陶欣伯先生，1916年12月25日出生于江苏南京。自幼就受到良好的家风、家教熏陶，对他的人生成长和事业发展产生了较大影响。10岁时随家人赴上海，就读于中法学堂和震旦大学。1937年抗战爆发后，年仅21岁就到越南、缅甸等地从事物资运输工作；1940年后主要在东南亚一带从事商贸活动，开始了创业生涯。60年代初举家移民新加坡，从事船务、银行及地产业，成为新加坡著名跨国企业家。

70年代末，中国改革开放的大门刚刚开启，陶先生就独具慧眼，坚信祖国发展未来可期，怀揣海外赤子爱国报国之心，毅然回到家乡南京，倡建了南京金陵饭店，还在国内陆续参与投资了部分重点建设项目，为吸引更多外商投资营造了良好的营商环境，以实际行动表达对祖国改革开放政策的坚定支持。虽然晚年逐步淡出商务活动，但他却十分关注中国农村偏远地区建设发展和城乡差别，关心农村家庭经济困难大学生成人、成才、成业等问题，开始致力于教育慈善活动，在公益事业上付出了很多的精力、人力和财力。八十高龄之时，创立陶欣伯教育基金会；九十高寿之际，创办江苏陶欣伯助学基金会，对其他公益事业亦有多项捐赠。于2006年被特聘为江苏省慈善总会名誉会长，深得千万学子的尊敬和爱戴。

陶欣伯先生是一位享有盛誉、德高望重的华裔实业家。陶先生从20岁刚出头就只身远赴海外开启了他人生商海事业的孜孜追求。先是在抗战时期到越南、缅甸从事物资运输工作，1945年抗战结束后，又在东南亚多国和香港等地经营大米、柚木等出口业务和船运工作；60年代初，陶先生举家定居新加坡，继续从事船务并开始涉足银行和地产业等业务；60年代末至70年代初，陶先生顺应时势，专注于房地产开发领域，欣光公司、新加坡置地、印尼雅加达置地相继诞生，使他成为新加坡的地产先驱。其中新加坡置地从小到大，开创了时代之先，并发展成为新加坡最大的上市公司之一。身为新加坡地产巨子、填海造地的时代先锋，欣光大厦、滨海广场、吉利福中心、蚬壳大厦和新门广场等项目，个个都是出类拔萃的杰作项目。

中国实行改革开放以后，面临资金短缺和人才匮乏等问题，亟需吸引大量外资促进经济建设，陶先生响应祖国召唤，1978年在故乡南京，帮助兴建了金陵饭店。陶先生还力促新加坡政府在苏州创办工业园， 并成为苏州工业园的投资者之一，苏州工业园区也成为中国改革开放的先行军，开创了改革开放的新模式。1993年，陶先生与其他著名海外华商华侨联手投资建设上海世贸商城，成为亚洲最大的常年展示中心。此外，他还先后投资了北京亮马河大厦、苏州锦华苑、南京状元楼酒店等项目。经过多年的商海奋斗拚搏，陶先生在新加坡已成为享有盛誉、德高望重的杰出跨国企业家、华裔实业家。鉴于陶先生在中新商贸关系发展中所作出的突出贡献，2010年新加坡政府将首届“通商中国成就奖”授予了他，新加坡内阁资政、新加坡前总理李光耀先生亲自颁发了此奖。2015年，在新加坡建国50周年之际，陶先生又荣膺新加坡中华总商会“新加坡建国50周年杰出贡献奖”。

陶欣伯先生是一位不畏困难、不惧挑战的卓越创业家。陶欣伯先生一生都遵循“不说谎、不骗人，待人以诚”的做人信条和“全力以赴、公开透明，做错了责己不怨人”的做事准则，因而也成就了他在近七十年茫茫商海中创造出一名成功创业者的卓越伟业。陶先生从1940年开始到东南亚一带开启陆地运输、杂粮贸易、船务航运、房地产开发等业务为主的自主创业生涯的20多年间，曾遇到过在生意经营过程中出现资金短缺的困境，也遭遇日军飞机轰炸码头的危险，更遇到过辛苦创造的财产和家业被缅甸政变军政府没收的无奈，但他始终不畏困难、不惧挑战，没有退缩。在困境时善用智慧渡过难关，在危险时懂得避险化险为夷，在无奈时选择守候厚积薄发。他始终把诚实守信作为立业之本，把合作共赢作为创业之基；他靠待人以诚赢得不同合作伙伴的高度信赖，靠公开透明获得属于自己的正当利益。陶先生在60年代全家定居新加坡后，又审时度势，专注于房地产业，在短短几年内里，除了欣光大厦外，还马不停蹄地先后完成了蚬壳大厦、滨海广场的三座酒店、新门大厦，以及阿卡迪亚住宅区，使他的创业事业达到一个巅峰。在改革开放的东风吹响中华大地、需要吸引大量外资的时候，陶先生毫不犹豫积极响应，成为国内重大建设项目第一批外商投资者，先后建成了南京金陵饭店、北京亮马河大厦、上海世贸商城、苏州工业园、苏州锦华苑、南京状元楼以及上海新天地住宅等一批有影响力的建设项目。陶先生高瞻远瞩、具有长远战略眼光，在90年代关注中国改革开放、投资服务商贸项目的同时，看中斯里兰卡的区位优势和独特的地理位置，率先前往斯里兰卡投资兴建了首都双子塔——科伦坡世贸中心。这座现代化的双子塔既是斯里兰卡第一高楼，也曾是南亚地区的第一高楼。作为现代化城市的代表性建筑，世贸中心成为科伦坡知名的城市地标，在这个国家发展的重大历史阶段占据着显赫的地位。对一些看中、看好的重大建设项目，陶先生都会抓住机遇，全力以赴，亲力亲为，以自己特有的创业家精神，在海内外很多创业者和从业者中都树立了良好的典范。

陶欣伯先生是一位胸怀祖国、热爱故乡的著名爱国者。陶先生虽然大半生都在海外辗转创业，拓展实业，但一直不忘家乡和故土，始终带着浓浓的“金陵情结”。1978年他返回故乡南京，帮助建设南京金陵饭店，于1983年10月4日正式开业。金陵饭店的建成既是中国实行改革开放的一个缩影，雄踞全国第一高楼长达10年时间（1983-1993年），更是第一家完全由中国人自己管理的大型涉外5星级酒店，树立了国内五星级酒店服务业的标杆；陶先生是一位具有独特国际视野的实业家，他敏锐地意识到，国家要扩大改革开放，必须创造更多的能够吸引外商来我国投资的基础设施，必须营造更好的利于外资外商成长发展和实现互利双赢目标的营商环境。1989年落成的北京朝阳区亮马河大厦，位于北京商务经济文化中心，地处京城CBD燕莎商圈；1993年，他与其他爱国华人一起，投资建设上海世贸商城，1999年正式落成。世贸商城坐落于上海虹桥经济开发区，由常年展贸中心、上海世贸展馆、世贸办公塔楼三大主体建筑构成，是一个集展示、交易、办公、资讯于一体的超级交易市场，总建筑面积达28万平方米，也是当时亚洲最大的常年展示中心。此外，他先后投资的苏州工业园、苏州锦华苑、南京状元楼酒店等项目，都在不同时期、以不同形式为祖国的改革开放和经济建设发挥了重要作用。陶先生用一名实业家、创业家特别的方式表达了他对祖国母亲的炙热情怀。

陶欣伯先生是一位关注农村、钟爱人才的教育慈善家。青年时期的国难经历以及之后数十年的经商历程，都使陶先生充分意识到人才对于祖国经济发展的重要性，在商业取得巨大成功的同时，他就从来没有停止过对慈善公益事业的倾心投入，大力开展教育慈善活动。他不断强调，国家要强盛，经济要繁荣，必须要靠教育。1991年，陶先生在家乡——南京江宁横溪乡出资100多万元重建了允公小学，至今为止已先后投入2000多万元；耄耋之年，陶先生在发展实业的同时，决定成立基金会开拓慈善事业，立志为中国强盛而培养企业家人才，从此开启了他毕生与众不同的教育慈善事业。1996年成立了“陶欣伯教育基金会”，专项资助被美国哈佛大学商学院和斯坦福大学商学院录取的中国学生完成工商管理硕士学位的学习，鼓励他们学成后回国服务，报效祖国。先后有近百位青年才俊获得陶欣伯奖学金，他们学成归国后，很多人已成为各项各业的翘楚，而且薪火相传，志愿服务弱势群体，普及创新理念，传播创业文化；陶先生并不满足于此，在了解到国内很多地方城乡差别悬殊，仍有不少贫困学子因贫辍学或生活困难，在九十高龄时他又创伟业。2006年，陶欣伯先生和相濡以沫60多年的夫人刘光藜女士共同出资人民币10.7亿元，创办了江苏陶欣伯助学基金会，设立“伯藜助学金”，希望基金会通过开展助学金项目的方式，嵌入高校人才培养，资助来自农村地区贫困有志且品学兼优的学子完成大学学业。不仅如此，基金会还持续资助陶学子组织的校园文化活动，开展社会实践活动，提升综合能力素质；为鼓励陶学子学业有成后能够服务乡村经济社会发展，彻底改变家乡面貌，陶先生还特别要求基金会组织开展一些创业项目，并提供创业辅导，利用自己在新加坡的影响力，协调建立基金会与新加坡管理大学的合作，每年全额资助和输送有创业意愿的部分学生利用暑期到新加坡管理大学进行为期一个月的创业能力强化培训，同时还协助筹措创业资金，扶持有志服务家乡的陶学子积极投身创新创业大潮。江苏陶欣伯助学基金会成立以来，先后资助江苏省内22所项目合作院校10,000多名从全国31个省、市、自治区农村广袤大地走出来的有志青年学子，涉及到近30个不同民族，助成他们告别青涩，迎来果敢，在校园内外、祖国城乡绽放光彩，因而也创造了江苏陶欣伯助学基金会独树一帜的助学模式。“伯藜助学金”项目荣获第二届“中华慈善奖突出贡献（项目）奖”，2015年陶欣伯先生被中华慈善总会授予“最具爱心捐赠个人”称号，因此，把陶欣伯先生称之为“教育慈善家”是名至实归、当之无愧。

陶欣伯先生热爱祖国、热爱民族、热爱家乡、热爱人民，所思、所言、所行都处处表现出了他炽热浓烈的家国情怀。他的一生既是充满传奇的一生，同时也是拼搏奋斗的一生；他的睿智与远见，勤奋与成就，慈祥与博爱，受到了包括海内外合作者、家乡民众和项目合作院校、受助青年学子在内的社会广泛赞誉和普遍尊敬。他直接投资或参与投资的海内外众多建设项目现在依然熠熠生辉，将永远泽被后世；他留下的《百岁老人话旧事》书里真实的人生小故事富含人生哲理，将永远激励后人；他精心开创和打造的宏伟教育慈善事业丰碑永矗，将永远光耀后代。

A Brief Biography of Mr. Shing Pee Tao

Mr. Shing Pee Tao was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province on December 25, 1916. The family upbringing and the word and deed of the family left an indelible mark on Mr. Tao's future successful life and career. At 10, he moved to Shanghai with his family and later entered Sino-French School and Aurora University. Mr. Tao, at 21, went on to Vietnam, Myanmar and engaged himself in transportation business when the War Against Japanese Invasion broke out in 1937. During the 1940s, Mr. Tao mainly did trade business in Southeast Asian countries and started his entrepreneurial career. In 1960s, Mr. Tao and his family became naturalized citizens and settled down in Singapore. His businesses expanded to shipping, banking, and property developing and became a multi-national business tycoon.

In late 1970s when China lifted its bamboo curtain and implemented its opening up policy, Mr. Tao was convinced that China would experience an unprecedented development in the future. Without any hesitation, he immediately made his first trip back to Nanjing after he left China 40 years and proposed to build Jinling Hotel. Subsequently, Mr. Tao invested and developed a few key projects, which are testaments of his genuine support for the opening up and reform policy institutionalized in China in late 1970s. In his late years, Mr. Tao faded out from his business activities and shifted his focus on the underdevelopment in remote rural areas and the gap between the urban and rural in China. He devoted himself to charity to cultivate the rural talents to encourage them to make their contributions to the socio-economic development in rural China. At 80, Mr. Tao established Tao Shing Pee Education Foudnation; at 90, he set up Jiangsu Tao Shing Pee Education Foundation. In 2006 and 2010, he was appointed Honorary President of Jisngsu Charity Federation.

Mr. Shing Pee Tao is a prestigious and respected Chinese industrialist. Mr. Tao went abroad alone to pursue his business career in his early 20s. At first, he engaged in transportation business in Vietnam and Myanmar during the War Against the Japanese Invation. After the War ended in 1945, he went on to do export business and shipping of rice and teak in many southeast Asian countries and Hong Kong. In the early 1960s, Mr. Tao settled down in Singapore with his family and continued to engage in shipping, banking and real estate development. From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, Mr. Tao seized the opportunity and focused on real estate development. The establishment of Shing Kwan Company, Singapore Land and Jakarta Land in Indonesia made him a pioneer in Singapore real estate circle. Among them, Singapore Land has grown from a small company to one of the largest listed companies in Singapore, hailed as a pioneer of the times. As one of Singapore's real estate giants and pioneers of reclamation, Shing Kwan, Marina Square, Clifford Centre, Shell Tower and The Gateway are all masterpieces of excellence projects.

After the implementation of the reform and opening up, China was faced with a shortage of funds and talents, and needed to attract a large number of foreign investment to promote economic construction. Mr. Tao responded to the call of the motherland and helped build the Jinling Hotel in his hometown Nanjing in 1978. Mr. Tao also urged the Singapore government to establish an industrial park in Suzhou, and became one of the investors of the Suzhou Industrial Park, which created a new model and became a pioneer of China's reform and opening up. In 1993, Mr. Tao and other famous overseas Chinese jointly invested in the construction of ShanghaiMart, which became the largest perennial exhibition center in Asia. In addition, he also invested in Beijing Landmark Towers, Suzhou Jinhua Garden, Mandarin Garden Hotel in Nanjing and other projects. After years of hard work in business world, Mr. Tao became an outstanding transnational entrepreneur and Chinese industrialist enjoying high reputation and high prestige in Singapore. In view of his outstanding contribution to the development of Chins-Singapore business relations, he was conferred the 2010 inaugural Business China Excellence Award by the Singaporean government. The late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the Minister Mentor and the former Prime Minister of Singapore, presented the award to Mr. Tao in person. In 2015, Mr. Tao was awarded the Chinese Business Pioneers Award by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce at the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of Singapore.

Mr. Shing Pee Tao was an outstanding entrepreneur who had the gumption to meet up the difficulties and challenges. Throughout his life, Mr. Tao followed his creed of life that "do not tell lies, do not deceive others, and treat others with sincerity and honesty", and his code of conduct that "try your best and go all out, be open and transparent, and blame yourself instead of others for doing things wrong", therefore he achieved a remarkable career of a successful entrepreneur in his nearly 70 years  in his vast scope of business areas. Since 1940, Mr. Tao started his self-employed career in Southeast Asia, focusing on transportation, miscellaneous grain trade, shipping, real estate development and other businesses. In the process of those business operations, he once encountered a lack of funds, the danger that Japanese aircraft bombing the wharf, and even the frustration that his property and family possessions accumulated with hardship were confiscated by the Myanmar's military coup government, but he never backed off or feared difficulties or challenges. He made the best use of his wisdom to get through difficulties, saved himself in times of danger, and chose to wait and prepare when there was no choice. He always took integrity and credibility as the foundation of his career and cooperation with mutual-benefits as the basis of his entrepreneurship. He was highly trusted by different partners by treating others with sincerity and honesty, and obtained his legitimate interests by being open and transparent. After his family settled in Singapore in the 1960s, Mr. Tao took a stock and concentrated on the real estate industry. In just a few years, besides Shing Kwan House, he also built Shell Tower, three hotels at the Marina Square, the Gateway and the Arcadia residential area, bringing his entrepreneurial career to the peak. During China's reform and opening-up era and China needed to attract large amounts of foreign investment, Mr. Tao did not hesitate to express his active support. He became one of the first foreign investors participated in the major domestic construction projects in China. He successively built a number of influential construction projects, including Jinling Hotel in Nanjing, Beijing Landmark Towers, Shanghaimart, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou Jinhua Garden, Mandarin Garden Hotel in Nanjing and Shanghai Xintiandi. With Mr. Tao's visionary and long-term strategic foresight, he paid attention to China's reform and opening-up policy and invested in service and trade projects in the 1990s. Meanwhile, because of Sri Lanka's unique geographic advantages and location, he pioneered the investment in the construction of twin towers at the capital of Sri Lanka - the Colombo World Trade Center. This modern twin tower is not only the tallest building in Sri Lanka, but also once was the tallest building in South Asia. As a representative building of a modern city, the World Trade Center has become a well-known urban landmark in Colombo and occupies a prominent position in the major historical stage of this country's development. Mr. Tao seized every chance for some important and promising construction projects, and dedicated with every effort and put himself into it. He set a very good example among many entrepreneurs and practitioners at home and abroad with his unique entrepreneurial spirit.

Mr. Shing Pee Tao is a fervent patriot who loved his motherland. Mr. Tao spent most of his life time overseas doing businesses, but always cherished his wish to return to his home town. In 1987, he came back to Nanjing and helped build the Jinling Hotel, which was opened on October 4, 1983. Jinling Hotel is an epitome of China's opening up and reform policy. For 10 years, Jinling Hotel was honored as the tallest building in China (1983-1993). It is also hailed as a hallmark of the Chinese five-star hotel, which is operated and managed solely by the Chinese managers. With an international perspective, Mr. Tao was convinced that China needed to have better infrastructure in order to attract foreign investment and improve business transaction environment to realize win-win. In 1989, Liangmahe Mansion was completed, situated at the CBD of Beijing; in 1993, ShanghaiMart was launched and completed in 1999, the then largest exhibition center in Asia covering a floor area of 280,000 square meters.  Subsequently, Mr. Tao continued his investment in Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou Jinhua Complex, Nanjing Mandrin Hotel, which is a testament of Mr. Tao's support for China's opening up and reform policy.

Mr. Tao is education philanthropist, who paid enough attention to cultivate talents to make contributions to the socio-economic development in rural China. The tumultuous youth and dozens of years engaged in business activities convinced Mr. Tao that talents were of utmost importance to China's economic development. Alongside his businesses, Mr. Tao never ceased to invest in his philanthropic activities. He stressed time and again that the key to national buildup and economic prosperity was education. In 1991, Mr. Tao donated one million yuan to rebuild Yungong Primary School at his hometown of Hengxi Tonwship of Jiangning District in Nanjing. Since then, he had donated more 20 million yuan to the school. In late years, he decided to set up an foundation to train enterprisers for Chinese companies. Hence, Tao Shing Pee Education Foundation came into being to sponsor the Chinese students to complete their MBAs at Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. The scholarship winners are encouraged to return to and serve China for two years. Up to now, a total of 99 scholars won TSP Scholars and they are serving as leaders in various business circles and social sectors. They endeavor to continue Mr. Tao's legacy to help the needy and pioneering spirit to engage in entrepreneurship. Mr. Tao went beyond this to bridge the regional gaps between the east and the west and between the rich and the poor by cultivating the talents from the rural areas. Therefore, Jiangsu Tao Shing Pee Education Foundation was established in 2006 with a total of 1.7 billion yuan contributed by Mr. Tao Shing Pee and Madam Liu Kwan Li. The scholarship was named afer Mr. And Mrs. Tao as Peeli Scholarship to provide financial aid to students from underdeveloped rural areas: 1) to complete their tertiary education; and 2) to encourage graduating students to return to their home communities by providing entrepreneurial guidance and financial backing to start up local businesses. Up to now, JSTSPEF has sponsored a total of 16,000 Tao students of more than 30 nationalities in 31 provinces and autonomous regions on Mainland China. The Peeli Scholarship was honored by the Second China Charity Award as an outstanding project. Mr. Tao was honored as the Most Distinguished Donor by the Third China Charity Award.