Pang Chun-hoi, MBE (; 26 June 1921 – 28 February 2003) was a trade unionist and a member of the member of the

Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, colloquially known as LegCo, is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under People's Republic of China, China's "one country, two systems" c ...

(1985–95) for the Labour constituency. He was also vice-president of the

Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council The Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council is the third largest trade union federation in Hong Kong, after the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) and pro-Beijing Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (FLU). It is affiliated with ...

, a pro-Kuomintang union, and chairman of the Cotton Industry Workers' General Union.

Early life

Pang was born in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

on 26 June 1921. He moved to Hong Kong with his family in 1949.

Career

In 1952, Pang was a clerk in a cotton mills. In the 1950s, founded the Cotton Industry Workers' General Union for the cotton mill workers and successfully implemented the eight-hour shift system before he became its chairman in 1957. He also became the executive committee member of the

(TUC), the largest pro-Kuomintang labour union at the time and later became its vice-president. He became member of the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

in 1962 and attended the 11th and 12th National Congress of Kuomintang in 1976 and 1981. He was appointed by the colonial government to the Labour Advisory Board in 1965. During the 1967 labour disputes which later turned into

Hong Kong 1967 leftist riots The 1967 Hong Kong riots were large-scale anti-government riots that occurred in Hong Kong during British colonial rule. Beginning as a minor labour dispute, the demonstrations eventually escalated into protests against the colonial governmen ...

, Pang opposed the

pro-Beijing The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp or pro-China camp is a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) towards Hong Kong. The term " ...

leftist workers' intimidation to young workers to join the labour strikes on 29 May. He urged the workers to report for work the following day with the assurance that government protection would be sought for them against the intimidators. Three textiles mills, Nan Fung Textiles, Central Textiles and Wyler Textiles operated normally the next morning as a result. In 1978, he was awarded

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE). In the 1985 Legislative Council election in which direct elections were introduced for the first time, Pang won a seat in the two-seat Labour constituency carefully designed by the colonial government to maintain the balance of power between the pro-Taipei and pro-Beijing unions. Pang was elected uncontestedly alongside

Tam Yiu-chung Tam Yiu-chung, GBM, JP (; born 15 December 1949) is a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong. He is a former member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Leg ...

of the

Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) is a pro-Beijing labour and political group established in 1948 in Hong Kong. It is the oldest and largest labour group in Hong Kong with over 420,000 members in 253 affiliates and associated ...

(FTU). He was re-elected in 1988 uncontestedly and in again 1991 for the third term. Pang voted closely with the liberal camp in the legislature. He was one of the swing votes during the

1994 Hong Kong electoral reform The 1994 Hong Kong electoral reform was a set of significant constitutional changes in the last years of British colonial rule in Hong Kong before the Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, handover of its sovereignty to the People's Republic o ...

introduced by

Chris Patten Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (; born 12 May 1944), is a British politician who was the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992, and the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997. He was made a lif ...

, the last

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the United Kingdom, British The Crown, Crown in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executiv ...

for a more democratic legislature on the eve of the

handover of Hong Kong The handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony, which began in 1841. Hong Kong was established as a specia ...

strongly opposed by Beijing. He was lobbied by

Allen Lee Allen Lee Peng-fei, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Justice of the peace, JP (; 24 April 194015 May 2020) was a Hong Kong industrialist, politician and political commentator. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, serving ...

, chairman of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

who tabled an alternative proposal which was backed by Beijing in replacement of Patten's proposal, as well as

Lu Ping Lu Ping (; 27 September 1927 – 3 May 2015) was a Chinese politician and diplomat. He served as Head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. He is best known as China's delegation head ...

, director of the

Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office The Hong Kong and Macao Work Office, concurrently known as the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HMO), is an administrative office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party responsible for promoting cooper ...

. He voted against Liberal proposal and voted for Patten proposal. He stepped down for the Legislative Council in 1995.

Personal life

Pang married Yang Wai-chang and had one son and five daughters. On 28 February 2003, Pang died of heart attack. Pang was 81 years old. In his funeral, his coffin was covered with the flag of Kuomintang.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pang, Chun-hoi 1921 births 2003 deaths Hong Kong trade unionists Members of the Kuomintang HK LegCo Members 1985–1988 HK LegCo Members 1988–1991 HK LegCo Members 1991–1995 Politicians from Shanghai Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong