming one of its complexes the “Choi Kai Yau Building”.
    Mr Choi also made significant contributions to educational institutes in Hong Kong. The Polytechnic University of Hong Kong honored Mr Choi by naming one of its buildings after him in 2005 in recognition of his support to the University. With Mr Choi’s sponsorship, the Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School was founded in 2001. It is the first non-profit “through-train” private school in Hong Kong. Mr Choi also established several foundations for the future development of the school.
    Mr Choi Kai Yau and his wife, Madam To Pui Hing, have 7 children, Christopher, May, Jonathan, Lily, Mazie, Wendy and Michael. His children have inherited his virtues and have followed in his footsteps through more philanthropic activities and contributions to their hometown and country. They have also jointly expanded the Sun Wah Group to become the diversified conglomerate that it is today.
    In recognition of his life-long contribution to his country, Mr Choi was invited to Beijing to meet with the then Chinese Premier, Mr Zhu Rongji. Mr Choi was also awarded the Meritorious Medal of Education by the Chief Executive of the Macau SAR, and was named an Honorary Citizen of the cities of Zhongshan and Shenyang in China and Winnipeg in Canada. The Zijinshan Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences also named a minor planet numbered “5389” as the “Choi Kai Yau Star”, which will shine brightly not only in the universe, but in the hearts of those whose lives have been touched by him.