Lam Chiu Ying
Encyclopedia
Lam Chiu-ying SBS
, also known by the nickname 'Black Ying' , is a Hong Kong
meteorologist, university fellow, bird-watcher, environmental activist and blog
ger. He was the director of the Hong Kong observatory
2003 through 2009. He is also an honorary fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society of the United Kingdom, as well as the honorary president of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society
. Microplanet 64288 Lamchiuying is named after Lam.
student. In Form 2, he decided that he wanted to enter the Hong Kong Observatory while completing a stargazing Boy Scout
badge, although he later believed that the chances were slim. He obtained an A in Physics in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination
, although the grade was not sustained in the A-levels
, where he received an A for all other subjects he took up.
He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Hong Kong. He received a Commonwealth scholarship and went to Imperial College London
, where he studied meteorology
instead of physics for the fear that physics would lead to wars. After a few months, he decided to go to the United States. The lecturer wrote him a letter of recommendation, saying that he was his best post-war student and that he might receive the Nobel Prize if he studied physics. However, he had only studied at Princeton University
for three weeks before dropping out, saying that he wanted to get a job instead of studying theories.
Lam said in an interview by the Wen Wei Po
that his interest in bird-watching started when he saw a bird in Happy Valley Cemetery when he was around twenty.
In 2006, Typhoon Prapiroon hit Hong Kong. The Observatory did not hoist a Typhoon Signal No. 8. Some criticised this decision as being against the usual practice of the Observatory, while an astronomer criticised the Observatory's warning system, saying that the Observatory should also have taken into account the wind speed of the New Territories
and outlying islands. The Office of the Ombudsman
received 140 complaints. Some even urged him to resign. Lam defended the decision but altered the typhoon warning system.
In July 2007, Lam fell from a horse in Mongolia
was seriously injured and received operaion on the brain in September. In July 2008, another incident occurred and he had to lie on the floor at home waiting for the ambulance. After a week in a Hong Kong hospital, Lam left it, and went back to work on the eleventh.
Soon after, Typhoon Nuri hit Hong Kong. The Observatory was criticised for hoisting a Typhoon Signal No. 8, which some considered unnecessary, and hoisting it too late. There was also confusion regarding the Chinese word '清晨', which Lam later explained. Lam denied that the Observatory had underestimated the strength of the typhoon. In response to claims that Typhoon Signal No. 8, Lam stated that at least two people had been killed by the typhoon. He also stated that Hong Kong had been 'incredibly lucky' that the destructive power of the typhoon was not as strong as predicted.
Lam turned sixty in 2009. After six years as the Director, he retired. His pre-retirement leave started on 6 April, and his successor, Lee Boon Ying, was appointed 8 May. He said that he would not do any work for pay after retirement, but would continue to accept invitations to share his ideas.
by 'influential people' using the name of 'diversified development'. As a result, a legislator wrote to
Carrie Lam seeking explanation. Carrie Lam ordered the Planning Department to contact him. On 4 February, Lam sent his position paper to departments of the Development Bureau as a resident, detailing arguments for the preservation of the Valley and raising questions about the government being 'soft' on 'influential people'. Carrie Lam dismissed it as 'absurd', while the Department implied that at least twenty out of eighty hectares of the Valley were used for building.
Lam also hosted the Radio Television Hong Kong
Channel 1 show Sentient Beings from 3 July 2010 to 25 December of the same year. He is also an honorary fellow of the University of Hong Kong and lectures at the geography department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong
.
In November 2010, Lam, criticised the government's policy to cut classes in his blog. As the president of the King's College Old Boy's Association, he wrote that the government was make the chances of students of grassroots families even smaller. Michael Suen
, the Secretary for Education, replied that the chances would not be reduced as the total number of students were on a decreasing trend.
publishings. In 2009, Lam, along with noted singer and environmental activist Lowell Lo
and two professors, hosted '救亡16度', a documentary about global warming, for RoadShow
. Since retirement, Lam has given talks about the climate. As of August 2010, Lam has given 130 talks and 40 interviews.
Hong Kong honours system
The existing Hong Kong honours system was created after transfer of government of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China as a special administrative region in 1997...
, also known by the nickname 'Black Ying' , is a Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
meteorologist, university fellow, bird-watcher, environmental activist and blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger. He was the director of the Hong Kong observatory
Hong Kong Observatory
Hong Kong Observatory is a department of the Hong Kong government. The Observatory forecasts weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards...
2003 through 2009. He is also an honorary fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society of the United Kingdom, as well as the honorary president of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society
Hong Kong Bird Watching Society
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society is an environmental non-governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats in Hong Kong, a territory on the southern coast of China. It is a BirdLife International affiliated organisation...
. Microplanet 64288 Lamchiuying is named after Lam.
Early life
Lam was first interested in astronomy as a Primary 6Education in Hong Kong
Education in Hong Kong has a similar system to that of the United Kingdom, in particular the English education system of Hong Kong was modernised by the British in 1861. The system is often described as extremely competitive by global standards....
student. In Form 2, he decided that he wanted to enter the Hong Kong Observatory while completing a stargazing Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
badge, although he later believed that the chances were slim. He obtained an A in Physics in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination
Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination
The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination was a standardized examination between 1974 and 2011 after most local students’ five-year secondary education, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority . The examination will be discontinued in 2012...
, although the grade was not sustained in the A-levels
Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination
The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination , or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority , is normally taken by senior students at the end of their matriculation in Hong Kong. In 2010, 39,772 candidates entered for the examination...
, where he received an A for all other subjects he took up.
He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Hong Kong. He received a Commonwealth scholarship and went to Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, where he studied meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
instead of physics for the fear that physics would lead to wars. After a few months, he decided to go to the United States. The lecturer wrote him a letter of recommendation, saying that he was his best post-war student and that he might receive the Nobel Prize if he studied physics. However, he had only studied at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
for three weeks before dropping out, saying that he wanted to get a job instead of studying theories.
Lam said in an interview by the Wen Wei Po
Wen Wei Po
Wen Wei Po is a Hong Kong-based Chinese language newspaper, which was first established in Shanghai in January 1938; its Hong Kong version was launched on 9 September 1948....
that his interest in bird-watching started when he saw a bird in Happy Valley Cemetery when he was around twenty.
Observatory
Lam joined the Observatory as a Scientific Officer in 4 May 1974. After being promoted to Senior Scientific Officer in October 1980, he went on to become the Assistant Director in July 1992.Director
Lam became the director of the Hong Kong Observatory in March 2003. He was said to promote a 'family-friendly' workspace for employees, encouraged employees to go home on time and organised activities where the family of employees could also participate.In 2006, Typhoon Prapiroon hit Hong Kong. The Observatory did not hoist a Typhoon Signal No. 8. Some criticised this decision as being against the usual practice of the Observatory, while an astronomer criticised the Observatory's warning system, saying that the Observatory should also have taken into account the wind speed of the New Territories
New Territories
New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
and outlying islands. The Office of the Ombudsman
Office of the Ombudsman
The Office of The Ombudsman, Hong Kong is an independent statutory authority, established in 1989 under the Ombudsman Ordinance, to redress grievances arising from maladministration in the public sector through independent and impartial investigations to improve the standard of public...
received 140 complaints. Some even urged him to resign. Lam defended the decision but altered the typhoon warning system.
In July 2007, Lam fell from a horse in Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
was seriously injured and received operaion on the brain in September. In July 2008, another incident occurred and he had to lie on the floor at home waiting for the ambulance. After a week in a Hong Kong hospital, Lam left it, and went back to work on the eleventh.
Soon after, Typhoon Nuri hit Hong Kong. The Observatory was criticised for hoisting a Typhoon Signal No. 8, which some considered unnecessary, and hoisting it too late. There was also confusion regarding the Chinese word '清晨', which Lam later explained. Lam denied that the Observatory had underestimated the strength of the typhoon. In response to claims that Typhoon Signal No. 8, Lam stated that at least two people had been killed by the typhoon. He also stated that Hong Kong had been 'incredibly lucky' that the destructive power of the typhoon was not as strong as predicted.
Lam turned sixty in 2009. After six years as the Director, he retired. His pre-retirement leave started on 6 April, and his successor, Lee Boon Ying, was appointed 8 May. He said that he would not do any work for pay after retirement, but would continue to accept invitations to share his ideas.
Retired life
In January 2010, Lam criticised the government in his blog for endorsing the building of houses in Long ValleyLong Valley, Hong Kong
Long Valley is a wetland in the Sheung Shui of the New Territories in Hong Kong. The wetland was originally formed by the rice paddies between Shek Sheung River and Sheung Yue River....
by 'influential people' using the name of 'diversified development'. As a result, a legislator wrote to
Carrie Lam seeking explanation. Carrie Lam ordered the Planning Department to contact him. On 4 February, Lam sent his position paper to departments of the Development Bureau as a resident, detailing arguments for the preservation of the Valley and raising questions about the government being 'soft' on 'influential people'. Carrie Lam dismissed it as 'absurd', while the Department implied that at least twenty out of eighty hectares of the Valley were used for building.
Lam also hosted the Radio Television Hong Kong
Radio Television Hong Kong
Radio Television Hong Kong is a public broadcasting organisation in Hong Kong that is operated as an independent department in the government under the Broadcasting Authority. RTHK operates seven radio channels, and produces television programmes that are then broadcast through local television...
Channel 1 show Sentient Beings from 3 July 2010 to 25 December of the same year. He is also an honorary fellow of the University of Hong Kong and lectures at the geography department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
.
In November 2010, Lam, criticised the government's policy to cut classes in his blog. As the president of the King's College Old Boy's Association, he wrote that the government was make the chances of students of grassroots families even smaller. Michael Suen
Michael Suen
Michael Suen Ming-yeung GBS CBE JP is currently the Secretary for Education of Hong Kong.-Education:Suen attended Wah Yan College, Hong Kong, a male-only Jesuit school in Hong Kong.-Career:...
, the Secretary for Education, replied that the chances would not be reduced as the total number of students were on a decreasing trend.
Environmentalism
Lam had been a sceptic of man-made climate change until 2001, when he read information about global warming from IPCCIPCC
IPCC may refer to:*Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the United Nations*Independent Police Complaints Commission, of England and Wales*Irish Peatland Conservation Council...
publishings. In 2009, Lam, along with noted singer and environmental activist Lowell Lo
Lowell Lo
Lowell Lo is a Hong Kong singer, composer and actor. He wrote the score of many Hong Kong films. He is now also an environmental activist.-External links:*...
and two professors, hosted '救亡16度', a documentary about global warming, for RoadShow
RoadShow
RoadShow , formerly known as "資訊娛樂共同睇" [paraphrased as Integrated View of Information and Entertainment]) is the first "Multi-Media On Board" service on transit vehicles in the world. It was launched by Kowloon Motor Bus Company on 26 November 2000...
. Since retirement, Lam has given talks about the climate. As of August 2010, Lam has given 130 talks and 40 interviews.