The Chairman’s Biography       Mr. Chan Shu Kit, founder and chairman of the Lei Garden Restaurant Group was born in Guangzhou, China. His father was the famous Kuo Min Tang military general Mr. Chan Ji Tang who in the 1930’s governed the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces of China. General Chan was then nicknamed “King of the South” and under his administration, the people enjoyed peace and prosperity which is still dearly remembered by many from that generation.     When Mr. S.K.Chan was young, his family residence was well patronized by celebrities and he was pampered by exquisite cuisines prepared by master chefs. These culinary experiences have engendered an acute sense for gourmet food, a higher than usual expectation for what is being served and henceforth, infused the desire to venture into the restaurant business later on in life.     Following his late father’s footsteps, Mr. Chan originally pursued a military career and had studied at both the Central Military Academy in Taiwan and the Virginia Military School in the United States. However, he winded up with a Masters degree in Structural Engineering from the United States. He returned to Hong Kong in 1961 and started his career in education. He later founded two English Secondary Schools.     His inexorable desire for good food however never left him and few restaurants can quench his thirst. He often told people that while others eat to live, he lives to eat. He firmly believed that he was able to open a restaurant that not only serves the best of food but also keeps everybody healthy. Despite many friendly advice against his wish, he finally made up his mind and opened his first restaurant, the Lei Garden Chinese Restaurant in 1973 in Shamshuipo, Hong Kong.     Neither did he have the knowledge in location selection nor marketing strategies or production skills. Worse still, the poorly educated chefs and service staffs are almost incommunicable. This resulted in a loss of over 2 million dollars in the first six years of operation. But Mr. Chan would not take failure as a way out. He started learning to cook himself and looking for experienced professional help in the field. With his perseverance, scientific approach and modern management mind set, he finally managed to expand his restaurant empire into 17 branches with 1,800 staff spanning across Hong Kong, Singapore and China over the last thirty years.