The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Friday held a grand funeral ceremony to say goodbye to well-known businessman Tsui Tsin-tong, who was also a noted social activist, philanthropist and a close friend to the Communist Party of China.

Tsui was also a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee before he died of illness on April 2 in Beijing, at the age of 69.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, China's top advisory body, and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping had both sent messages of condolences to Tsui's family after his death.

In their messages of condolences, Jia and Xi praised Tsui for his great contributions to Hong Kong's stable transition, smooth handover from Britain to China and Hong Kong's lasting prosperity, as well as Tsui's contributions to Chinese mainland's reform and opening-up drive and modernization.

Tsui's funeral ceremony was held at Hong Kong's landmark Convention and Exhibition Center in the day. Tsui's cinerary casket was covered with a Chinese national flag.

Tung Chee-hwa, vice chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, Chief Executive of the HKSAR Donald Tsang, and Peng Qinghua, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR attended the funeral ceremony.

Peng recalled in his memorial speech Tsui's life, his contributions to Chinese mainland's reform-and-opening-up drive and modernization as well as China's peaceful re-unification.

Hundreds of representatives from the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the HKSAR government, Hong Kong's Legislative Council and other government agencies, as well as Tsui's friends, also attended Tsui's funeral ceremony.