Sir Shouson Chow (; 1861–1959), KBE, LLD, JP, also known as Chow Cheong-Ling (), was a Hong Kong businessman. He had been a

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

official and prominent in the

Government of Hong Kong The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino-B ...

Family

Chow is said to have been born in Wong Chuk Hang San Wai, a village at the foot of present-day Shouson Hill. Wong Chuk Hang San Wai was a village of a Chow lineage. His father was

compradore A comprador or compradore () is a "person who acts as an agent for foreign organizations engaged in investment, trade, or economic or political exploitation". A comprador is a native manager for a European business house in East and South East Asi ...

of the Canton-based Canton and Hong Kong Steamship Company. His grandfather was the head of "Little Hong Kong", who helped

Charles Elliot Admiral Sir Charles Elliot (15 August 1801 – 9 September 1875) was a British Royal Navy officer, diplomat, and colonial administrator. He became the first Administrator of Hong Kong in 1841 while serving as both Plenipotentiary and Chief ...

post the first official proclamation of Hong Kong Island in 1841. He had a son, named Chow Yat-Kwong.

Career

Among the third group of Chinese students sponsored by the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

government to the United States in the 1870s,''Chinese Educational Mission Connections 1872–1881 – Chow Chang Ling''
/ref> Chow left China in 1874 and studied at Phillips Academy, Andover (class of 1880) and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

. After his graduation he worked for the Qing government. In 1881 he joined the Korean Customs Service under

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 1859 – 6 June 1916) was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China. ...

. Later he was the president of the China Merchant Steam Navigation Company of

Tientsin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popula ...

from 1897 to 1903, and the managing director of the Peking-Mukden Railway between 1903 and 1907. He was the Customs and Trade Superintendent and Counselor for Foreign Affairs in Newchwang between 1907 and 1910. During this period he was promoted to Mandarin of the Second Rank. He left government service after the 1911 Revolution and became director of various companies and charities.

Public Service

Shouson Chow, Justice John Wood and Chief Justice Henry Gollan

Chow was appointed a Justice of the Peace in Hong Kong in 1907. He was subsequently elected to membership of the

North British Academy of Arts The North British Academy of Arts (1908–1924) was an art institution of Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England. Overview The Academy, later known as the North British Academy of Arts, Science, Literature, and Music, was located in the Clar ...

.''Document III.1: Mr. Chou Show Son'' p118-9 in ''A Documentary History of Hong Kong Society'', ed David Faure, Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong 1997
/ref> In 1918, he founded the

Bank of East Asia The Bank of East Asia Limited, often abbreviated to BEA, is a Hong Kong banking and financial services company, headquartered in Central, Hong Kong. It is currently the largest independent local Hong Kong bank, and one of two remaining famil ...

with three Chinese partners where he was the chairman of the board from 1925 to 1929. In 1922 he was appointed a member of the

Sanitary Board The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a Municipality, 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 U ...

, the precursor of the

Urban Council 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 Serv ...

, and the Legislative Council, where he served until 1931. In 1926, he became the first Chinese member of the

Executive Council Executive Council may refer to: Government * Executive Council (Commonwealth countries), a constitutional organ that exercises executive power and advises the governor * Executive Council of Bern, the government of the Swiss canton of Bern * Ex ...

, and was knighted. In 1933, he was awarded an honorary

Doctorate of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (L ...

. During the

Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong The Imperial Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the British Crown colony of Hong Kong to the Empire of Japan on 25 December 1941. The surrender occurred after 18 days of fierce ...

, Chow and other leading Chinese figures joined the Chinese Cooperative Council founded by the

Japanese military The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, th ...

which he was the chairman to maintain public order amongst the Chinese population. They did not suffer from punishment after the return of British rule.

Memory

Shouson Hill, in the south of Hong Kong Island, is named after him.

External links

Chow Cheong-ling (Zhou Changling) 周長齡
from ''Biographies of Prominent Chinese'' c.1925.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chow, Shouson 1861 births 1959 deaths Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the Sanitary Board of Hong Kong Hong Kong businesspeople Hong Kong collaborators with Imperial Japan People from Bao'an County Bank of East Asia Hong Kong expatriates in China Hong Kong expatriates in Korea Hong Kong Anglicans