Fok Hing-tong (; 1872–1957), also known as Huo Qingtang, was a Hong Kong businesswoman and social reformer. Wife of

Ma Ying-piu Ma Ying-piu (; 21 December 1860 – 15 July 1944) was a Hong Kong retailer and businessman. He founded the Sincere Department Store in 1900, the first Chinese-owned department store in China and is widely regarded as the "father of Chinese depar ...

, founder of the

Sincere Department Store Sincere Department Store ( zh, t=先施百貨, p=Xiānshī Bǎihuò, w=Hsien-shih Pai-huo) is a department store under the Sincere Company Limited and one of the oldest department chains in Hong Kong. Prior to 1949, its largest operation was in ...

, she was the director and chairwoman of

Chinese YWCA of Hong Kong The Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong () is a social and charity institution in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1901. It operates several major facilities such as the Wu Kai Sha Youth Village. History The Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong was founded in 1918 by ...

and the leader of the 1920s anti-''mui tsai'' movement.

Biography

Born in 1872 in into a Christian family in Hong Kong with the family root in

Shunde Shunde (Shun Tak in Cantonese) is a district of the city of Foshan, Guangdong province, located in the Pearl River Delta. It had a population of 2,464,784 as of the 2010 census. Once a traditional agricultural county, it has become one of the mo ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

, Fok's father, Fok Ching-shang, was a Vicar of St. Stephen's Anglican Church and one of the earliest Chinese clergymen in Hong Kong. Rev. Fok had no sons and wanted his four daughters to marry Christians. Fok Hing-tong married

, an Australian-Chinese businessman who was also the founder of the

, the first Chinese department store in Hong Kong. Fok accompanied Ma to Australia and returned to Hong Kong in 1894 before she convinced her husband to open the Sincere Company. When the first department store in 1900 at 172

Queen's Road Central Queen's Road is a collection of roads along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong, within the limit of Victoria, Hong Kong, Victoria City. It was the first road in Hong Kong, constructed History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s), by ...

, she also became the first modern Chinese saleswoman at a time when respectable Chinese women did not work in public. Fok was also an active social leader in Hong Kong. She joined with her sister Fok Shui-yue, Katherine S.C. Woo and So Pui-kau to form the first women's association in Hong Kong, the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

, where she served as director from 1920 to 1928 and from 1948 to 1957 and chairwoman from 1920 to 1923. Under her leadership, she promoted the anti-''mui tsai'' movement, a campaign among women and girls to abolish the practice of buying young girls as servants. She was also the chairwoman of the investigation committee of the movement. Ma and her husband Ma Ying-piu had 13 children. All her sisters married to Australian-Chinese Christians. Fok Shui-yue (1877–1961) married Ma Wing-chan (1863–1938) and Fok Fung-kiu married Kwok Kwai. Her fourth son, Ma Man-fai, was also a social activist.

References

{{reflist 1872 births 1957 deaths Chinese women's rights activists Chinese Christians Hong Kong Christians Hong Kong businesspeople 19th-century Chinese businesspeople 19th-century Chinese businesswomen 20th-century Chinese businesswomen 20th-century Chinese businesspeople Social leaders Abolitionists 19th-century Hong Kong businesswomen 19th-century Hong Kong businesspeople 20th-century Hong Kong businesswomen 20th-century Hong Kong businesspeople

Biography

See also

References