Our columnist Joanne Chan talks to the chairman of the Hong Kong Dance Company

For many years, Stanley Wong was well-known in the banking sector as a financial taipan. He spent a good 30 years at Standard Chartered, working his way up to CEO of its Commercial Banking arm in China, before a seven-year stint at ICBC. Recently, however, he has dedicated himself full -ime to community work and studies.

An avid reader, one of his recent favourites is Fermat's Last Theorem. The book recounts the story of a successful lawyer and politician, Pierre de Fermat, who made a name for himself through his off-work passion of mathematics. He shook the mathematics world for some 350 years before someone was able to crack his last theorem. A true believer that passion leads to success, we delve into the world of Wong, speaking as the Chairman of Hong Kong Dance Company ("the Company") on arts and passion.

A little bit about myself: I was born into a family without much material possession, but it was a very happy childhood.  My parents have a great sense of humour and are my most trusted mentors. Coming from a family of modest economic conditions has taught me to be fearless and be grateful for everything extra I have. We worked very hard, and moved from living in a squatter area to public housing, to purchasing our own public housing to private housing. We are very positive and believe that today will always be better than yesterday.

As the Chairman of the Hong Kong Dance Company, I came to learn first hand how the dancers and the office team work. As I was not formerly a regular arts-goer, being involved completely changed my perspectives about the arts community. I was moved and have become an advocate of the arts. The career of a dancer is short. Unlike musicians whose musicality improves with age, the number of openings for dancers decreases as they grow with age. I have true admiration for their unfaltering dedication and determination in pursuing their first love and doing their best.

The next major step for the Hong Kong Dance Company is to build our audience base. Our company visits around 50 schools a year and offers dance lessons as well as talks on being a dancer as a career. 

Our company is increasingly innovative in our programming. We collaborate on a regular basis with international choreographers. Recently we invited Yin Mei, a former dancer at our company, who had gone on to become a Fulbright Professor to return and choreograph The Seven Sages of Luoyang for us. This allows us to retain a link with our former dancers and at the same time create new sparks in our productions.   

We try to garner the support of as many private companies as possible as sponsors in order to have them invite their clients. That way, we are able to reach out to new audience, impress them with our performances and convert them into our regular audience. It is also our policy to keep our tickets affordable (the most expensive ticket is around HK$280) in order to keep it as accessible as possible.

I support the establishment of the Cultural Authority. I believe that its formation will create a more specialised bureau and art policies in order to groom Hong Kong's reputation in the arts. We need to have a balance of internationally renowned performances and at the same time nurture the flourishing of local arts companies, so that when tourists come to Hong Kong, they would plan to see a local show, like we would watch a musical when in London.

I have many interests. In my spare time, I listen to classical music, musical opera, Chinese opera and pop.  I appreciate antiques and have studied archaeology. However, unlike a lot of my peers, I do not believe in possessing them. I enjoy the simple pleasures of appreciating them. I love drinking tea, and I own many teapots. Books I find essential, and my favourites are books on history and biographies. I learn and get inspiration from them. I always try to read one Chinese book and one English book at the same time.

In terms of sports, I have a regular game of golf and badminton. Recently I have also taken up organic farming. I go onto the field, farm, and eat the fruits of my harvest.

On success: It takes a lot of hard work and to be in the right place and at the right time to be successful. Hard work requires lifelong learning and child-like curiosity.