Robert Hotung
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Ho Tung Bosman, KBE
(22 December 1862 – 26 April 1956), better known as Sir Robert Hotung, was an influential Eurasian businessman and philanthropist in British Hong Kong
. It has often been claimed that he was the "first Chinese person to be allowed to live on Victoria Peak
" in 1906, two years after the enactment of the Peak Reservation Ordinance
in 1904. Known as "the grand old man of Hong Kong", Hotung was knighted in 1915 and 1955.
, born to a man of Dutch
and Jewish descent by the name of Charles Henri Maurice Bosman (1840-1894), and Madame Sze, a Han Chinese
woman of Bao'an (present-day Shenzhen
) heritage, on D'Aguilar Street
. His father was a merchant who had his own company Bosman and Co., part owner of the Hong Kong Hotel
which opened in 1868, and a director of the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company. By 1869, Bosman senior was also the Dutch Consul, and running his own marine insurance business, one of whose important clients was the British owned trading conglomerate Jardine, Matheson & Co.
He later left for England, where he became naturalised in 1888. In Cantonese, Bosman was pronounced Boss-e-man, transliterated into Cantonese became Ho Sze Man. When Robert traveled, he had a certificate from the Governor of Hong Kong stating that his father was Dutch.
He was educated at Queen's College
, previously known as the Central School.
, where he worked as a clerk for the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs. In 1880, he returned to Hong Kong and joined Jardines as an assistant in the compradore department. His bilingual skills and business acumen eventually propelled him to become Head Compradore, a position he held until his retirement in 1889. Although he was of mixed parentage, Hotung considered himself Chinese, a fact reflected in his sartorial preference. By the age of 35, he was believed to be the richest man in Hong Kong. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of Hong Kong in 1916.
Hotung was the first "Chinese" to be allowed to live on Victoria Peak
in 1906, which had been restricted to Europeans under the Peak Reservation Ordinance
. Hotung's instrumental role in mediating a strike in Guangzhou and Hong Kong
earned him an exemption from the Ordinance from then governor Sir Cecil Clementi in 1926. In 1927, his wife Clara expanded "The Falls", one of the four Peak houses owned by Ho Tung, into a sumptuous residence now known as Ho Tung Gardens
at 75 Peak Road. Ho Tung himself lived in a nearby house named The Neuk.
Hotung financed the revolutions, including the Xinhai Revolution
, led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen
to establish the Republic of China
. As a millionaire with significant influence in the colony, he heavily emphasized to the British in the early Colonial Hong Kong
era that no part of the Chinese demographics was purely indigenous
. Hotung was a director of many Hong Kong companies, including Hong Kong Land, and served on the boards of influential charitable organisations, including the Tung Wah Hospital
. He was founder and first chairman of the Chinese Club, which was created in response to the colonial Hong Kong Club
's policy of excluding those who were not British and white from joining. He was knighted in 1915 and 1955. His second wife, Clara, was a devout Buddhist. Through her educational charity, to which Sir Robert gave HK$100,000 on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1931, the Po Kok Day and Evening School and the Tung Lin Kok Yuen
in Happy Valley were founded.
Hotung and his first wife Margaret each became Christians late in life, and were interred at the Hong Kong Cemetery
. The rest of his family, including Clara, are buried in the Eurasian cemetery, Chiu Yuen Cemetery (昭遠墳場), located on Mount Davis
.
Eric Hotung is a businessman and Ambassador-at-Large
and Economics Advisor for Timor-Leste (East Timor
). He was born in Hong Kong and grew up there and in Shanghai
. Eric attended Georgetown University
in 1947 and graduated in 1951. Afterwards, he worked at the New York Stock Exchange
and at General Motors
before returning to Hong Kong. He is married to Patricia Anne Shea. They have five sons and three daughters.
Hotung's second son, Robert Ho Shai-lai (1906–1998), was a general under the Kuomintang
regime. He renounced his British nationality and became a citizen of the Republic of China. He was also ambassador to Japan for the Republic of China
from 1952 to 1956 and a member of the Nationalist China military delegation to the United Nations
from 1956 to 1966. Robert's son Robert Ho Hung-ngai (born 1932), a former journalist and publisher in Hong Kong, is the founder of the Tung Lin Kok-yuen Canada Society.
Third son George Ho Cho-chi is a founder of Commercial Radio Hong Kong
.
A fourth son, Henry, died of tuberculosis when he was 4.
Victoria Hotung (Lady Lo) was his eldest daughter. She married Sir Man-kam Lo, a prominent Eurasian lawyer and legislator who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II after World War II. Their son, Lo Tak-shing, was a former lawyer and legislator in Hong Kong who once ran against Tung Chee Hwa
for Chief Executive.
Three other daughters – Irene Cheng, Jean Gittins and Florence Yeo – wrote memoirs chronicling their war-time experiences in colonial Hong Kong. Jean Gittins migrated to Melbourne Australia after the World War where she worked in the Pathology Department of Melbourne University. She also wrote six books: "I Was at Stanley", " Eastern Windows – Western Skies", "The Diggers from China", "Stanley: Behind Barbed Wire", "A Stranger No More" and "Prizes, Books and Papers (1879/1969)" . Irene Cheng, educator, was one of the first female undergraduate students enrolled to study English at the University of Hong Kong in 1921. She went on to study for a Diploma in Education at King's College
in London in 1925. In 1936, she received her PhD from the University of London
.
. In Macau
, the Sir Robert Hotung Library is housed in a mansion once owned by Hotung, who resided there during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(22 December 1862 – 26 April 1956), better known as Sir Robert Hotung, was an influential Eurasian businessman and philanthropist in British Hong Kong
British Hong Kong
British Hong Kong refers to Hong Kong as a Crown colony and later, a British dependent territory under British administration from 1841 to 1997.- Colonial establishment :...
. It has often been claimed that he was the "first Chinese person to be allowed to live on Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
" in 1906, two years after the enactment of the Peak Reservation Ordinance
Peak Reservation Ordinance
The , commonly known as Peak reservation Ordinance, was a racially-based zoning law passed by the Hong Kong Government that reserved the Victoria Peak as a place of residence to non-Chinese people except with the consent of the Governor...
in 1904. Known as "the grand old man of Hong Kong", Hotung was knighted in 1915 and 1955.
Biography
He was a EurasianEurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
, born to a man of Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Jewish descent by the name of Charles Henri Maurice Bosman (1840-1894), and Madame Sze, a Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
woman of Bao'an (present-day Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
) heritage, on D'Aguilar Street
D'Aguilar Street
D'Aguilar Street is a street in Central, Hong Kong. It is an L-shaped street starting from Queen's Road Central, at Entertainment Building. It runs uphill and meets various featured streets Stanley Street, Wellington Street, Wo On Lane and Lan Kwai Fong in the area...
. His father was a merchant who had his own company Bosman and Co., part owner of the Hong Kong Hotel
Hong Kong Hotel
The Hongkong Hotel was Hong Kong's first luxury hotel, modelled after sumptuous London hotels. It was opened on Queen's Road and Pedder Street in 1868., and expanded onto the Victoria Harbour waterfront of Victoria City in 1893.-The hotel:...
which opened in 1868, and a director of the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company. By 1869, Bosman senior was also the Dutch Consul, and running his own marine insurance business, one of whose important clients was the British owned trading conglomerate Jardine, Matheson & Co.
History of Jardine, Matheson & Co.
Jardine Matheson & Co., later Jardine Matheson & Co. Ltd., forerunner of today's Jardine Matheson Holdings, was a Far Eastern trading company founded in 1832 with Scotsmen William Jardine and James Matheson as senior partners...
He later left for England, where he became naturalised in 1888. In Cantonese, Bosman was pronounced Boss-e-man, transliterated into Cantonese became Ho Sze Man. When Robert traveled, he had a certificate from the Governor of Hong Kong stating that his father was Dutch.
He was educated at Queen's College
Queen's College, Hong Kong
Queen's College , initially named The Government Central School in 1862, later renamed as Victoria College in 1889, is a sixth form college for boys with a secondary school attached. It was the first public secondary school founded in Hong Kong by the British colonial government...
, previously known as the Central School.
Career
After graduating from Queen's College in 1878, Hotung went to CantonGuangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, where he worked as a clerk for the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs. In 1880, he returned to Hong Kong and joined Jardines as an assistant in the compradore department. His bilingual skills and business acumen eventually propelled him to become Head Compradore, a position he held until his retirement in 1889. Although he was of mixed parentage, Hotung considered himself Chinese, a fact reflected in his sartorial preference. By the age of 35, he was believed to be the richest man in Hong Kong. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of Hong Kong in 1916.
Hotung was the first "Chinese" to be allowed to live on Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
in 1906, which had been restricted to Europeans under the Peak Reservation Ordinance
Peak Reservation Ordinance
The , commonly known as Peak reservation Ordinance, was a racially-based zoning law passed by the Hong Kong Government that reserved the Victoria Peak as a place of residence to non-Chinese people except with the consent of the Governor...
. Hotung's instrumental role in mediating a strike in Guangzhou and Hong Kong
Seamen's strike of 1922
The Seamen's strike of 1922 began in January of that year when over 30,000 Chinese seamen from Hong Kong and Guangzhou went on strike for higher wages. Led by the Seamen’s Union, the strike was the response of the union after the refusal of shipping companies to increase salaries...
earned him an exemption from the Ordinance from then governor Sir Cecil Clementi in 1926. In 1927, his wife Clara expanded "The Falls", one of the four Peak houses owned by Ho Tung, into a sumptuous residence now known as Ho Tung Gardens
Ho Tung Gardens
Ho Tung Gardens, also known by its Cantonese name 'Hiu Kok Yuen', is a villa on The Peak, Hong Kong built by and named for Robert Hotung in 1927. It was declared a Grade 1 historic site by the Antiquities Advisory Board...
at 75 Peak Road. Ho Tung himself lived in a nearby house named The Neuk.
Hotung financed the revolutions, including the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
, led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
to establish the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. As a millionaire with significant influence in the colony, he heavily emphasized to the British in the early Colonial Hong Kong
Colonial Hong Kong
In the 19th century the British, Dutch, French, Indians and Americans saw Imperial China as the world's largest untapped market. In 1840 the British Empire launched their first and one of the most aggressive expeditionary forces to claim the territory that would later be known as Hong Kong.In a few...
era that no part of the Chinese demographics was purely indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
. Hotung was a director of many Hong Kong companies, including Hong Kong Land, and served on the boards of influential charitable organisations, including the Tung Wah Hospital
Tung Wah Hospital
Tung Wah Hospital is a 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 public in the 1870s.-History:The hospital was declared for construction...
. He was founder and first chairman of the Chinese Club, which was created in response to the colonial Hong Kong Club
Hong Kong Club
The Hong Kong Club is the first Gentlemen's club in Hong Kong. Opened on 26 May 1846, at 1 Jackson Road overlooking the Cenotaph, it is a private business and dining club in the heart of Central, Hong Kong. Its members were among the most influential people in the city, including such...
's policy of excluding those who were not British and white from joining. He was knighted in 1915 and 1955. His second wife, Clara, was a devout Buddhist. Through her educational charity, to which Sir Robert gave HK$100,000 on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1931, the Po Kok Day and Evening School and the Tung Lin Kok Yuen
Tung Lin Kok Yuen
Tung Lin Kok Yuen is a Buddhist nunnery and educational institution located on Shan Kwong Road, Happy Valley in Hong Kong. Founded in 1935 by Lady Clara Ho-Tung, it is home to approximately 30 nuns and 50 lay devotees....
in Happy Valley were founded.
Family
Robert Hotung had four sisters and five brothers, some of whom were:- Ho Fook, a younger brother, succeeded his father as Head Compradore at Jardines in 1889. He had 13 sons, five of whom worked as compradores for various foreign companies. One of Ho Fook's grandsons is Stanley HoStanley HoStanley Ho, GBM, GLM, GBS, GML, OBE , also known as Ho Hung Sun, Stanley Ho Hung Sun, is an entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macau. Ho is sometimes nicknamed "The King of Gambling", reflecting the government-granted monopoly he held of the Macau gambling industry for 40 years...
, the casino and shipping magnate.
- Ho Kom-tong (1866–1950), a younger brother, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist who succeeded Ho Fook as Head Compradore at Jardines. He had 12 wives and reportedly more than 30 children, one of whom was Grace Ho (何爱瑜), the mother of the Chinese actor Bruce LeeBruce LeeBruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
. Kom Tong Hall, the former Hong Kong residence of Ho Kom-tong, now houses the Dr. Sun Yat-sen MuseumDr. Sun Yat-sen MuseumDr Sun Yat-sen Museum is a museum in Hong Kong. It is located in Kom Tong Hall , at 7 Castle Road, Central. After the preparation work undertaken by the Hong Kong Museum of History, the museum was opened on December 12, 2006, so as to commemorate the 140th birthday of the influential Chinese...
.
Marriage
At age 15 Robert Hotung was informally engaged to the daughter of Hector Coll Maclean of Jardines, Margaret Mak (aka Maclean). They married when he was 18, and she was 16. Since she was unable to bear children, Hotung adopted Ho Fook's first son, Ho Wing, following Chinese tradition, and then took a second wife in 1881. His second wife, Clara Cheung Lin-kok (張蓮覺) (1875–1938), later gave birth to three sons and seven daughters.Hotung and his first wife Margaret each became Christians late in life, and were interred at the Hong Kong Cemetery
Hong Kong Cemetery
Hong Kong Cemetery, formerly Hong Kong Cemetery and before that Hong Kong Colonial Cemetery, is one of the early Christian cemeteries of Hong Kong during its colonial era . It is located beside the racecourse at Happy Valley, along with the Jewish Cemetery, Hindu Cemetery, Parsee Cemetery, St...
. The rest of his family, including Clara, are buried in the Eurasian cemetery, Chiu Yuen Cemetery (昭遠墳場), located on Mount Davis
Mount Davis, Hong Kong
Mount Davis is a hill in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is the westernmost hill on Hong Kong Island.It is named after John Francis Davis, who was the 2nd Governor of Hong Kong, from 1844 to 1848....
.
Progeny
Hotung's eldest son, Edward Hotung (1902–1957), became a prominent banker and philanthropist in Hong Kong. Edward was founder of the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange in Hong Kong, as well as Treasurer of the Chinese War Chest in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. His sons are Sir Joseph Hotung KBE and Eric Hotung CBE (born 1926). He also had two daughters - Mary Ketterer, who received the Royal Order of the Golden Ark for her work in conservation, and Tonia.Eric Hotung is a businessman and Ambassador-at-Large
Ambassador-at-large
An ambassador-at-large is a Diplomat of the highest rank or a Minister who is accredited to represent his country internationally.Unlike an ambassador-in-residence who is usually limited to a country and/or embassy, the ambassador-at-large is entrusted to operate in several usually neighboring...
and Economics Advisor for Timor-Leste (East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
). He was born in Hong Kong and grew up there and in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. Eric attended Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in 1947 and graduated in 1951. Afterwards, he worked at the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
and at General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
before returning to Hong Kong. He is married to Patricia Anne Shea. They have five sons and three daughters.
Hotung's second son, Robert Ho Shai-lai (1906–1998), was a general under the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
regime. He renounced his British nationality and became a citizen of the Republic of China. He was also ambassador to Japan for the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
from 1952 to 1956 and a member of the Nationalist China military delegation to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
from 1956 to 1966. Robert's son Robert Ho Hung-ngai (born 1932), a former journalist and publisher in Hong Kong, is the founder of the Tung Lin Kok-yuen Canada Society.
Third son George Ho Cho-chi is a founder of Commercial Radio Hong Kong
Commercial Radio Hong Kong
Commercial Radio Hong Kong , aka Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited is one of only two commercial radio broadcasting companies in Hong Kong along with Metro Radio Hong Kong. It contains a balanced array of entertainment including informative, educational, arts and cultural programmes...
.
A fourth son, Henry, died of tuberculosis when he was 4.
Victoria Hotung (Lady Lo) was his eldest daughter. She married Sir Man-kam Lo, a prominent Eurasian lawyer and legislator who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II after World War II. Their son, Lo Tak-shing, was a former lawyer and legislator in Hong Kong who once ran against Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa, GBM was the first Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China....
for Chief Executive.
Three other daughters – Irene Cheng, Jean Gittins and Florence Yeo – wrote memoirs chronicling their war-time experiences in colonial Hong Kong. Jean Gittins migrated to Melbourne Australia after the World War where she worked in the Pathology Department of Melbourne University. She also wrote six books: "I Was at Stanley", " Eastern Windows – Western Skies", "The Diggers from China", "Stanley: Behind Barbed Wire", "A Stranger No More" and "Prizes, Books and Papers (1879/1969)" . Irene Cheng, educator, was one of the first female undergraduate students enrolled to study English at the University of Hong Kong in 1921. She went on to study for a Diploma in Education at King's College
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
in London in 1925. In 1936, she received her PhD from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
Legacy
There are many parks, schools, and buildings named after or founded by Robert Hotung in Hong Kong, including Lady Hotung Hall at Hong Kong University, Hotung Secondary School, Tung Lin Kok-yuen Buddhist temple, and King George V SchoolKing George V School
King George V School , often shortened to "KGV" is a co-educational international secondary independent school of the English Schools Foundation, located in the Ho Man Tin area of Hong Kong. Currently school 1,700 students in the Kowloon peninsula, it is one of the oldest schools in Hong Kong,...
. In Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, the Sir Robert Hotung Library is housed in a mansion once owned by Hotung, who resided there during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
.