Home shapes our personal growth and serves as the foundation where our life values take root. The Lee Kum Kee Family Foundation (LKKFF) has long been committed to building harmonious and healthy relationships in families and society. This vision resonates deeply with Chairperson Jason Lee, a fifth generation member of the Lee Kum Kee family who reflects fondly on his childhood and the meaningful connections he shared with his grandparents. Raised in a close-knit multigenerational business family, he understands the challenges to lasting family bonds. He and his family seek to foster greater societal appreciation for intergenerational relationships by introducing Grandparents’ Day, promoting mutual appreciation, strengthening intergenerational harmony and fostering resilience across generations.
“Grandparents’ Day” as a significant family occasion in society
LKKFF is committed to fostering healthy and harmonious family relationships that forms the building blocks of society. It upholds the Lee Kum Kee family’s core value of “Si Li Ji Ren” – considering everyone’s interests before taking action – while promoting a “prevention before sickness” approach to family well-being. This approach involves building awareness and engaging in preventive actions before negative impact. To achieve this goal, LKKFF works across various areas, enhancing youths’ mental wellness and psychosocial competence, building family resilience, and promoting intergenerational harmony, all of which are essential to help family thrive. Since its establishment in 2008, LKKFF has fulfilled this mission through various charitable projects through sponsorship and collaboration. One of its key initiatives is the introduction of “Grandparents’ Day” in Hong Kong.
Jason points out that grandparents now play increasingly important roles in family life – not merely providing daily care for the little ones but also shouldering parenting responsibilities and helping with homework and school studies among other family duties. By fostering mutual appreciation within families and society, LKKFF builds resilience and anti-fragility by recognising grandparents and encouraging youth to express themselves through shared family values. LKKFF advocates for the second Sunday of October every year as “Grandparents’ Day” in Hong Kong. Through a collection of thoughtful activities, they introduce the Five Love Languages to families for showing appreciation, fostering stronger intergenerational communication while recognising grandparents’ invaluable contributions – ultimately planting the seeds of a culture where “Appreciation Starts at Home”. “We hope this day can become another important occasion for families to express love and gratitude, much like Father’s Day and Mother’s Day,” Jason remarks.
Grandparents’ devotion deserves greater acknowledgment
“Our family and business have thrived for 137 years, growing stronger through the enduring strength of our bonds, where we embrace each other’s strengths and support one another to achieve our best,” Jason remarks. “Throughout our history, we’ve endured generational challenges, yet the spirit of building trust, mutual appreciation, gratitude, and devotion has guided us through these challenges, reinforcing our commitment to honouring family values, cultivating harmony, and celebrating the remarkable bond between grandparents and grandchildren.” Among all the branches of the family tree, Jason sees the grandparent-grandchild bond as the most vital family connection, where they share stories across generations, and nurture the entire family. As Jason shares, “The most cherished family moments are usually those simple moments where generations of family come together around a table of dim sum, sharing stories and laughter – these seemingly ordinary interactions actually hold the most profound value in life.”
Beyond serving as vital sources of support and wisdom for families, grandparents offer steadfast assistance that dual-career parents rely upon – a contribution that remains largely unrecognised and uncelebrated in society. Grandparents, who selflessly contribute to their families without seeking anything in return, harbour in their hearts a yearning for more precious moments with their children and grandchildren. LKKFF conducted a survey last August titled “Appreciating Grandparents: Family Relationships and Love”, delving into how today’s generation of grandparents interact with and receive care from their families, thereby understanding their life satisfaction and preferred ways of appreciation. The survey revealed that Hong Kong grandparents rated their satisfaction with current grandparent-grandchild relationships at 8.05 points out of 10, while further findings highlighted that the stronger the bond between elderly parents and their children, the more likely it is that grandparent-grandchild relationships will flourish. The survey also brought to light an interesting paradox: although many grandparents spend considerable time with their grandchildren, the quantity of time does not necessarily translate to satisfaction. Rather, what they truly desire is “quality time” – moments free from distractions where everyone can focus fully on meaningful communication and interaction. As Jason puts it, creating these meaningful interactions is not complicated: “It is really quite simple – put away your mobile phones and set aside your work, engage in activities they enjoy, and show genuine interest in their daily lives during mealtimes. Sometimes, just listening attentively suffices to make them feel loved and valued. After all, it is not the length of time spent with grandparents that matters most, but rather the sharing of experiences and simply being there for one another.”
Express heartfelt appreciation to family through the Five Love Languages
The survey also reveals that grandparents feel most cherished not only through “quality time”, but also via “words of affirmation” and “physical touch”. As Jason observes, many families face a common phenomenon: they often keep their feelings of love and gratitude bottled up inside, and might not have effective ways to express them. This situation often results in misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations between family members. “The Five Love Languages offer us different channels to express and receive love”, he explains, encouraging families to put these into practice. “These include words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and receiving gifts – each creates a unique bridge for emotional connection between family members”. Jason believes that appreciation starts at home: “By rediscovering how to express love to our grandparents and family members, and by actively showing our appreciation and gratitude, we create ripples of positive change that flow from our families into the wider society.”
A series of activities nurturing a culture of gratitude
Championing the culture of “Appreciation Starts at Home” and inspiring families to integrate the Five Love Languages into their daily interactions, LKKFF has unveiled a series of community initiatives. Through collaborations with local non-profit organisations – including Caritas Hong Kong, The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong, The Salvation Army, and Hong Kong Family Welfare Society – the foundation has hosted diverse community events across the city. As part of school outreach, LKKFF has launched the “Loving Family – Thank You Grandparents 2025” Drawing Competition to nurture gratitude from a young age while cultivating deeper respect and appreciation across generations. This creative initiative invites primary school students throughout Hong Kong to artistically capture treasured moments with their grandparents, encouraging expressions of love and care for these beloved family members. Recently, LKKFF invited celebrity parents, including Jennifer Yu and Kaki Sham, to share their heartwarming family stories through video. These candid glimpses into three-generation households showcase tender moments between grandparents and grandchildren, genuine expressions of love, and practical communication strategies – all designed to raise public awareness and support for “Grandparents’ Day” while offering relatable examples of intergenerational connection.
Jason reaffirms the pivotal role grandparents play within family life, articulating his vision that LKKFF’s initiatives would foster positive values like mutual appreciation and gratitude, extending their influence from households into the wider community. “Grandparents possess a wealth of life experiences and wisdom,” he remarks. “Their fascinating life stories and selfless devotion to family represent the most precious treasures our generation could hope to inherit. My sincere wish is that we all make time to truly listen to our elderly family members, cherish their invaluable contributions, and allow the warmth of three generations under one roof to radiate outward, nurturing a deeper harmony throughout Hong Kong society.”
This year, LKKFF presents its key flagship event – the “Grandparents’ Day 2025 Funfair” on 12 October. Visitors can enjoy an array of activities hosted by the foundation, its partners and selective non-profit organisations, featuring interactive game booths, family workshops and performances. These activities are designed to encourage expressions of love and gratitude towards grandparents throughout the community. Complementing the festivities, the event will also showcase winning entries from the “Loving Family – Thank You Grandparents 2025” Drawing Competition. Participating students are encouraged to share this proud moment with their grandparents in a heartwarming celebration of family bonds.
Details for “Grandparents’ Day 2025 Funfair”:
Date: 12 October 2025 (Sunday)
Time: 10:30am to 7pm
Venue: Level 1 Atrium, D. PARK, Tsuen Wan
Event content: Interactive game booths, family workshops,
performances and giveaways
Entry: Free
