Lau Chu-pak (5 June 1867 – 3 May 1922) was a Hong Kong merchant and politician.
Lau Chu-pak was admitted to
Queen's College in the same year as
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...
. He became a clerk at the
Hong Kong Observatory
The Hong Kong Observatory is a weather forecast agency of the government of Hong Kong. The Observatory forecasts the weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards. It also monitors and makes assessments on radiation levels in Hong ...
and later went into business and became a
comprador
A comprador or compradore () is a "person who acts as an agent for foreign organizations engaged in investment, trade, or economic or political exploitation." An example of a comprador would be a native manager for a European business house in Eas ...
of the
West Point Godown Company in 1888 and of
A. S. Watson from 1893. Together with
Ho Fook
Ho Fook (; 30 November 1863 – 29 August 1926), alias Ho Chak-sang, JP, was a prominent Hong Kong Eurasian compradore and philanthropist.
Early life
Ho was born in Hong Kong in 1863 to Dutchman Charles Henry Maurice Bosman and Sze Sze.
...
, they founded the
Chinese General Chamber of Commerce
The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCCHK; ) is a non-profit organization of local Chinese firms and businessmen based in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1900 by Ho Fook and Lau Chu-pak, two prominent leaders of the Chinese community during t ...
, where he later served as chairman.
Along with Sir
Robert Hotung
Sir Robert Ho Tung Bosman, (22 December 1862 – 26 April 1956, ), also known as Sir Robert Ho Tung, was a businessman and philanthropist in British Hong Kong. Known as "the grand old man of Hong Kong" (), he was knighted in 1915 (Knight Bac ...
, Lau was an early developer of the West
Hung Hom
Hung Hom (, ) is an area in the southeast of Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong. Including the areas of Whampoa, Tai Wan, Hok Yuen, Lo Lung Hang and No. 12 Hill are administratively part of the Kowloon City District, with a portion west of ...
(now
East Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui ( zh, c=尖沙咀), often abbreviated as TST, is an area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now ...
) area of Kowloon in the 1890s.
He held various public posts, including the chairmanship of
Po Leung Kuk
The Po Leung Kuk, founded as the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, is a charitable organisation in Hong Kong that provides support for orphaned children, education and other services.
History
In the late 19th century, Ki ...
and
Tung Wah Hospital
Tung Wah Hospital is a charitable hospital in Hong Kong under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. Located above Possession Point at 12 Po Yan Street in Sheung Wan, it is the first hospital established in colonial Hong Kong for the general pub ...
, and was a member of the
District Watch Committee and the
Sanitary Board
The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services ...
. He was appointed as
Unofficial Member
Unofficial Member is the name given to individuals who are members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and Legislative Council of Hong Kong but who are not members of the Hong Kong Government. The terms "Unofficial" (or "non-official") and ...
of the
Legislative Council
A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...
from 1913 until his death in 1922.
He helped found the
University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...
by donating to the endowment fund in 1911. He later became a member of the University's Court between 1911 and 1914 and was made honorary life member of the Court in 1914. He was a member of the University Council from 1911 to 1922.
In 1921, Lau and fellow Legislative Councillor
Ho Fook
Ho Fook (; 30 November 1863 – 29 August 1926), alias Ho Chak-sang, JP, was a prominent Hong Kong Eurasian compradore and philanthropist.
Early life
Ho was born in Hong Kong in 1863 to Dutchman Charles Henry Maurice Bosman and Sze Sze.
...
established the Society for the Protection of the Mui Tsai, an initiative aimed at curbing the demise of the
mui-tsai
''Mui tsai'' (), which means "little sister"Yung, ''Unbound Feet'', 37. in Cantonese, describes young Chinese women who worked as domestic servants in China, or in brothels or affluent Chinese households in traditional Chinese society. The young ...
system, a form of child slavery in which young girls were bought and sold in Hong Kong and other parts of China. The society had the backing of Chinese community leaders including
Ts'o Seen Wan
Tso Seen-wan, ( zh, 曹善允, 10 November 1868 – 20 January 1953), also Ts'o Seen Wan, S. W. Tso or S. W. Ts'o, was a distinguished Hong Kong lawyer, politician, businessman and educationalist.
Formerly served in Legislative Council, Sanitar ...
,
Chow Shou-son
Sir Shouson Chow (; 1861–1959), also known as Chow Cheong-Ling (), was a Hong Kong businessman and politician. He had been a Qing dynasty official and prominent in the Government of Hong Kong.
Family
Chow is said to have been born in Wong C ...
and
Ho Kom-tong.
Lau adopted a staunchly conservative and anti-communist stance amid the 1925 Seamen's Strike. He regarded "strong Bolshevist support" as the root cause and opposed any concession.
His son Lau Tak-po founded the
Hong Kong and Yaumatei Ferry Company, which is still under the control of the family.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lau, Chu-pak
1867 births
1922 deaths
Hong Kong businesspeople
Hong Kong philanthropists
Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
Members of the Sanitary Board of Hong Kong
Alumni of Queen's College, Hong Kong
People from British Hong Kong