Celebrating the Famous Sinologist Jao Tsung-I at the Jao Tsung-I Academy

The Jao Tsung-I Academy celebrates and memorializes the legendary life of Jao Tsung-I, a sinologist of many talents in arts and history. Jao Tsung-I was very accomplished in Chinese learning and fine arts. Born in Chaozhou (Chiu Chow), Jao Tsung-I came from an incredibly wealthy family that had 4 banks. His mother died when he was just 2 years old. At 11 years old, he stopped formal schooling. Instead, he just learned by reading in his home library. At age 22 he became a researcher in Sun Yatsen University. In Hong Kong, he brushed shoulders with the literati. In 1949, he immigrated to Hong Kong. At age 35, he was already a professor at University of Hong Kong on classical literature, with research in a broad spectrum of historic Chinese interests such as dance, music, classical Chinese, the arts, and oracle script. Much of the learning in these academic fields are reflected in his artwork. He dedicated his life to the learning and teaching of classical Chinese. Innumerable awards and honors have been conferred to him for his work. Jao Tsung-I passed away at the very advanced age of 100 in 2018. He did live to see the day of opening of the Academy that celebrates his life. He left behind a rich heritage that constitutes the core substance of the Jao Tsung-I Academy today. There are three sections in the Jao Tsung-I Academy. The very upper section is up on the hill. With five buildings there they are now serving as the Heritage Lodge, a hotel. In the middle section, the buildings were once the wards for the prisoners and the patients. In the Lower section, the blocks retain their original red brick appearance. Together these buildings have had a long history in serving various purposes for the government and the community throughout its 114 years, pretty much as the needs arose. As the former Lai Chi Kok Hospital, the structures of the Jao Tsung-I Academy were built between 1921 and 1924. All of the structures are of red brick, a common feature for colonial-era buildings in Hong Kong. Due to its history serving as healthcare and prison institutions, including as the quarantine center for infectious deceases, the buildings in the middle and upper sections were reinforced with very heavy layers of concrete and sealed with white paint. #kowloon #hongkong #hongkonghistory #hongkongheritage #jaotsungi #sinologist #