香港樹仁大學
第四十三屆畢業典禮
贊辭
劉德華博士
榮譽文學博士
以下贊辭由黃仲鳴博士撰寫，並由梁天偉教授於典禮上宣讀
提起劉德華這個名字，相信不用多作介紹，中港台、甚至全球的華人社區，有誰不知？他的封號如「亞洲天王」、「一代天王」、「華神」等，顯示出他在演藝事業上的成就。他為人低調、謙和、親民，贏得萬千粉絲和市民的擁戴，所以又有「萬人迷」、「民間特首」的稱號。對這一切稱譽，劉德華都是以平和心對待，「豈能盡如人意，但求無愧於心」，這是他的格言，也是他的金句，其意是做每一件事，都是隨心所之，隨力所至，能做到、達到，無所悔疚便可。
劉德華是正牌的香港仔，出生於新界大埔，家庭環境並不富裕，中六上學期後，入了無線藝員訓練班。這是他三十多年演藝事業的起步，也是為他的人生拼圖作出努力的起點。
他愛用「拼圖」二字。
今年初墮馬後，他休養了半年便全面復工；在北京出席由他監製和主演的電影《俠盜聯盟》時說：「這是我生命中的一個拼圖，沒有它就不成立。」他的人生有兩大拼圖，即演戲和歌唱；另一塊是公益事業。一部電影，只是其中一小塊拼圖，由小塊拼到大塊，拼到亮麗的一大塊，到現在還要一直拼下去。
第一塊拼圖 電影事業
迄今，劉德華一共參演了22部電視劇和160部電影。自1991年至今一共投資了30多部電影和2部電視劇。1981年加入無線，首部演出的電視劇是《香港香港：江湖再見》；最後一部電視劇是1992年的《群星會》。第一部電影是吳小雲執導的《彩雲曲》。第一部擔任重要角色的電影是1982年許鞍華執導的《投奔怒海》。第一部擔任主角的作品是1983年霍耀良執導的《毀滅號地車》。第一次獲得香港電影金像獎最佳男主角提名是1988年的《旺角卡門》。1989年有16部電影上映，是他參演作品最多的一年。1997年投資並監製的獨立電影《香港製造》，成為香港電影金像獎最佳影片。1999年的《暗戰》，首次贏得香港電影金像獎最佳男主角獎。2005年創辦「亞洲新星導」成功打造寧浩導演的「瘋狂的石頭」，引領影壇重視新人培育及計畫。2011年的《桃姐》，同獲金馬獎和香港金像獎的雙料影帝。2013年杜琪峰導演的《盲探》，為他首次奪得國際影展影帝榮譽。他亦一直支持藝術舞台的傳承，從出資保存「紅線女」的全記錄粵劇珍貴資料，到支持香港新生代劇團本土創作的「尋找快樂時代」。
由上述的成績單可以看出，無論在藝術和商業片上，劉德華都取得驕人的成績。他的成績固然是基於演戲天才，最重要的還是憑他的努力和際遇。
第二塊拼圖 歌唱事業
進軍樂壇後，第一張專輯是《只知道此刻愛你》，未獲很大的迴響；但他百折不撓，一路奮戰唱下去，粵語、國語歌齊頭並進。至2010年，他發行的新歌專輯有50多張，整個1990年代到2000年代前期，劉德華一直處於巔峰狀態；2000年代中後期，歌聲稍歇；不過他的唱片銷量，還有一定的保證。至2000年代，他的唱片銷量在各地累計超過4800萬張，為華語歌手中的佼佼者。30年來在世界各地舉辦了近五百場的萬人演唱會，成為當代最受歡迎的華人歌手。
劉德華還熱衷填詞，其中的《心肝寶貝》，是他為「2006肝炎防治宣傳教育活動共抗乙肝」的主題曲。至今他一共參與了超過150首歌曲的填詞，大多數為個人單獨創作，風格多變。由填詞可以看出劉德華的文字水準和文學修養。
第三塊拼圖 公益事業
劉德華信佛，以「我佛慈悲」的心腸，做了不少鮮為人知的公益事業。為人所知的有：1991年華東水災、2001年內蒙古雪災、2004年印度洋海嘯、2008年汶川大地震、2009年台灣八八水災、2010年玉樹地震，2011年日本海嘯等舉辦的各類慈善演出和募捐活動。他也曾先後擔任多個組織單位的公益活動大使，並拍攝了不少公益宣傳片，如「世界愛滋病日-愛在陽光下」、「白手杖愛盲行動」和「中國產品質量電子監管網」等。
1994年他成立了「劉德華慈善基金會有限公司」，旨在支持弱勢社群和幫助有需要的人士。他對殘疾人非常關心。2007年勵志歌曲《Everyone Is NO.1》的MV，是他個人出資150萬港幣，花3天時間辛苦拍攝，以此來激勵更多傷殘人士勇敢生活和拼搏下去；之後曾擔任中國殘疾人福利基金會副理事長，及現任香港殘疾人奧委會暨傷殘人士體育協會副會長，為殘疾人事業出一分力。同時亦獲香港特別行政區頒授「榮譽勳章」、「銅紫荊星章」、「非官守太平紳士」等榮譽。
演藝和歌唱是劉德華的事業大拼圖，慈善事業則是他回餽社會的公益活動。其他還有很多很多的小拼圖，如好書法，勤題字，拼成了一個為人所熟知的劉德華。這一切當然歸功於他的奮戰不休，故被人譽為「牛華」、「勞模」、「超人」等稱號。在事業遇上困境和人生低谷時，他絕不會低沉下去。不可不知，這和他篤信佛教有很大的關係，他有個佛名「慧果」，誦經禮佛，修出了人生正果。他的「佛偈」如「心惡則到處是地獄，心善則到處是天堂」、「明日幸福今日修」等，俱充滿人生智慧。他還為自己下判語：「生命是一場戰鬥，我們就是天堂的戰士，披戰衣，上沙場，兵來將擋，水來土掩，受傷了，自己轉到一角舔傷口，休息一會再上沙場，漸漸地，受傷不再是一個傷口，而是一種習慣。」他還勸勉年輕人：「青春真好，可以驕傲，可以義無反顧的勇往直前，做自己喜歡做的事，不用擔心回頭已是百年身，不用理會當青春一去不回的日子應否後悔。」
副校監閣下，基於劉德華的藝術成就和對香港的貢獻，甚至影響了一代兩代的香港人；樹仁大學頒予榮譽文學博士，與有榮焉。
HONG KONG SHUE YAN UNIVERSITY
The 43rd Graduation Ceremony
Citation
Dr. Andy LAU Tak Wah
Doctor of Letters, honoris causa
A citation translated by Dr. KUNG Chi Keung
Throughout Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the global Chinese communities, who would not recognize the name “Andy LAU Tak Wah”? It is certainly a name that needs no further introduction. He is known by many special titles reflecting the veneration he has from the public for his outstanding accomplishments in the performing arts, including “Heavenly King of Asia”, “Heavenly King of a Generation” and “Hua Shen”. His low-key, modest, friendly and approachable personality has endeared him to millions of fans and ordinary folks alike, who also consider him to be a “heartthrob” and the “unofficial Chief Executive of the SAR”. Mr. LAU takes all the accolades and compliments bestowed upon him with equanimity, saying: “Life isn’t always smooth sailing, but we can always live with integrity and a clear, determined heart.” This is Mr. LAU’s motto, often quoted by others, and through it he encourages people to follow their hearts in every endeavor, to work hard and with dedication to accomplish their goals, so that they will never look back with regret.
Born in Tai Po into a family of modest means, Mr. LAU is truly a quintessential native son of Hong Kong. After completing his first semester in Form 6, he enrolled in TVB’s Artiste Training Course, heralding the beginning of his more than 30-year career as a performing artist and presaging the efforts he would make thereafter to assemble the “mosaic pieces” of his life.
Mr. LAU loves to use the term “mosaic pieces”.
Earlier this year, Mr. LAU sustained serious injuries in an accident during a commercial shoot, in which he was thrown from a horse. Yet only six months later, he had already returned to work. During the Beijing press conference for the promotion of his new film, The Adventurers, which he both produced and stars in, he said, “My life is a mosaic with many pieces and this film is one of them; without it my life would not be complete.” There are actually two major mosaic pieces in Mr. LAU’s life: acting and singing. The other is his charity work. A film is only one of the tiny mosaic pieces; and it demands strenuous, ongoing effort to put all the tiny pieces together before a bigger, brighter mosaic is formed. For Mr. LAU, there is never any doubt that he will press on until the mosaic is complete.
The First Mosaic Piece: Film Career
As of today, Mr. LAU has starred in 22 TV series and 160 films. Since 1991, he has invested in over 30 films and two TV series. His first TV series after joining TVB in 1981 was Till We Meet Again and his last was Thief of Time in 1992. He made his film debut with a cameo appearance in Director NG Siu Wan’s Once Upon a Rainbow. The first film in which Mr. LAU was given a major role was Boat People (1982), directed by Ann HUI. A year later he played his first leading role in Director FOK Yiu Leung’s action drama Rail Out of Order (On the Wrong Track). Mr. LAU was nominated for the first time for Best Actor at the 8th Hong Kong Film Awards for his performance in As Tears Go By (1988). Sixteen of his films were screened in cinemas in 1989 alone, marking that year as his most prolific in terms of film output. Made in Hong Kong (1997), an independent film in which he invested and produced, won Best Film at the 17th Hong Kong Film Awards. For his brilliant performance in Running Out of Time (1999), he won Best Actor for the first time at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards. A Simple Life (2011) again won him Best Actor in both the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Hong Kong Film Awards. Blind Detective (2013), a crime thriller cum romantic-comedy directed by Johnnie TO, earned Mr. LAU the Best Actor Award at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain. It was his first ever international honour in that category.
The glittering list of achievements he has garnered over the years points to Mr. LAU’s phenomenal successes in both art house films and commercial films. Indeed, it is not only his outstanding acting talents that have catapulted him to stardom, but also his determination and his dedication to making the most of the opportunities life offered to him.
Mr. LAU is also notable for his active support of emerging talent in the film industry. In 2005, he launched the project “FOCUS: First Cuts”, producing the film Crazy Stone, which was directed by the young mainland film director NING Hao. The film proved to be a huge box-office success, and served as a model to the movie industry, turning its attention to the importance of implementing mentoring programs to groom new talents.
Throughout the years, Mr. LAU has also lent his support to preserve and promote the legacy of Chinese traditional and contemporary art forms. His dedication is shown through his funding of efforts to preserve a valuable archive containing the complete repertoire of Cantonese operas by HUNG Sin Niu, as well as his support of the local production of “Unforgettable Era” by a new generation of Hong Kong’s theatrical and performing groups, among many other initiatives.
The Second Mosaic Piece: Singing Career
Mr. LAU’s debut album, Just Know I Only Love You, was not a big hit, but with his characteristic indomitable spirit, hard work and perseverance, he pressed on singing both Cantonese and Mandarin songs, to become a major music star. As of 2010, he had already released over 50 special albums, and for over a decade, from the 1990s till the early 2000s, he remained at the pinnacle of his singing career. In the mid to late 2000s, his recording career was less hectic, but his records still sold briskly, and by the new millennium their total sales had exceeded 48 million copies, outshining his fellow Chinese singers. Over the past 30 years, he has given nearly 500 concerts, with each attended by a large audience of at least 10,000, earning him the honour of being the most popular contemporary Chinese singer.
Mr. LAU is also a talented lyricist, and one of the songs he penned, Xingan baobei (“The Heart and Liver are Precious”), was the theme song for China’s Hepatitis Prevention and Control Publicity Campaign in 2006—Resistance to Hepatitis B. To date, he has contributed to lyrics for over 150 songs, the majority of which are his solo compositions across a wide range of styles. His accomplishments as a lyricist clearly demonstrate the impressive level of his writing and literary understanding.
The Third Mosaic Piece: Charity Work
Mr. LAU is a devout Buddhist. With the heart of a merciful Bodhisattva, he has quietly been involved in important charity work over the years, much of which is little known to the public. What has been known, however, are the many charity concerts and relief fund-raising campaigns he has supported or initiated for the victims of a string of devastating natural disasters, including the Huadong floods in eastern China (1991); the Inner Mongolia snow blizzard (2001); the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004); the Wenchuan, Sichuan earthquake (2008); the floods in Taiwan (2009); the Yushu, Qinghai earthquake (2010); and Japan’s earthquake and tsunami (2011). He has also served as a good-will ambassador for various organizations and made a number of charity promotional videos, such as World AIDS Day—Love Under the Sun”, “White Bars Love Blind Action”, and “Product Identification, Authentication and Tracking System (PIATS)” to promote product safety.
In 1994 Mr. LAU founded the Andy LAU Charity Foundation Limited, with the goal of providing assistance to the underprivileged and people in need. He is particularly concerned about those suffering from physical disabilities. His 2007 inspirational music video, Everyone Is No. 1, which he shot over three days on a budget of HK$ 1.5 million paid for out of his own pocket, is used to motivate people with physical disabilities to live courageously and work hard. Mr. LAU later served as Vice Chairman of the China Foundation for Disabled Persons, and is currently Vice President of the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (HKPC & SAPD), continuing his efforts towards supporting physically disabled persons. In recognition of his contributions, Mr. LAU was awarded Hong Kong SAR’s Medal of Honour and Bronze Bauhinia Star, and was appointed Non-official Justice of the Peace by the government.
These three major mosaic pieces, his acting and singing careers, and his charity work through which he wishes to give back to society, make up a large part of the brilliant mosaic of Mr. LAU’s life. But there are other smaller pieces in this mosaic, including his love of calligraphy. His calligraphy is frequently featured on film posters. His calligraphic inscription also graces local public spaces. These tiny mosaic pieces together make Andy LAU the person we know and honour today. Ultimately, what most contributes to his zeal and dedication in his professional and charity work and his support of art, is his vibrant, indefatigable spirit, earning him such affectionate nicknames as “Niuhua” (as hardworking as an ox), “Laomo” (a role model of industriousness) and even “Superman”. Whether facing difficulties in life or challenges in career, Mr. LAU never stops fighting to attain his goals. Indeed, the indomitable spirit he shows has much to do with his devout Buddhist faith. Acquiring the Buddhist title of “Huiguo”, he is diligent in his practice; and thus his life and career reflect the fruits of this devotion.
One of Mr. LAU’s favourite Buddhist verses is: “Hell is all around us when we have the mind for evil; paradise is everywhere when we have the mind for kindness.” Another is: “Future happiness is cultivated in the present moment.” Both are sayings filled with wisdom. He himself has also made the following observation: “Life is a battle, and we are heavenly warriors who put on our armour and head out into the battlefield. When enemies approach, we fight back, rolling with the punches. When we get injured, we find a corner where we can tend to our wounds and then head right back into battle. Eventually, we become habituated to battle injuries, and they no longer can wound us.” He also has this advice for young people: “How wonderful youth is! One can hold one’s head high with pride and charge on courageously without hesitation. Young people can achieve whatever they set out to do, and when they look back it will be without regrets, without any sense of having wasted their youth.”
Professor HU, for his prodigious artistic achievements and contributions toHong Kong, as well as his positive impact on generations of Hong Kong people, I take great honour in presenting to you Mr. Andy LAU Tak Wah for the award of the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa.
