Page 13 - Sphere No.8 (Mar 2003)

under the brand-name “3”.
“3 might seem as strange as Orange
and, unsurprisingly, the press is again
cynical,” Mr Fok added. “They say we’ve
dialled the wrong number. But one day
people won’t know how they lived
without 3G multi-media communi-
cations.We’re not only thinking out of the
box but thinking way beyond the box.”
SPREADING THE W ORD
Following the Hong Kong event, the
Creative Cities road-show, co-organised
by the Shantou University, moved on to
two Li Ka Shing Foundation-sponsored
institutions in Mainland China. Seminars
at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of
Business in Beijing and at Shantou
University facilitated similar cultural
exchanges while introducing Mainland
students to creative concepts.
The Beijing event attracted a large
group of CEOs and professionals from the
design, media, advertising and education
fields. Discussions centred on Britain’s
policies on nurturing creative talents,
developing entrepreneurial skills and
branding. On a practical level, dele-
gates came out in favour of establishing
dedicated “spaces” for experimentation in
the design and production of products
and services.
The Shantou event attracted an
equally large turnout of delegates.
Discussions covered the prospect of
Shantou serving as a host city for similar
such creative exchanges among delegates
from other Chinese cities and countries
in the region.
The “Creative Cities” initiative has
thus laid important groundwork for
the cross-pollination of creative ideas, not
only between Hong Kong and Britain
but also within the greater China region.
The response from delegates and
attendees has been overwhelmingly
positive with participants at each event
agreeing they had been stimulated by the
exchange of new ideas. Younger
attendees in particular were encouraged
to learn of the significance of creativity in
career development.
“The (Hong Kong) seminar has given
me a far greater insight into the
commercial prospects of my chosen
profession,” said design student Sharon
Lam. “Listening to delegates and talking
to other attendees has helped me realise
that businesses need creative talents as
much as we need business.”
In time, Ms Lam hopes to hear
someone say: “A million dollars for your
thoughts.”
SPHERE
11
I RECENTLY READ A BIOGRAPHY
entitled Mauve: How One Man
Invented a Color that Changed the
World. Its protagonist,Sir William
Perkin,was the first chemist to make a
fortune by transforming an invention
into an industrial process.
At school in England,his teacher once
asked him to perform a chemistry
experiment to synthesise quinine. The
experiment failed and a black chemical
substance was produced instead,which
stained the tablecloth purple.This black
substance was to become the basic
ingredient of aniline,a dyeing agent with
extensive industrial applications.
The young man took out a patent for
his invention 18 months later and
commercialised it. His discovery was
to become the “catalyst” for many
subsequent inventions by other
scientists whose applications in dyeing,
pharmaceuticals,cosmetics and food
production created industries worth
billions of dollars.
SirWilliam lived more than a century
ago,but we can learn valuable lessons
from his life story. The resounding
success of his scientific work as a
teenager was not fuelled solely by his
quest for material profit but also by his
innate curiosity.
We can imagine how difficult it
was for such a young lad to earn the
trust of other people. Nonetheless
he surmounted all the obstacles
before him and persisted in turning
his invention into a commercial
enterprise. He eventually became an
outstanding entrepreneur.At 23 he was
already a very wealthy man. At
36 he retired and returned to what he
liked doing best – scientific research.
His success was not the result of
sheer luck but was founded upon
qualities that everyone should strive to
possess: keen powers of observation,a
voracious appetite for knowledge,
a dogged determination to succeed,
and confidence to defy all odds.
The scientist Joseph Henry once said:
“The seeds of great discoveries are
constantly floating around us,but they
only take root in minds well prepared to
receive them.”
Education is what prepares us – and
it should not be confined to the mere
transfer of skills.The greatest challenge
for educationalists today is to fire our
youth with the enthusiasm to pursue
knowledge and be part of the learning
process. Success in life depends on a
combination of different factors,but the
most critical one is the ability to grasp
an opportunity when it arises and apply
the knowledge one has built up.
Competing in business in today’s
increasingly globalised world is a battle
of wits; it is not for the run-of-the-mill.
Like Sir William,we must combine
motivation with vision and curiosity,
move ahead with perseverance and
courage,and seek perfection through
innovation in whatever we do.
Finally,I would like to quote a line
from the book: “Without experiment I
am nothing; still try,for who knows
what is possible.”
KNOWLEDGE + CURIOSITY = OPPORTUNITY
The Cheung Kong Scholars Programme, a joint initiative between the Li Ka Shing
Foundation and China’s Ministry of Education, was set up in 1998 to provide incentives for
outstanding Chinese academics working in the field of scientific research overseas to
return to China to work. At the fifth award presentation ceremony held recently in Beijing,
Mr Li delivered a speech entitled The Power of Mauve to illustrate the symbiotic link
between creativity and business.The following is an abbreviated translation.
EAMMON 'O' BOYLE (1)
The Power of Mauve