Nobel laureate Charles Kao (center), his wife Gwen Wong (3rd left), Chief Executive Donald Tsang (3rd right) and other guests stand in front of the newly renamed Charles K Kao Auditorium at Hong Kong Science Park yesterday. The renaming pays tribute to professor Kao for his achievement in fiber optics. EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY

Centerpiece conference center renamed 'Charles K Kao Auditorium'

Nobel laureate and "father of fiber optics" Charles Kao and his wife Gwen Wong attended a ceremony yesterday, during which the structural centerpiece of Hong Kong Science Park was renamed as the Charles K Kao Auditorium.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang joined the couple to chair the ceremony. Kao, in good spirits, shook hands with the guests, always with a smile.

The oval building, formerly called the "golden egg", is a distinctive structure supported by pillars in mid-air above the middle of the park and is used as a conference center.

Wong, speaking on behalf of her husband, indicated the renaming carries special meanings. Kao was one of the founding directors of the provisional Hong Kong Science Park from 1998 to 2003.

She recalled the establishment of the park was like the pain of birth and has been through a lot of "ups and downs". Both are happy seeing the park successfully running now, she said.