Yang Ti-liang
Encyclopedia
Dato Seri Paduka Sir
Ti-liang Yang, GBM
, SPMB, JP
(Traditional Chinese:楊鐵樑爵士, born June 30, 1929), also known as Sir TL, is a retired senior judge
in Hong Kong
. He was Chief Justice of Hong Kong
from 1988 to 1996 and was the only ethnic Chinese
to hold this office during British colonial rule.
In 1996, he became a candidate in Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 1996
, where he lost to his opponent Tung Chee Hwa
. After the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
, he was appointed as non-official member of the Executive Council
by Tung and retired in 2002. In retirement, Sir TL now mainly focuses on writing and teaching English
. In September 2003, he became the host of a RTHK radio programme called Yang Ti-liang Mail Box (楊鐵樑留言信箱), teaching English grammar to the audiences.
on June 30, 1929 to an influential family which had roots in what was Nanguan
in Xiangshan County
of Guangnan East Circuit (now Zhongshan
, Guangdong
Province
) since the early twelfth century, although they had resided in Shanghai
since the early nineteenth century. His pre-twelfth century ancestors were officials in Guangling
city, now Guangling District
of Yangzhou
with roots going back to the Sui Dynasty
. Subsequent generations were scholar-officials and scholar-gentry including a number who became members of the Guozijian
and the Hanlin Academy
, one of whom was the first in the family to settle in the south in circa 1130. He was Yang Yuangui a.k.a. Yang Weizhun, Guangzhou's Inspector of the Salt commission
and was possibly created Viscount
. His father, Yang Tongcai, was a senior official in Guangling. Only one or two, possibly three, were soldiers. Yang Yichen a.k.a. Yang Qianshou was a senior imperial officer during the Taiping Rebellion
serving under Zeng Guofan
(whose grand-daughter married Ti Liang's tutor, the historian Qu Xuanying a.k.a. Qu Tuiyuan or Qu Duizhi, who himself was the younger son of the Grand Councillor Qu Hongji - the most powerful Han Chinese of the late nineteenth century). He was raised to the rank of Baron
. There was a General Commander-in-Chief in the thirteenth century, and another died in 1676 at the hands of the rebel Chen Qiyu, a Wu Sangui
loyalist, during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories
, for which subsequent generations were 'graced' by the imperial court. One was appointed Prefect
of Guilin
in circa 1680.
He has a sister and two brothers and he is the youngest amongst them. Yang's great-grandfather, Yang Guixuan, and grandfather, Yang Meinan, were trading partners with Swire in Shanghai and his father, Yang Shaonan (楊少南), was a manager of Swire who later established a shipping company with Swire as his co-partner. Yang's mother was Chun Sinyu (陳蒨如), a modern woman who was educated at St Mary Middle School in Shanghai. Her father and grandfather, Chen Xuejie (Chun Shut-kai) and Chen Keliang (Chun Ko-liang), were also trading partners with Swire.
Born in a family of comfortable means, Yang attended the well-known St John Middle School (same foundation as St. John's University) in his early years and read law
in the Comparative Law School of China in Soochow University
from 1946 to 1949. Due to the disturbance of the Chinese Civil War
, he moved very briefly to Hong Kong
before graduation. After this, he moved to England to read law at University College London
, where he graduated with an LLB with honours in 1953. In 1954, he was called to the bar with honours at Gray's Inn
.
After his study in England
, Yang returned to Hong Kong
in 1955. Initially, he worked in his father-in-law's barrister chambers. During that time, there was no vacancy in the government legal service, but Yang was interviewed by the then Chief Justice Sir Michael Hogan.
. Yang soon took the post and was promoted as senior magistrate in 1963. Shortly after the promotion, he received a scholarship
and became a Rockefeller Fellow
at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
, University of London
from 1963 to 1964.
Yang was acting District Judge from 1964 to 1968. During that period, he was chairman of the Kowloon Disturbances
Claims Assessment Board and following the 1967 Leftist Riots, he also presided over the Compensation Board. In 1968, he was appointed District Judge of the Victoria District Court
and was made a member of the Chinese Language
Committee and president of the Legal Sub-Committee in 1970. Later in 1971, Yang was the presiding judge of the "Poisoned horses case" and was for a brief period acting Puisne Judge in the same year. In 1972, he was again Commissioner of Inquiry into the Rainstorm Disasters.
On February 17, 1975, Yang presided over the trial of Peter Fitzroy Godber
, a former Kowloon
's Deputy District Commissioner of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force who was charged with corruption. The trial lasted for 6 days only and Godber was sentenced 4 years in prison
. In the same year, Yang was promoted as judge of the High Court
. Later in 1976, he chaired the Commission of Inquiry into the Leung Wing-sang Case, a case in which a Station Sergeant, Lau Cheong-wah, allegedly induced Leung to confess to wounding another person by paying him $10,000. Again in 1980, Yang was chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into Inspector MacLennan's Case, investigating the dubious suicide of the homosexual Police Inspector, John MacLennan. Besides, he was also member of the Law Reform Commission and chairman of the Sub-Committee on Law Relating to Homosexuality in 1980.
Yang was appointed Justice of Appeal
in 1981. In 1987, he was appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal. In March 1988, Yang was appointed Chief Justice of Hong Kong
under the recommendation by then Governor
Sir David Wilson
. This was the first time an ethnic Chinese
held this office. Prior to the appointment, he also received a customary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II
in the New Year Honours List
. According to customary practice, past Chief Justices of Hong Kong would become Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam. However, Yang's predecessor, Sir Denys Tudor Emil Roberts continued to serve as Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam after his retirement. Sir TL was instead appointed as president of Court of Appeal of Brunei on May 24, 1988. He resigned this post on May 16, 1993 and was succeeded by Justice Kutlu Tekin Fuad, a retired Hong Kong Court of Appeal judge.
As Chief Justice of Hong Kong, Sir TL enthusiastically initiated a series of reforms on the local Common Law
system in order to face the challenges after the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
in 1997. In 1995, he broke the 152-year-old judicial tradition of Hong Kong by introducing Chinese language
into local courts.
and submitted his resignation to then governor Chris Patten
. In addition, he renounced his British citizenship and wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth II to give up his knighthood. Before the election, he organized a series of campaigns, including visiting public housing estates
, and travelled on the MTR
for the first time in his life. The election for Chief Executive
was held on December 11, 1996. Yang was defeated by Tung Chee Hwa
, a shipping magnate who received 320 votes out of 400 votes from the Election Committee
. On the contrary, Yang came second by gaining 42 votes.
Despite losing in the CE election, Yang was appointed a Non-Official Member of the Executive Council
by Tung soon after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. During his tenure in the Council, he was chairman of the Exchange Fund Investment Ltd from 1998 to 2002 and was responsible to the management of the Tracker Fund of Hong Kong
. From 1999 to 2004, he was also chairman of the ICAC
Complaints Committee.
Yang was awarded a Grand Bauhinia Medal
by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
in 1999 in order to acknowledge his contribution to legal justice and higher education
in Hong Kong. In 2002, he retired from the Executive Council. Soon after he resumed the usage of his knighthood.
. From 1985 to 2001, he became chairman of the University of Hong Kong Council. Besides, he was also Pro-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong from 1994 to 2001. During his Pro-Chancellorship, he was designated by the University to investigate the Public Opinion Programme Disputes
in 2000. Since 1998, he has been the chairman of the Hong Kong Red Cross
.
Sir TL was also President of the Bentham Club, UCL
in the year 1991. In 1988, he was elected an Honorary Bencher of Gray's Inn
.
and etiquette
. In September, 2003, he even became the host of a RTHK radio programme called Yang Ti-liang Mail Box (楊鐵樑留言信箱), teaching English grammar to the audiences and answering questions on his website
.
He has been honorary professor of Chinese at the University of Hong Kong since 1998. In 2005, he was appointed honorary professor and chairman of the Executive Committee of the School of Law by the Chinese University of Hong Kong
. He lends his name to the School of Law society for all undergraduates and postgraduates. And in 2006 he was made honorary professor of Social Sciences at the Open University
of Hong Kong.
in 1954. Eileen was the daughter of the Hon. William Thomas Tam O.B.E., J.P., a lawyer
, magistrate
and one time Legislative Councillor in Hong Kong before World War II
. She was educated at Diocesan Girls' School
in Hong Kong, St. Mary's Limpsfield near Oxted
, and University College Hospital
.
Yang has 2 sons. His younger son married the youngest daughter of Patrick Yu
. Sadly, Barbara died on June 24, 2006 at the age of 74.
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Ti-liang Yang, GBM
Grand Bauhinia Medal
The Grand Bauhinia Medal the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system, is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the postnominal letters GBM and the style "The Honorable"...
, SPMB, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(Traditional Chinese:楊鐵樑爵士, born June 30, 1929), also known as Sir TL, is a retired senior judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. He was Chief Justice of Hong Kong
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong
Chief Justice of Hong Kong or erroneously Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong was the most senior judge in the court system in Hong Kong until 1997....
from 1988 to 1996 and was the only ethnic Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
to hold this office during British colonial rule.
In 1996, he became a candidate in Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 1996
Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 1996
The first ever Hong Kong chief executive election was held on 11 December 1996. Since Hong Kong was then a British colony, election for the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China was held by the People's Republic of China authorities...
, where he lost to his opponent 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....
. After the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
, he was appointed as non-official member of the Executive Council
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
by Tung and retired in 2002. In retirement, Sir TL now mainly focuses on writing and teaching English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. In September 2003, he became the host of a RTHK radio programme called Yang Ti-liang Mail Box (楊鐵樑留言信箱), teaching English grammar to the audiences.
Early years
Yang was born in ShanghaiShanghai
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...
on June 30, 1929 to an influential family which had roots in what was Nanguan
Nanguan District
Nanguan District is a district of Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, People's Republic of China.-Administrative Divisions:There are 12 subdistricts, 3 towns, and 2 townships.Subdistricts:...
in Xiangshan County
Zhongshan
Zhongshan , also spelled Chungshan and historically known as Xiangshan or Siangshan, is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province in southern China. Zhongshan, one of the few cities in China with an eponymous name, is named after Dr. Sun Yat-sen who was...
of Guangnan East Circuit (now Zhongshan
Zhongshan
Zhongshan , also spelled Chungshan and historically known as Xiangshan or Siangshan, is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province in southern China. Zhongshan, one of the few cities in China with an eponymous name, is named after Dr. Sun Yat-sen who was...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
Province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
) since the early twelfth century, although they had resided 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...
since the early nineteenth century. His pre-twelfth century ancestors were officials in Guangling
Guangling District
Guangling District is a district of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Yangzhou city. Most of the historic city of Yangzhou is in this district.-References:*...
city, now Guangling District
Guangling District
Guangling District is a district of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Yangzhou city. Most of the historic city of Yangzhou is in this district.-References:*...
of Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
with roots going back to the Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
. Subsequent generations were scholar-officials and scholar-gentry including a number who became members of the Guozijian
Guozijian
The Guozijian , or Kuo Tzu Chien, the School of the Sons of State, sometimes called the Imperial Academy, Imperial College, Imperial Central School, was the national central institute of learning in Chinese dynasties after the Sui. It was the highest institute of learning in China's traditional...
and the Hanlin Academy
Hanlin Academy
The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution founded in the eighth century Tang dynasty China by Emperor Xuanzong.Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed secretarial and literary tasks for the court. One of its main duties was to...
, one of whom was the first in the family to settle in the south in circa 1130. He was Yang Yuangui a.k.a. Yang Weizhun, Guangzhou's Inspector of the Salt commission
Salt commission
The Salt Commission was an organization in Tang China used to raise tax revenue from the state monopoly of the salt trade.-History:Following the An Lushan Rebellion revenues from the land tax began to fall. The equal-field system that sustained the land tax was undermined by the aristocracy and...
and was possibly created Viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
. His father, Yang Tongcai, was a senior official in Guangling. Only one or two, possibly three, were soldiers. Yang Yichen a.k.a. Yang Qianshou was a senior imperial officer during the Taiping Rebellion
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty...
serving under Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan was an eminent Han Chinese official, military general, and devout Confucian scholar of the late Qing Dynasty in China....
(whose grand-daughter married Ti Liang's tutor, the historian Qu Xuanying a.k.a. Qu Tuiyuan or Qu Duizhi, who himself was the younger son of the Grand Councillor Qu Hongji - the most powerful Han Chinese of the late nineteenth century). He was raised to the rank of Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
. There was a General Commander-in-Chief in the thirteenth century, and another died in 1676 at the hands of the rebel Chen Qiyu, a Wu Sangui
Wu Sangui
Wu Sangui was a Ming Chinese general who was instrumental in the succession of rule to the Qing Dynasty in 1644...
loyalist, during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories
Revolt of the Three Feudatories
The Revolt of the Three Feudatories was a rebellion in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor. The revolt was led by the three lords of the fiefdoms in Yunnan, Guangdong and Fujian provinces against the Qing central government....
, for which subsequent generations were 'graced' by the imperial court. One was appointed Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of Guilin
Guilin
Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of far southern China, sitting on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city...
in circa 1680.
He has a sister and two brothers and he is the youngest amongst them. Yang's great-grandfather, Yang Guixuan, and grandfather, Yang Meinan, were trading partners with Swire in Shanghai and his father, Yang Shaonan (楊少南), was a manager of Swire who later established a shipping company with Swire as his co-partner. Yang's mother was Chun Sinyu (陳蒨如), a modern woman who was educated at St Mary Middle School in Shanghai. Her father and grandfather, Chen Xuejie (Chun Shut-kai) and Chen Keliang (Chun Ko-liang), were also trading partners with Swire.
Born in a family of comfortable means, Yang attended the well-known St John Middle School (same foundation as St. John's University) in his early years and read law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in the Comparative Law School of China in Soochow University
Soochow University (Suzhou)
Soochow University , colloquially known in Chinese as Suda is a university in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The school is part of the Chinese Ministry of Education's Project 211, and a Jiangsu provincial key comprehensive university.-History:...
from 1946 to 1949. Due to the disturbance of the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, he moved very briefly to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
before graduation. After this, he moved to England to read law at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, where he graduated with an LLB with honours in 1953. In 1954, he was called to the bar with honours at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
.
After his study in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Yang returned to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1955. Initially, he worked in his father-in-law's barrister chambers. During that time, there was no vacancy in the government legal service, but Yang was interviewed by the then Chief Justice Sir Michael Hogan.
Judicial career
In June 1956, after a long wait, the government eventually offered him a post in the magistracy as magistrateMagistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
. Yang soon took the post and was promoted as senior magistrate in 1963. Shortly after the promotion, he received a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
and became a Rockefeller Fellow
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies is part of the School of Advanced Study of the University of London. It was founded in 1946 as a national academic institution to promote and advance legal research, implementing a proposal of 1934 report of the Legal Education Committee chaired by Lord Atkin...
, 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...
from 1963 to 1964.
Yang was acting District Judge from 1964 to 1968. During that period, he was chairman of the Kowloon Disturbances
Hong Kong 1966 riots
The Hong Kong 1966 Riots was a series of disturbances that took place over three nights on the streets of Kowloon, Hong Kong in the spring of 1966...
Claims Assessment Board and following the 1967 Leftist Riots, he also presided over the Compensation Board. In 1968, he was appointed District Judge of the Victoria District Court
Former French Mission Building
The Former French Mission Building is a declared monument of Hong Kong. It is located at 1, Battery Path, Central. It currently houses the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong.-Features:...
and was made a member of the Chinese Language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
Committee and president of the Legal Sub-Committee in 1970. Later in 1971, Yang was the presiding judge of the "Poisoned horses case" and was for a brief period acting Puisne Judge in the same year. In 1972, he was again Commissioner of Inquiry into the Rainstorm Disasters.
On February 17, 1975, Yang presided over the trial of Peter Fitzroy Godber
Peter Fitzroy Godber
Peter Fitzroy Godber was Kowloon's Deputy District Commissioner of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force and was caught in a bribery scandal after his retirement in 1973. He fled Hong Kong , but he was later captured and sent back to Hong Kong for trial...
, a former Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
's Deputy District Commissioner of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force who was charged with corruption. The trial lasted for 6 days only and Godber was sentenced 4 years in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. In the same year, Yang was promoted as judge of the High Court
High Court (Hong Kong)
The High Court in Hong Kong consists of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance. It deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the lower courts. It was named the Supreme Court before 1997.- High Court Building :...
. Later in 1976, he chaired the Commission of Inquiry into the Leung Wing-sang Case, a case in which a Station Sergeant, Lau Cheong-wah, allegedly induced Leung to confess to wounding another person by paying him $10,000. Again in 1980, Yang was chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into Inspector MacLennan's Case, investigating the dubious suicide of the homosexual Police Inspector, John MacLennan. Besides, he was also member of the Law Reform Commission and chairman of the Sub-Committee on Law Relating to Homosexuality in 1980.
Yang was appointed Justice of Appeal
Court of Appeal (Hong Kong)
The Court of Appeal deals with appeals on all civil and criminal cases from the Court of First Instance and the District Courts of Hong Kong. It is one of two courts that makes up the High Court of Hong Kong....
in 1981. In 1987, he was appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal. In March 1988, Yang was appointed Chief Justice of Hong Kong
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong
Chief Justice of Hong Kong or erroneously Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong was the most senior judge in the court system in Hong Kong until 1997....
under the recommendation by then Governor
Governor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
Sir David Wilson
David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn
David Clive Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, is a retired British administrator, diplomat and Sinologist. Lord Wilson of Tillyorn was the penultimate Commander-in-Chief and 27th Governor of Hong Kong...
. This was the first time an ethnic Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
held this office. Prior to the appointment, he also received a customary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in the New Year Honours List
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
. According to customary practice, past Chief Justices of Hong Kong would become Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam. However, Yang's predecessor, Sir Denys Tudor Emil Roberts continued to serve as Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam after his retirement. Sir TL was instead appointed as president of Court of Appeal of Brunei on May 24, 1988. He resigned this post on May 16, 1993 and was succeeded by Justice Kutlu Tekin Fuad, a retired Hong Kong Court of Appeal judge.
As Chief Justice of Hong Kong, Sir TL enthusiastically initiated a series of reforms on the local Common Law
Common law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
system in order to face the challenges after the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
in 1997. In 1995, he broke the 152-year-old judicial tradition of Hong Kong by introducing Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
into local courts.
CE election
In 1996, Sir TL decided to contest the first ever Chief Executive electionHong Kong Chief Executive election, 1996
The first ever Hong Kong chief executive election was held on 11 December 1996. Since Hong Kong was then a British colony, election for the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China was held by the People's Republic of China authorities...
and submitted his resignation to then governor Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....
. In addition, he renounced his British citizenship and wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth II to give up his knighthood. Before the election, he organized a series of campaigns, including visiting public housing estates
Public housing in Hong Kong
Public housing in Hong Kong is a set of mass housing programmes through which the Government of Hong Kong provides affordable housing for lower-income residents. It is a major component of housing in Hong Kong, with nearly half of the population now residing in some form of public housing...
, and travelled on the MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
for the first time in his life. The election for Chief Executive
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
was held on December 11, 1996. Yang was defeated by 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....
, a shipping magnate who received 320 votes out of 400 votes from the Election Committee
Election Committee
The Election Committee is an 800-member electoral college in the politics of Hong Kong. It was established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong Kong. This article defines the method of electing the Chief Executive. It is renewed every five years when the sitting Chief Executive's term has expired...
. On the contrary, Yang came second by gaining 42 votes.
Despite losing in the CE election, Yang was appointed a Non-Official Member of the Executive Council
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
by Tung soon after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. During his tenure in the Council, he was chairman of the Exchange Fund Investment Ltd from 1998 to 2002 and was responsible to the management of the Tracker Fund of Hong Kong
Tracker Fund of Hong Kong
Tracker Fund of Hong Kong or TraHK is a unit trust which provides investment results that correspond to the performance of the Hang Seng Index in the Hong Kong stock market.- History :...
. From 1999 to 2004, he was also chairman of the ICAC
Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong)
The Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong was established by Governor Murray MacLehose on 15 February 1974, when Hong Kong was under British rule. Its main aim was to clean up endemic corruption in the many departments of the Hong Kong Government through law enforcement,...
Complaints Committee.
Yang was awarded a Grand Bauhinia Medal
Grand Bauhinia Medal
The Grand Bauhinia Medal the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system, is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the postnominal letters GBM and the style "The Honorable"...
by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Government of Hong Kong
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, commonly the Hong Kong Government, is led by the Chief Executive as Head of the Government, who is also the head of the Hong Kong SAR...
in 1999 in order to acknowledge his contribution to legal justice and higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
in Hong Kong. In 2002, he retired from the Executive Council. Soon after he resumed the usage of his knighthood.
Public service
Early from 1981 to 1984, Sir TL was chairman of the University and Polytechnic Grants CommitteeUniversity Grants Committee (Hong Kong)
The University Grants Committee of Hong Kong is an advisory committee responsible for advising the Government of Hong Kong on the development and funding needs of higher education institutions within Hong Kong....
. From 1985 to 2001, he became chairman of the University of Hong Kong Council. Besides, he was also Pro-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong from 1994 to 2001. During his Pro-Chancellorship, he was designated by the University to investigate the Public Opinion Programme Disputes
Robert Chung Ting-yiu
Dr. Robert Chung is the Director of Public Opinion Programme at the University of Hong Kong.-Study and career:Dr Chung graduated from Diocesan Boys' School. He obtained his Bachelor degree, Master of Philosophy in Sociology and PhD Degree from The University of Hong Kong...
in 2000. Since 1998, he has been the chairman of the Hong Kong Red Cross
Hong Kong Red Cross
The Hong Kong Red Cross is the national Red Cross society of Hong Kong as part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was established officially on 12 July 1950 as a branch of the British Red Cross Society in Hong Kong...
.
Sir TL was also President of the Bentham Club, UCL
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
in the year 1991. In 1988, he was elected an Honorary Bencher of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
.
Contributions to education
After retiring from Executive Council, Sir TL spent much of his time teaching English grammarEnglish grammar
English grammar is the body of rules that describe the structure of expressions in the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses and sentences...
and etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
. In September, 2003, he even became the host of a RTHK radio programme called Yang Ti-liang Mail Box (楊鐵樑留言信箱), teaching English grammar to the audiences and answering questions on his website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
.
He has been honorary professor of Chinese at the University of Hong Kong since 1998. In 2005, he was appointed honorary professor and chairman of the Executive Committee of the School of Law by the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
. He lends his name to the School of Law society for all undergraduates and postgraduates. And in 2006 he was made honorary professor of Social Sciences at the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
of Hong Kong.
| colspan="2" style="background: #CFCFCF; text-align: center" Career | |
|---|---|
Family
Yang married Eileen Barbara Tam in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1954. Eileen was the daughter of the Hon. William Thomas Tam O.B.E., J.P., a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
and one time Legislative Councillor in Hong Kong before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was educated at Diocesan Girls' School
Diocesan Girls' School
Diocesan Girls' School, founded in 1860, is one of the oldest Anglican girls' schools in Hong Kong. DGS is located at 1 Jordan Road in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is administered under the Grant Code and uses English as the medium of instruction. It has always been ranked as the top secondary school in...
in Hong Kong, St. Mary's Limpsfield near Oxted
Oxted
Oxted is a commuter town in Surrey, England at the foot of the North Downs, north of East Grinstead and south-east of Croydon.- History :The town lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Tandridge hundred....
, and University College Hospital
University College Hospital
University College Hospital is a teaching hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London ....
.
Yang has 2 sons. His younger son married the youngest daughter of Patrick Yu
Patrick Yu
Patrick Yu Shuk-Siu is a celebrated trial and appellate lawyer in Hong Kong.Born into an intellectual Chinese family in Hong Kong, with ancestry from Taishan Guangdong, Yu was educated at home for many years before attending Wah Yan College Hong Kong, a prominent Jesuit high school in Hong Kong...
. Sadly, Barbara died on June 24, 2006 at the age of 74.
Translated works
As a renowned translator, Yang has translated numbers of famous Chinese classics into English, they include:- General Yue Fei, 1995 (《說岳全傳》)
- The Peach Blossom FanThe Peach Blossom FanThe Peach-Blossom Fan is a musical play and historical drama in 44 scenes that was completed in 1699 by the early Qing dynasty playwright Kong Shangren after more than 10 years of effort. The play recounts the dying of the Ming dynasty through the love story of its two main characters, young...
, 1998 (《桃花扇》) - Officialdom Unmasked, 2001 (《官場現形記》)
Honours
- Knight BachelorKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
(1988) - Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei (1990, first class)
- Justice of Peace (July 1, 1998)
- Grand Bauhinia MedalGrand Bauhinia MedalThe Grand Bauhinia Medal the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system, is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the postnominal letters GBM and the style "The Honorable"...
(1999)
Honorary degrees
- Chinese University of Hong KongChinese University of Hong KongThe Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
(Hon. LLDLegum DoctorLegum Doctor is a doctorate-level academic degree in law, or an honorary doctorate, depending on the jurisdiction. The double L in the abbreviation refers to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both Canon Law and Civil Law, the double L indicating the plural, Doctor of both...
, 1984) - University of Hong Kong (Hon. DLitt, 1991)
- Hong Kong PolytechnicHong Kong Polytechnic UniversityThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University specialises in professional education in Hong Kong. The University’s teaching units are grouped under six faculties and two schools; the Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles, Faculty of Business, Faculty of Construction and Environment, Faculty of...
(Hon. LLDLegum DoctorLegum Doctor is a doctorate-level academic degree in law, or an honorary doctorate, depending on the jurisdiction. The double L in the abbreviation refers to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both Canon Law and Civil Law, the double L indicating the plural, Doctor of both...
, 1992)
External links
- Sir TL's Website by RTHK (in Chinese)
- CV of Sir TL Yang, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Red Cross - Yang, Sir Ti-liang, address from HKU