Chau Tsun-nin

Sir Tsun-nin Chau, CBE (Chinese: 周埈年; 22 December 1893 – 27 January 1971) was a prominent Hong Kong businessman and politician.

Early life

The seventh son of the Hong Kong businessman and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, Chau Siu-ki, he was born on 22 December 1893 in Hong Kong. He was educated at St. Stephen's College, Hong Kong and was admitted to Queen's College, Oxford in 1911. He graduated in jurisprudence in 1915 and was called to the bar at the Middle Temple, London.

Career

He returned to Hong Kong in 1915 to join his father's business and soon became the leader of the Chinese community in the colony. He was appointed an unofficial Justice of Peace in 1922 and an appointed an unofficial member in the Sanitary Board from 1929 to 1932. He was then appointed as Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council in 1931 in succession to Sir Shouson Chow. He was later on appointed to the Executive Council in 1938. He was again appointed to the Legislative and Executive Council after the war as the Senior Chinese Unofficial Member of the two councils. He rose to the Senior Unofficial Member in the Legislative Council in 1950 and the Executive Council in 1953 until his retirement in 1959.

Chau held the position of director of numerous public companies and public institutions, such as the permanent adviser to the Tung Wah Hospital and Po Leung Kuk and the executive committee of the Nethersole Hospital where a ward is named after him. Other notable institutions he was part of their councils or committees including Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children, the St. John Ambulance Association and Brigade, Pok Oi Hospitall, Yuen Long, the British Red Cross Society, and St. Stephen's College. He was also an honorary vice-president of the Boy Scout's Association. He was also the member of the council and also the court of University of Hong Kong between 1931 and 1941 and received an honorary Doctor of Laws by the university in 1961.

Po Hing Fong flood disaster

He survived in a flood disaster in 1925 where many of his family members were killed. On 17 July 1925 shortly before 9 a.m., a extensive wall behind the houses near the Caine Road-Ladder Street end undermined by the heavy rains of the past three days. The flood gave out and swept away seven houses where thirty families inhabited. The houses on Po Hing Fong where Chau and his family lived collapsed. Chau Tsun-nin's father, Chau Siu-ki, his wife, Chau So She, his grandmother as well as many other of his family members were killed in the disaster. Chau Tsun-nin survived from the disaster and was rescued from the wreckage.

Chau Tsun-nin was located alive at about 11.45 a.m. buried in the centre of a huge pile of debris. His miraculous escape was due to his having fallen from his bed under a table which supported the weight of the bricks. He was conscious and was strengthened sufficiently to crawl out. When he was rescued his first enquiries were for his father, mother and wife.

Later life and death

He was the director of the Canton Trust Bank when there was a bank run during the Banking Crisis of 1964. He made a statement on newspapers to stay clear from the bank.

Chau suffered from thromboangiitis obliterans in 1968 and had to take surgery. On 12 December 1970, he was sent to hospital again and subsequently died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital on 27 January 1971 12:05 pm. His funeral took place at the Hong Kong Funeral Home on 31 January and was buried at the Aberdeen Chinese Cemetery.

He had four sons and one daughter. His third son Chau Cham-son was the chief commissioner of the Scout Association. Chau Sik-nin, one of Chau Tsun-nin's cousin, was also a member of the Executive and Legislative Council.

Honours

He was designated a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1938 and was knighted in 1956. He is also an Associate Officer of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.