big read[Big read] Benjamin Fok: I was just an assistant to my father, Henry Fok
Benjamin Fok, son of Hong Kong legendary tycoon Henry Fok, was never one filled with business ambitions. In an interview by Lianhe Zaobao journalist Li Yaning, Benjamin speaks about his start in the family business, the advent of artificial intelligence, his hopes for his sons and his passion for skiing.
Upon first meeting Benjamin Fok Chun-yue, he comes across just as often described in the media: mellow and modest. He speaks at a consistent pace, his voice never raised, lacking any air of swift assertiveness. He is often smiling and seldom wears a solemn expression, even bursting into laughter when he touches on something amusing.
When he was in Singapore last November for the 9th Business and Philanthropy Forum, Fok spoke to Lianhe Zaobao in an unassuming tone, yet what he says often leaves one speechless.
A case in point is his forthrightness about his rejection of pleasantries: “When someone says to me, ‘Mr Fok, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I have great respect for you,’ I would simply reply, ‘Thank you for remembering my father.’”
And then there is his unsparing jest about his second eldest brother Ian Fok, with whom he had locked horns for years: “He has made a lot of money, but now he’s getting on in years and can’t spend it. That’s the greatest torment in life.”
Beyond the family empire
Born in Hong Kong in 1954, Benjamin Fok is the third son of Henry Fok and his first wife Elaine Lui.
The elder Fok, who had family roots in Panyu, Guangdong, made his living in Hong Kong from a very young age. He began to amass wealth in the 1940s, and built the Fok family’s business empire over time through real estate, construction and trade. Actively engaged in politics and philanthropy, the tycoon wielded considerable influence in both Hong Kong and mainland China.
After Henry Fok passed away in 2006, Benjamin Fok gradually withdrew from the family businesses, but he remains director of Fok Ying Tung Foundation to keep his father’s philanthropic legacy going.
More recently, Benjamin Fok assumed the chairmanship of Singapore’s Business and Philanthropy Forum at the invitation of Alliance for Good’s founder John Zheng. He noted that there are many family offices in Singapore, and thinks positively of young people’s desire to integrate wealth succession with social responsibility to contribute to society.
Apart from philanthropy, Benjamin Fok is also passionate about technology. He speaks at length about the development of artificial intelligence (AI). According to him, while he used to work for the family businesses in the younger days under his father’s leadership, he now pursues his own interests independently from his elder brothers.
... his parents’ expectations were quite simple: “Just don’t be a bad person.” Thus, he had ample freedom to develop himself as he wished.
‘Chun-yue, let’s go! We’re going to the mainland.’
Benjamin Fok’s fascination with technology is closely linked to his education. His formative years were spent in Europe and North America. At 13, he attended a British boarding school, and later earned a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science at Canada’s University of British Columbia. He subsequently pursued further studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
As he recalled, his parents’ expectations were quite simple: “Just don’t be a bad person.” Thus, he had ample freedom to develop himself as he wished.
He admitted he was never a “well-behaved student” by nature. Even after six decades, he can’t help but smile when looking back on his days of overseas schooling.
As a boarding student in secondary school, Benjamin Fok had no protection coming from his family. He was “fighting with the Russians on a daily basis”. He did the impression of the son of a Russian air force commander, who towered over him by a head and threatened him: “Ben, lend me 25 pounds, or I’ll beat you up.” The brief reenactment ends with the once victim laughing heartily.
And the reason for choosing to major in mathematics at university? Benjamin Fok modestly claimed that he wasn’t too smart and thus the choice was made to avoid rote learning. Throughout his four years in Canada, he was immersed in a vast natural landscape of mountains and rivers. He would often tell people later in life: “I graduated on the ski slopes.”
In America, new ideologies and trends of all sorts were flourishing. Culture, art and technology were booming. As a young man curious about the world, he got to broaden his horizons.
Apart from immersion in the prosperity of Europe and America, this period of his life was also punctuated by profound impressions from China, his ancestral homeland. During a university break in 1973, Benjamin Fok accompanied his father to mainland China for the first time to “get to know the motherland”. The two-week journey took them through Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing and Wuhan. The streets in all their bluish grey hues had a huge impact on the returning son. “The experience was invaluable.”
By the time Fok completed his studies in 1977, he still did not foresee that he would be stepping out of the modern world into the grand currents of China’s reform and opening up.
One day, his father said to him, “Chun-yue, let’s go! We’re going to the mainland.”
A little girl lowered eggs into the water; when they were drawn back up, they were warm to the touch. Seeing this, Henry Fok promptly declared that he would build a hot spring hotel there.
Building China’s iconic hotels
After a four- or five-hour drive, they reached a suburban clearing with a well. A little girl lowered eggs into the water; when they were drawn back up, they were warm to the touch. Seeing this, Henry Fok promptly declared that he would build a hot spring hotel there.
And so Guangdong’s Zhongshan Hot Spring Hotel was constructed in 1980. Upon completion, it became an iconic standard of China’s reform and opening up.
From that moment on, Henry Fok kept his son — who had been away from home for over a decade — by his side, and embarked on a journey to build China.
According to Benjamin Fok, although his father never explicitly instructed him on patriotism or attachment to one’s native place, these qualities were clearly evident during the years he spent by his father’s side. He said, “One incident left a particularly deep impression on me. Once, before my father set off for Zhongshan in winter, he was wearing a silk, cotton-padded jacket. Just before leaving, he said, “I’ll change into a cotton jacket instead. When I get to Zhongshan, everyone will be speaking Cantonese, and there shouldn’t be any sense of distance between us.”
At some point, Benjamin Fok joined his father in building Guangzhou’s White Swan Hotel, which became an important symbol of the city’s opening to the world. The hotel would come to host international luminaries such as Queen Elizabeth II, former US President George H.W. Bush and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Benjamin Fok remembered how his father made frequent trips to Guangzhou and had discussions on reform, opening up and development with Xi Zhongxun, then secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and the father of Xi Jinping. The younger Fok himself would watch and learn by the side during these sessions.
In the mid-1980s, Henry Fok began to turn his attention to Nansha, a barren stretch of land on the southernmost end of his hometown of Panyu, Guangzhou. He recognised its immense developmental potential, given its location at the heart of the Pearl River Delta in close proximity to Hong Kong and Macau.
... the projects never felt like business ventures. “They were tasks assigned to me by my father, which I had to complete properly,” he said.
Over a decade spent on developing Nansha
Henry Fok saw the colossal undertaking he had in mind as his “ultimate dream”. Over the subsequent ten years or so, the tycoon collaborated with the Guangzhou municipal government and other partners, and invested in Nansha’s infrastructure, roads, port, as well as technology parks. The plan was to create a new seaside city.
Benjamin Fok served as his father’s assistant throughout this process. “We were by my father’s side, handling everything whenever he needed help. We were engaged in whatever he was doing.”
The dutiful son harboured little personal ambition for the business itself. When asked whether he found the transition from the freedom of student life to working in his family’s real estate enterprises tedious, he replied that the projects never felt like business ventures. “They were tasks assigned to me by my father, which I had to complete properly,” he said.
He shared that he likes systematic studies.
During the development of Nansha, his father stipulated that the ferry ride from Hong Kong to Nansha should take no more than one hour and 15 minutes. That entailed a speed as high as 44 knots. Among the vessels available on the market at the time, those capable of reaching this speed were either too noisy or prohibitively expensive. After analysing factors such as resistance, propulsion and fuel, Benjamin Fok ultimately designed a vessel that met all the requirements, earning his father’s satisfaction.
Benjamin Fok also recalled his visit to then Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in the 1990s to learn from the nation’s experience in city-building and draw from its experience for the development of Nansha.
In the end, despite Benjamin Fok’s continuous assistance to his father on the mainland and his designation to take over the Nansha project, his involvement effectively ended after his father passed away.
Just five years after his death, internal strife erupted nonetheless.
Necessity of the lawsuits against his brother
With his death in 2006, Henry Fok left behind assets worth US$3.7 billion, which got him ranked 181st on the Forbes list of the world’s wealthiest individuals.
According to media reports at the time, the old tycoon had made meticulous arrangements for his estate while alive, so as to prevent inheritance disputes. Even fine details like the amount receivable by each heir per month were specified. Just five years after his death, internal strife erupted nonetheless.
In 2011, Benjamin Fok sued his second eldest brother, Ian Fok, for distributing the estate without consent, as well as appropriating various assets and cash worth about HK$1.6 billion (US$210 million) in total. The legal battle caused a major uproar, even prompting former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa to step in as a mediator. A settlement was reached at one point in 2012, but it collapsed before long.
The new dispute revolved around Nansha. In 2016, Benjamin Fok initiated further legal proceedings, accusing Ian Fok of concealing significant buyback rights pertaining to the Nansha project.
The crux of the feud lies in an agreement made in 1997. Yau Wing Co. (a company owned by the Fok family) had transferred its stake in the Nansha project to Fok Ying Tung Foundation (a charitable foundation) for a symbolic amount of HK$1 per share, and it was agreed that Yau Wing had the right to buy back the shares at the same price within ten years. Benjamin Fok’s faction contended that Ian Fok prejudiced the interests of their family members by hiding the existence of such a deal.
After protracted negotiations, the family eventually reached another settlement in 2022, bringing the litigation to a close.
To this day, Benjamin Fok maintains his position. “My father’s instruction was that half of the interests in Nansha should go to the family, while the other half should be donated to charity. Strangely, my second brother claimed the whole lot was to be donated (i.e., the shares belonged to Fok Ying Tung Foundation). I only acted according to my father’s arrangements, not my own wishes.”
After his father’s passing, Benjamin Fok gradually withdrew from the Nansha project. “I stepped back once they took over. So this year it’s still the way it was, no progress made.”
When asked about his current feelings, his response is again unexpected, delivered with a touch of mockery: “I’m quite happy. The property market is in decline, so now he’s the one worrying.” He then bursts into laughter.
“Artificial intelligence (AI) is upon us. The age of real estate is over. Let them do whatever they like. It doesn’t bother me.” — Benjamin Fok
Even so, on the matter of their brotherly ties, Benjamin Fok said that they still see each other, even sit in the same meetings occasionally. “A lawsuit must proceed when it has to. If there isn’t any lawsuit going on between us, we can sit down together for a meal.”
He has no regrets about initiating the inheritance dispute. “What must be done must be done. It was my duty as the executor of the will.”
End of real estate era, attention now turned to the AI wave
Henry Fok had actually set forth clear arrangements about the succession of his business empire while he was alive. His eldest son Timothy Fok was to inherit the sports ventures; the second son Ian was to take charge of the family businesses, while the third son Benjamin would manage the mainland projects.
Circumstances have changed over the years though. For Benjamin Fok, the property business belongs to his father’s era. “Artificial intelligence (AI) is upon us. The age of real estate is over. Let them do whatever they like. It doesn’t bother me.”
He believes the past frenzy of property price booms was misguided, both in mainland China and in Hong Kong. “A building constructed by my father could go for HK$800 per square foot in 1987, and then see that price hit HK$33,000 at its peak. That’s a fortyfold increase. Roughly speaking, wages merely doubled during this interval. How were people supposed to live?”
“The demand was not real, but artificially inflated. The bursting of that bubble of falsehood was thus inevitable,” he says.
AI is what Benjamin Fok now talks about with brimming enthusiasm. “I already told the Development Research Centre [of the State Council] ten years ago about the future of AI — first and foremost, China and the US are bound to form two separate camps, developing two distinct systems.”
“China’s advantage lies in its ability to produce almost anything with both sophistication and affordability, including robots, AI and biotechnology. I am highly interested in projects within these fields.” — Fok
Despite having exited the property business, he emphasised that he has not bowed out of mainland China. “The mainland boasts abundant technological innovation and talent. China’s advantage lies in its ability to produce almost anything with both sophistication and affordability, including robots, AI and biotechnology. I am highly interested in projects within these fields.”
During the interview, Benjamin Fok traversed a range of subjects, from chips to software and large language models, from the Go-playing AI program AlphaGo to the universal algorithm of AlphaZero, before moving on to Google scientist Ray Kurzweil’s transhumanist ideas and a future where AI holds the reins.
He recalled reading George Orwell’s 1984 back in the 1970s. It seems to him that, in the twinkling of an eye, the real world has already entered an AI era more stupefying than the Orwellian dystopia.
The world is transforming too rapidly. He is amazed that cryptocurrencies, not backed by any legal entity, have reached a total market value of US$3 trillion. He admitted that he holds a small amount himself, merely “to see what it’s all about”.
Benjamin Fok has two sons. He says he was far luckier than them. “I tell them: my father was better than yours; my sons are better than my father’s.”
He remarked, “I feel that I’m only just beginning to know the world. I’m still very curious.”
Affirming the superiority of both sons to himself
At over 70 years old, when asked if he misses the past, Benjamin Fok didn’t answer directly; he simply recalled the bygone days with a smile, describing them as simpler times. He said to me, “I reckon I’ve had it better than you. We had more fun than you did.”
Benjamin Fok has two sons. He says he was far luckier than them. “I tell them: my father was better than yours; my sons are better than my father’s.”
He proudly described his sons as smarter than himself. They beat him in chess by the age of 13. Both sons are now in their early middle age, and had completed their university studies in America. One of them, interested in business, works alongside Benjamin Fok. The other holds a position at a listed company.
Unlike other younger members of the Fok family who are often featured in the news, there is virtually no information online about Benjamin Fok’s children. He says his sons are just as low-key as he is by character. “They have their own private worlds, and aren’t particularly keen on social media exposure.”
Does he harbour any regret about not achieving the same stature as his legendary father? “Not at all,” he said and shook his head. “I was just an assistant by his side.”
Does he harbour any regret about not achieving the same stature as his legendary father? “Not at all,” he said and shook his head. “I was just an assistant by his side.”
According to him, his foremost hope for each of his sons is the same as what his own father had for him: be a good person. If there is anything else beyond that, it would be for them to discover their passions, take good care of their families, and contribute to society.
Benjamin Fok admitted that he is not someone who spends most of his time with his family. He sees himself as still embodying the traditional Chinese role for men — i.e., running around outside of home to work. But then he chuckled and added that he would never forget to buy his wife a gift for her birthday.
Love for skiing and practising meditation for over 50 years
What might he have become if he wasn’t involved in the family’s businesses? “A whole lot of things,” said Benjamin Fok — among them, perhaps a ski instructor.
Skiing has been his undying passion for over 50 years since he was 14. From Canada to Japan and then to Beijing, he has never stopped skiing. “I’ll stop if I become too damaged someday to do it anymore.”
Another habit he has maintained for over five decades is completely opposite: meditation.
Benjamin Fok began to ponder the ultimate truth of life when he was a science student at university. “Initially I sought Truth in science. I learnt about relativity and black holes, but found no answers. Later, in a Chinese philosophy course, I read a book about Zen and realised: Truth is right here.”
“Buddhism is deeply antinomic. The cultivation of Buddhahood requires effort, relentless effort, yet the purpose of all that effort is to come to ‘non-action’.” — Fok
From that moment on, he developed an immense interest in Zen Buddhism and started meditating. Zen emphasises pointing directly to the mind, seeing one’s true nature to attain Buddhahood. It prioritises personal experience and enlightenment over reliance on scriptures or rituals.
When asked if meditation serves as a way to relieve stress, he said that it is not about pursuing any outcome, but rather “non-action”. “You don’t think or analyse anything. You just sit there, with no past and no future. You would feel as if you are a newborn child who knows nothing. That’s ‘mindfulness’.”
With his usual humility, Benjamin Fok called himself a “bad Buddhist”. “Buddhism is deeply antinomic. The cultivation of Buddhahood requires effort, relentless effort, yet the purpose of all that effort is to come to ‘non-action’.”
Akin to this is his life philosophy: “No matter what is set for you to do, you strive to do it with all your might, valuing cause over results.”
But can one truly disregard results? Benjamin Fok smiled and said, “It is untrue to say that one does not care about results. However, results are something beyond your control in any case.”
This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “早人物：霍英东三子霍震宇 多年家产官司已了 如今行善玩转科企”.
