Growing up in Choi Hung Estate, Mr Li has developed a strong will since an early age. He is a person who will not give up easily. When he was a student, he had once failed in the English subject in the public examination but was not beaten. Instead, he worked even harder by self-study for a retake and finally got satisfactory results. Soon after taking up his first job in banking, he realised that being an outgoing person, he was more inclined to outdoor surveying, measurement and planning jobs. He then decided to apply for the post of Survey Officer Trainee in the then Public Works Department (now the Development Bureau). Mr Li recalled, “Right after my induction, I was posted to the then Waterworks Office (now the Water Supplies Department). At that time, many of my colleagues were working hard to acquire professional qualifications. I was so inspired that I made a crucial decision — to sit for the examination leading to accreditation by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in order to acquire the professional qualifications as a Land Surveyor.” However, to Mr Li’s surprise, RICS discontinued its examination arrangements in Hong Kong. Though disappointed, Mr Li did not give up, and continued to find a way to work towards his goal. While working in the then Waterworks Office during daytime, Mr Li took a part-time course at the then Hong Kong Polytechnic (currently known as the Hong Kong Polytechnic University) in the evening, and in parallel, worked as a part-time tennis tutor, so as to get prepared for undertaking a one-year postgraduate diploma course at the University College London (UCL). He continued, “Studying part-time while working at the same time made my schedule extremely hectic. Sometimes I felt really exhausted both physically and mentally, I would then pluck up the courage to keep fighting for my dreams, no matter how difficult that might be.” Finally, Mr Li managed to set off to realise his dreams at the UCL. He was 28 then. He said, “As a mature student with five years’ working experience in the then Waterworks Office and a grasp of the fundamentals on land surveying, I had an edge over other classmates in the course. Besides, my supervising professor was also a lover of tennis and we made good friends as we had this common interest. Thanks to his support, I was lucky to have been invited to transfer to courses for a master’s degree. Given such a precious opportunity to further my studies at the postgraduate level, I worked hard with firm commitment and perseverance, rising to the challenges ahead to make my dreams come true. I finally graduated and became a professionally qualified Land Surveyor. The topic of my dissertation was about 3D intersections, knowledge of which was required for and put into effective use in my future jobs — what a coincidence!”

Mr Li studied at the University College London as a mature student to realise his dream of becoming a Land Surveyor.

Mr Li shared, “My studies mainly focused on two-dimensional theory and application at that time because of the lack of 3D-related equipment. We seldom had the chance to come across 3D technologies. It was not until the mid-90’s that 3D laser scanning technology became more common. The high-speed 3D laser scanning technology can help capture 3D coordinate data of a measured object’s surface far more efficiently than the traditional method, especially over large areas. When I was a newcomer to the land surveying field, two-dimensional equipment was still the mainstream. Thanks to speedy technological advancement, 3D laser scanning technology has allowed several breakthroughs and can now survey a million sample points per second, facilitating the drawing of precise floor plans and record keeping of complete sets of building data to be used for building conservation and restoration. Surveyors have, all along, been advocating a combination of 3D laser scanning and Building Information Modelling technologies to complement each other for better management of all relevant conditions related to building lifecycles.”

After working in the then Waterworks Office for several years, Mr Li was posted to LandsD, responsible for land boundary surveying. He was then posted to the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), which had just acquired new 3D laser scanning equipment for slope measurement. The 3D laser scanning technology came into good use in the demolition of the former Star Ferry Pier. Mr Li said,“At the time, the officer responsible for the demolition project had just been posted out and I was deployed to take it over. This was the first time for me to lead a team in leveraging 3D laser scanning technology to capture the Pier’s precise coordinates for its future relocation and reprovisioning. Later, I was tasked with the Queen’s Pier demolition project and led my team to conduct surveying work at the site using 3D laser scanning technology and record accurate metrological building information.”

Mr Li conducted 3D laser scanning at the fire scene of mini-storage sites located in Amoycan Industrial Centre.

Mr Li had also applied 3D laser scanning technology to assist in the investigation of some major incidents, such as the garage explosion in Wong Tai Sin in 2015 and the fire in mini-storage sites of the Amoycan Industrial Centre in Ngau Tau Kok in 2016. Mr Li noted,“It was the first time for the Fire Services Department (FSD) to adopt 3D laser scanning technology in the investigation of accident scenes. My team and I had spent five days scanning the sites to draw accurate and precise floor plans and topographic maps, and to produce a 3D model of the building to help FSD calculate the exact volume and extent of the fire damage for forensic purposes.”

Never one to sit still and with a keen interest in trying something new, Mr Li served as a docent for the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum (the Museum) in his spare time, responsible for introducing to the visitors the history of the Museum and explaining to them the significance of the application of 3D laser scanning technology in the preservation of such a historical monument. He explained, “The Museum was originally the former residence of Sir Robert Ho Tung’s younger brother, Ho Kom-tong and was subsequently under the possession of a religious organisation. Later, the Government acquired the property and converted it into the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, which has been opened to the public since 2006.” Mr Li’s experience as a docent opened a new door for him to gain recognition of what he had all along been doing, which manifested the so-called unexpected ‘Butterfly Effect’. He explained, “One day the Chief Assistant Secretary of the Commissioner for Heritage’s Office visited the Museum on a guided tour and I was the docent to lead the exploring tour to the Kom Tong Hall. After listening to my presentation, the Secretary was interested to know my opinions about the 3D visualisation techniques employed by The Chinese University of Hong Kong to produce 3D architectural models. I explained to her the shortcomings of 3D visualisation techniques that relied on digital photographic tools as compared with 3D laser scanning, which could leverage millions of survey points to obtain much more accurate, multi-dimensional and timely coordinate data of surfaces.” Impressed by Mr Li’s views, the Secretary later presented the model made by Mr Li using 3D laser scanning technology for consideration of the Antiquities Advisory Board and promoted the advantages and importance of using the technology in heritage conservation.

Apart from heritage conservation, Mr Li had once employed 3D technologies to assist in underwater search. He recalled, “In 2010, a helicopter took off from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan. Minutes later and followed by a loud bang, the tail rotor fell off, forcing an emergency landing of the helicopter in Victoria Harbour. The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) investigated the incident and retrieved most of the tail wreckage, except the tail rotor. The Marine Department also assisted in searching for the tail rotor by deploying surface acoustic wave sensors to search the seabed, yet efforts were in vain. Victoria Harbour is around 20 metres deep. With the size of the tail rotor being as small as that of three shoeboxes, the underwater search was typically a case of finding a needle in a haystack. The huge amount of debris on the seabed made it even more difficult to accomplish the mission.” At that time, Mr Li was working in CEDD. His superiors asked him if he could think of a way to help. Mr Li jumped at the chance and in no time conducted an on-site investigation with his colleagues. He explained, “Having found that there were three closed-circuit television cameras in the adjacent area, we collected the footage concerned for detailed analysis. By applying the concept of 3D scanning technology, we triangulated the approximate coordinates of the location where the tail rotor dropped into the sea. With the exact area of waters determined with accurate 3D data, relevant departments confined their vigorous search efforts to that area. Good news was heard a few days later. The lost tail rotor eventually came out of the vast expanse of the harbour.” Ready to embrace challenges and the dynamic in making use of 3D technologies, Mr Li was presented with a Letter of Commendation by CAD in recognition of his outstanding performance in helping with the search.

Mr Li (right) presented to the Antiquities Advisory Board the advantage and importance of applying 3D laser scanning technology in heritage conservation.

With technological development and advancement, the application of 3D laser scanning technology has become increasingly common nowadays. Mr Li noted, “3D laser scanning has various industrial applications and is also beginning to gain traction for commercial use. Interior design companies and global retailers are already utilising this technology to visualise designs and renovations, and create virtual showrooms to provide better user experience.” Talking about his retirement plans, Mr Li stressed, “I wish to continue with my 3D laser scanning work and plan to start a consulting firm in this regard when the epidemic subsides.” In the past, quite a number of graduates with surveying majors sought advice from Mr Li on how to start working in the surveying field, leverage opportunities therein and rise up to the challenges ahead. He said, “It’s great to see so many young new faces with passion in surveying. I am more than happy to share my experience and all that I know with them.”

Finally, Mr Li shared the tips of living with passion and motivation, “My tips are quite simple, but they are very useful indeed. I like playing tennis with my friends and we always play against each other. As time goes by, I have become a person who is not afraid of losing and have learnt how to tackle failures. I would simply practice more to sharpen my skills and play more to keep up the spirit of competition and build up my confidence.” Mr Li stressed, “I am always ready to accept changes. To me, getting retired is just retiring from a post. I could still see hopes in my future and even set new goals for my retirement life. I am confident that I can achieve these goals one by one. I trust that if we keep our passion for life and continue to do what we like after retirement, even though our life pattern changes, we can still enjoy our retirement life by turning a new page and living each day to the fullest.”

Mr Li introduced the career path in land surveying field to secondary school students.