Tommy Y S Li

Mr Tommy Y S LI, BBS, MH, JP

Honorary University Fellow (2016)

Mr Tommy Li Ying-sang is an entrepreneur who has achieved tremendous success in the wholesale and retail of traditional Chinese medicine.  He is the Chairman of Pak Sing Tong Group, a Chinese medicinal wholesaler of close to a hundred years in history.  In operating his business, Mr Li places equal emphasis on tradition and innovation: he persistently develops new products, exercises stringent quality and quantity control, devotes great energy and efforts to staff training, and brings in marketing policies that accord with consumer requirements and, in the process, successfully transforms a family owned and run business into a full-fledged modern enterprise.  Under the distinguished leadership of Mr Li, Pak Shing Tong has gained wide recognition both among peers and in the community at large, having been presented with the Most Favourable Premium Long History Chinese Medicine Brand Award by the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Industry Association, the Hong Kong Top Brand Award by the Hong Kong Brand Development Council, the Most Popular QTS Merchant Award by the Quality Tourism Services Association two times in succession, and gained the 10 Years QTS Merchant Recognition from the Hong Kong Tourism Board.  The company also received the Hong Kong Merchant of Integrity Award for five years running from the Guangzhou Daily.
 
Mr Li embraces a selfless spirit of giving for the public good in life, and works with admirable foresight and impeccable professionalism in managing his business.  One precept that he firmly abides by is that optimum development in personal career and corporate growth will only be possible when the entire profession or industry is undergoing prosperity.  Consequently he has devoted much of his time and energy to various organisations to foster bond and cooperativeness among other operators in his line of business, and take up leadership positions in the trade associations.  Mr Li has a special gift for far-sighted and long-term planning, which he puts to excellent and effective use in perpetuating the Chinese medicinal heritage, in the formation of the next generations of entrepreneurs and practitioners, in the initiation of numerous investigatory, exchange and knowledge transfer activities, and in the advocacy for professional status for both Chinese medicine and its practitioners.  He is also an enthusiastic supporter of social services, and has taken a significant part in many community welfare activities.  He was the Chairman of the Tourism Quality Service Association from 2010 to 2013, Member of the Central and Western District Council from 2008 to 2011, Honorary President of the Hong Kong Island School Heads Association, and Member of the second, third and fourth Election Committees of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR.  He is currently the Executive Chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Industry Association,  Advisor to the Exchange and Cooperation Centre of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Member of Chinese Medicine Development Committee, Standing Committee Member of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, and Economic and Technical Consultant to the Provincial Government of Jilin, Honorary President of the Central District Junior Police Call,  and Member of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.  The Government of the Hong Kong SAR showed its appreciation of Mr Li's public and community services, and particularly his contribution towards the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Hong Kong, by awarding him the Medal of Honour in 2003, and the Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2010.  He has also been a Justice of the Peace since 2004.
 
Over the years Mr Tommy Li has developed a close association with the Hong Kong Baptist University.  In 2003 he established the Pak Shing Tong Scholarships at the University to encourage research on Chinese medicine among students, and to cultivate a new generation of specialists in the field.  He has provided proactive sponsorship for various activities undertaken by the School of Chinese Medicine, including exhibitions and practitioners' forums on Chinese medicine, and planning and financing visits and academic exchanges between local and Mainland students.  Under his leadership, Pak Shing Tong Group gains the title of Honorary Director of the Hong Kong Baptist University Foundation.  In 2005 Mr. Li collaborated with Professor Zhao Zhongzhen of the School of Chinese Medicine in the "Easily Confused Chinese Medicines in Hong Kong" research project, a programme that involved the participation of the major trade associations and many Government departments.  The project resulted in the publication of the book Easily Confused Chinese Medicines in Hong Kong, which has since won resounding acclaim for its usefulness in helping to clarify many ambiguities and confusions in the Hong Kong Chinese medicine market.
 
Mr Tommy Li Ying-sang is no doubt an outstanding entrepreneur who has earned community recognition through his leadership and services marked by a strong sense of responsibility.  He is also a remarkable supporter to the study of Chinese medicine, and has contributed significantly to the development of the discipline at the Hong Kong Baptist University.