Handel Lee

Handel Lee is a Shanghai attorney and property developer well known for transforming historic landmarks into upscale developments. He also currently is a senior partner at the law firm King & Wood Mallesons.^[1] Lee is well known for his high-end developments, including Beijing Legation Quarter and The Bund in Shanghai. recognized him as China's "Style Setter" ^[2] for his support of the arts.

Personal life[]

Raised outside of Washington, DC, Lee first visited China, where both of his parents were born, in 1981. His mother is a native of Beijing, from a family with a long royal lineage. His father Richard Lee grew up in Shanghai, but was born in Nanjing, where Lee’s grandfather was the president of the theological seminary. His mother, artist Dora Fugh Lee, was the second eldest sister of John Fugh, whose wife June is Connie Chung's sister. His mother's eldest sister Aline Fugh Berman was the mother of Georgetown University professor Adriane Fugh-Berman. Between studies at the University of Virginia and Georgetown University Law Center, Lee made more visits to China and spent several months learning Mandarin in Beijing.^[2]

Career[]

Lee returned to China in 1991 to open the law office of U.S. firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. After leaving Skadden, Lee practiced at the law firm of Vinson & Elkins as head of its China practice. Lee then joined King & Wood and served briefly as the firm's managing partner.^[1] Lee was among the first American lawyers to establish China practices for major U.S. firms.

Lee's business ventures typically combine his interests in Chinese art, blues and jazz music, motorcycles, and fine cuisine. His projects include some of China's most acclaimed, according to Forbes magazine, most notably the Beijing Legation Quarter.^[3] The Courtyard, and Three on the Bund.^[4]

The Courtyard is a restaurant and art gallery popular with celebrities such as Mick Jagger and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Shanghai's Three on the Bund, a ninety-year-old, seven-story stone tower redesigned by architect Michael Graves, is host to galleries, shops, and upscale restaurants. Many credit Three on the Bund for establishing the city's historic riverfront as a center of tourism, dining, and nightlife when it opened in 2004.^{[citation needed]}

References[]