Robert Hotung
Sir Robert Ho Tung | |
---|---|
Born | Robert Ho Tung Bosman 22 December 1862 |
Died | 26 April 1956 British Hong Kong | (aged 93)
Alma mater | Queen's College |
Occupation | Merchant |
Spouses | Margaret Maclean (m. 1881)Clara Cheung Lin-kok
(m. 1895) |
Children | 12, including George |
Parent(s) | Charles Henry Maurice Bosman (father) Sze Tai (mother) |
Relatives | Ho Fook (brother) Eric Hotung (grandson) Joseph Hotung (grandson) Stanley Ho (grand-nephew) Grace Ho (niece) Bruce Lee (grand-nephew) |
Robert Hotung | ||
---|---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin Hé Qǐdōng | | |
Yue: Cantonese | ||
Jyutping | Ho4 Kai2 Dung1 |
Sir Robert Ho Tung Bosman,
Biography
Ho Tung was Eurasian. His father, Charles Henry Maurice Bosman (1839–1892), was of
He later left for England, where he became naturalised in 1888.[9] In Cantonese, Bosman was pronounced Bo-se-man, which transliterated into Cantonese to become Ho Sze Man. When Robert Ho Tung Bosman travelled, he carried a certificate from the governor of Hong Kong stating that his father was Dutch.[citation needed] He was educated at Queen's College, Hong Kong (previously known as the Central School).[10]
Career
After graduating from Queen's College in 1878, Ho Tung went to
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.[13]
Ho Tung himself lived in a nearby house named The Neuk, although he did entertain visiting notables such as US vice-president John Nance Garner and playwright George Bernard Shaw at Ho Tung Gardens.[14]
Ho Tung identified himself both as Chinese and as a permanent resident of British Hong Kong. He gave generously to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's campaigns to establish the Republic of China, but saw no contradiction in civic participation in British Hong Kong. As a millionaire with significant influence in the colony, he heavily emphasised to the British colonial administration that no part of the Chinese demographic were "purely indigenous". Many were "birds of passage" on their way to Southeast Asia, but many, like himself, became permanent residents, a testimony to their "faith in the permanent prosperity of the colony and the safety of domicile under the folds of the British flag".[15]
Ho Tung was the director of many Hong Kong companies, including
Family
Robert Ho Tung had four sisters and five brothers, including:
- Ho Fook (1863–1926), a younger brother, succeeded Robert 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 was Stanley Ho, the casino and shipping magnate.
- Ho Kom-tong (1866–1950) was a younger maternal half-brother of Robert's. The son of a Chinese father, he 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 his children, Grace Ho Oi-yu (何爱瑜) (1907–1996), was the daughter of Cheung King-sin (張瓊仙), a Eurasian who was Ho Kom-tong's mistress in Shanghai. Grace was adopted by him and later became the mother of martial artist and actor Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum.
Marriage
At age 15, Robert was informally engaged to the Eurasian daughter of Hector Coll Maclean of Jardines, Margaret Mak (aka Maclean, 麥秀英; 1865–1944). They married when he was 18, and she was 16.[22] Since she was unable to bear children, Robert adopted Ho Fook's first son, Ho Wing, following Chinese tradition, and took Chau Yee-man (周綺文) as a concubine in 1891.[23] Still childless after three years (Chau Yee-man later gave birth to Mary Hotung 何純姿[24]), Margaret persuaded her maternal cousin Clara Cheung Lin-kok (張靜容 a.k.a. 張蓮覺;[13] 1875–1938),[23] to accept his hand as a "co-equal" wife; they married in 1895.[25] Clara Ho Tung later gave birth to three sons and seven daughters.
Robert and Margaret were baptised as Christians late in life and interred at the Hong Kong Cemetery. The rest of his family, including Clara, are buried in the Eurasian cemetery, Chiu Yuen Cemetery, located on Mount Davis.
Honors
He was appointed Knight Bachelor in 1915 and made a Knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1955.[1]
He was a Justice of the Peace since 1889, Knight of Grace of St. John of Jerusalem (1925), Knight Grand of Officer of the Order of Christ of Portugal (promoted Grand Officer in 1930), First Class Order of the Excellent Crop with Sash of China 1922, Knight Commander of the Legion of Honor 1932, First Class National Red Cross of Germany 1932, Knight Commander of the Crown of Italy 1933, Knight Commander of the Crown of Leopold of Belgium 1933, and Knight Commander of the Imperial Dragon of Annam 1936.[26]
Progeny
Robert and Clara's eldest son, Edward Hotung (1902–1957), became a prominent banker and philanthropist in Hong Kong. He was a 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. He had two sons, Sir Joseph Hotung KBE (1930–2021)[27] and Eric Hotung CBE (1926–2017); and two daughters, Mary Ketterer, who received the Royal Order of the Golden Ark for her work in conservation, and Antonia.[citation needed]
Eric Hotung was a businessman and ambassador-at-large and economic advisor to 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 married Patricia Anne Shea and they had five sons and three daughters. He died in 2017, aged 91.[29]
Robert and Clara's second son, Robbie Ho Shai-lai (1906–1998), was a general under the
A third son, Henry, was born to Clara but died of tuberculosis when he was four.
Robert had another son, George Ho Cho-chi, born out of wedlock. George went on to become founder of Commercial Radio Hong Kong.
Robert and Clara's eldest daughter, Victoria, married Sir
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 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 (1904–2007) was one of the first female undergraduate students admitted to study English at the University of Hong Kong in 1921. She went on to earn a Diploma in Education at King's College in London in 1925. In 1936, she received her PhD from the University of London. She is the author of Clara Ho Tung. A Hong Kong Lady: Her Family and Her Times and Intercultural Reminiscences.[31]
Florence Yeo married Malaysian-born doctor K.C. Yeo and settled in the UK. Her memoir is called My Memories.[32]
Legacy
There are many parks, schools, and buildings named after or founded by Robert Ho Tung in Hong Kong, including Lady Hotung Hall at
In Macau, the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library is housed in a mansion once owned by Ho Tung, who resided there during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, under the protection granted by Portuguese neutrality in Macau. Also, there is a school named after him called Escola Primária Oficial Luso-Chinesa Sir Robert Ho Tung (何東中葡小學).
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Ho Tung villa highlights lack of heritage strategy". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ISBN 9789620426957.
- ^ "Charles Henri Maurice BOSMAN". Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ "The Silver Bowl: Sir Robert Ho Tung (1862–1956)". 8 November 2012.
- ISBN 0-19-590353-6
- ^ sharonoddiebrown.blogspot.com/2012/11/sir-robert-ho-tung-1862-1956.html
- ^ "Bosman – Ho Tung". Gwulo. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ Bosman – Ho Tung, Gwulo, 21 September 2010
- ^ ALIENS 1888 1889 SURNAME A B C, missing-ancestors.com. Entry: BOSMAN, Charles Henry Maurice, The Netherlands, naturalised 15 November 1888
- ISBN 962-209-688-3.
- ISBN 978-1-84511-419-0.
- ^ Congregation (1916) – Sir Robert Ho Tung, University of Hong Kong
- ^ a b "Historic Building Appraisal, Ho Tung Gardens" Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Item 38, Brief Information on Proposed Grade I Items, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong.
- ^ Enid Tsu (3 February 2012). "Restoration drama". Financial Times, UK. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
- ISBN 0-674-01701-3, p. 113.
- ISBN 978-0-9519039-0-2
- ^ "Tung Lin Kok Yuen's History Part 1". Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ISBN 9789889722616
- ^ "1900 Hong Kong question". Gwulo. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ "Kom Tong Hall and the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum". People's Republic of China. 10 January 2005. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
- ^ "Kom Tong Hall at 7 Castle Road, Mid-levels, Hong Kong" (PDF). People's Republic of China. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
- ISBN 978-962-8269-54-9.
- ^ a b Tung Lin Kok Yuen's History Part 1, The Buddhist Door. Retrieved 26 February 2014
- ISBN 0765600439.
- ISBN 9622010962.
- ISBN 9789888582655.
- ^ "Sir Joseph Hotung". SOAS.
- ^ "Sir Joseph Hotung – Honorary Fellow of SOAS, University of London". www.soas.ac.uk.
- ^ Eric Hotung dead at 91, The Standard, 27 September 2017
- ^ Secretariat, Intergovernmental Relations (31 July 2013). "Thirteen to receive 2013 Order of British Columbia | BC Gov News". news.gov.bc.ca.
- ^ "AbeBooks | Shop for Books, Art & Collectibles". www.abebooks.com.
- ^ "Yeo Florence – AbeBooks". www.abebooks.com.
- ^ "Declared Monuments in Hong Kong – Hong Kong Island". Antiquities and Monuments Office