The APNIC Executive Council, on behalf of APNIC staff and the community, expresses its sincere condolences on the passing of our esteemed colleague Dr Chung Laung Liu.
Dr Liu was an internationally renowned pioneer and educator in IT sciences. He received countless awards for his outstanding contributions in numerous fields including computer-aided design and discrete mathematics.
His selfless mentorship produced many distinguished talents in academia and industry.
In addition to these enormous achievements, Dr Liu was also a passionate lover of poetry, a strong advocate for the humanities, and a lifelong learner. He could quote Shakespeare when explaining AI and draw connections between the poems of Microsoft’s Xiaoice AI and the love letters of Ming Dynasty poet Tang Bohu. Dr Liu epitomized the ideal of understanding the present by studying the past.
Known affectionately as “The Principal” among his colleagues and employees, Dr Liu was constantly exploring and learning new things. Dr Liu loved travel, and he was very generous in sharing the knowledge he gained during his many journeys.
The sound of his cheerful laughter always brought warmth and comfort to everyone around him. As we mourn the passing of Dr Liu and celebrate his remarkable life, the humour and intelligence that he provided in conversations as well as his strength of character will always be remembered in our hearts.
Dr Liu was a pioneering member of the Internet community in Taiwan. He was the founder and Chair of the Internet Society Taiwan Chapter. He engaged the global Internet community and advocated the concept of one world, one Internet. Dr Liu enjoyed the many APNIC meetings he attended; he was at the APNIC 21 Perth meeting, APNIC 22 Kaohsiung meeting, APNIC 25 Taipei meeting, and APNIC 30 Gold Coast meeting.
Dr Liu was thoughtful and generous, his devotion to the APNIC community was admirable. His good humour and jokes made everyone laugh and his smile lit up the room. He was an active and spirited person who took part in many community activities. I am sure he will be remembered fondly by those who knew him.
The 34th 2020 TWNIC IP Open Policy Meeting was the last public activity Dr Liu attended. His keynote speech explored the beauty of technology and humanity. As was typical of him, this was a talk containing great wisdom that touched our hearts. He closed the talk with a line from William Blake’s poetry:
“To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.”
William Blake
Dr Liu, we will miss you!
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