Driving High-Quality Development in the New Retail Sector
July 8, 2025 – The PolyU FB - Li Jinglong Specialist Centre for New Retail Business was officially inaugurated today at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's (PolyU). Initiated and endowed by Prof. Li Gui, founder of Wotuo Commercial Trading Limited, the Centre aims to pool collective wisdom for exploring innovative pathways in new retail – the integration of online and offline experiences with technology – providing robust support for the industry's high-quality development.
At the opening ceremony, Prof. Miranda Lou, Executive Vice President of PolyU, delivered the inaugural address. She emphasised that the Centre will serve as a nexus for collaboration, bringing together academia, industry, and government to co-create solutions that are both visionary and pragmatic. "This collaboration," she stated, "epitomises the defining impact of a modern university."
Ir Prof. T.C. Edwin Cheng, Dean of the Faculty of Business, addressed the assembly, highlighting the Centre's pivotal role in professional development. "Through specialised workshops and programmes,” he noted, “the Centre will equip retail professionals with critical skills to thrive in rapidly evolving environments, empowering them to lead transformation.” He added, “It will inspire high-impact research and drive innovation in an era where change is the only constant."
Prof. Li Gui, founder of Wotuo Commercial Trading Limited, then took the podium. "PolyU's innovative DNA is globally renowned, and the Faculty of Business serves as a cradle of industrial transformation,” he affirmed. “This endowment pays tribute to academic foundations while investing in our industry's future. The Centre's mission is clear and action-oriented: to crystallise wisdom, empower talent, and co-build ecosystems." Invoking Hong Kong's pioneering spirit, he concluded: "Dare to pioneer, dare to innovate, dare to shoulder responsibility. May this Centre become a beacon illuminating the future of retail, elevating China's retail sector to global pre-eminence."
The ceremony culminated with a symbolic unveiling of the commemorative plaque by Prof. Miranda Lou, Ir Prof. T.C. Edwin Cheng, Prof. Chelsea Jiang, and Prof. Li Gui.
