Deacon Chiu Te-ken, JP (; 1 May 1924 – 17 March 2015) was a Hong Kong entrepreneur. He founded

Far East Bank Far East Bank was a bank in Hong Kong which has since merged into Bank of East Asia. Far East Bank was founded in 1959 by Mr. Deacon Chiu (), the founder of Far East Holdings. It started as a qianzhuang (native bank) in Tsuen Wan by collecting ...

and

Far East Consortium Far East Consortium International Limited (FEC) () is a company with its head office in Central, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1950 by Deacon Chiu and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972. FEC is mainly engaged in property developmen ...

and was formerly chairman of

Asia Television Asia Television Limited (, also known as ATV) is a digital media and broadcasting company in Hong Kong. Established as the first television service in Hong Kong as Rediffusion Television () on 29 May 1957, it shifted to terrestrial televisio ...

(ATV).

Life

Chiu was born in Shanghai in 1924 and moved to Hong Kong in 1949. He made his first investment by opening a cinema in a rural area. In 1959, he collected deposits from farmers and opened a qianzhuang (native bank),

. In 1962, he bought the

Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park was an amusement park on the west shore of Lai Chi Kok Bay in Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong. It was once the largest amusement park in Hong Kong, and attracted people from all walks of life in the territory. History Operat ...

, a major zoo and theme park in the city at the time. He founded and became the chairman of the Far East Consortium in 1972, focusing on property development. The company was listed in 1972 and its sister company, Far East Holdings International which , was listed in 1973. He was also chairman of Far East Hotel and Entertainment, which was listed in 1979. In 1982, he rose to fame when he bought

Rediffusion Television Rediffusion Television (RTV) was the first television station in Hong Kong, making it both the first British colony and the first predominantly ethnically Chinese city to have television.Kitley, Philip. 003(2003). Television, Regulation and ...

and renamed it

(ATV), which he sold in 1989. While he was chairman, it was rumoured that ATV staff were told how many pieces of toilet paper they were allowed to use. In 1986, the group acquired a 34 per cent stake in Far East Holdings from the Chiu family. In the 1980s, Chiu and his son David were charged with falsifying documents of Far East Bank but the case was dropped in 1993 because he had been diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. David was later acquitted of fraud charges. On 8 September 2011, Chiu retired as chairman and was appointed honorary chairman of Far East Consortium International Limited. Chiu was appointed

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

on 20 November 1964 and was appointed to the 6th to 9th

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

, from 1983. He was one of the founders of

Yan Chai Hospital Yan Chai Hospital () is a Charitable hospital has under the Kowloon West Cluster of the Hospital Authority, providing acute and extended care services to the Tsuen Wan community and its neighbouring areas. The hospital was founded by the Yan Ch ...

and the vice patron of the

Community Chest of Hong Kong The Community Chest of Hong Kong () is an independent, nonprofit organization established on 8 November 1968 in Hong Kong. As one of the most important charities in Hong Kong, The Community Chest serves as an umbrella organization to provide gr ...

from 1968, the founder and permanent honorary chairman of the New Territories General Chamber of Commerce. In 1966, he founded and became chairman of Ju Ching Chu Secondary School, named for his first wife.

Death

On the morning of 17 March 2015, Chiu fainted at his villa in

Ting Kau Ting Kau is an area in west Tsuen Wan District, New Territories, Hong Kong. Ting Kau Village () is a village near the shore. Ting Kau is famous for the Ting Kau Bridge, spanning the Rambler Channel, from Ting Kau to Tsing Yi Island. Administr ...

and was declared dead at Yan Chai Hospital in

Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and flee ...

, aged 90.

Family and personal

Chiu and his second wife Marion Chiu were both members of the

Hong Kong Jockey Club The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, having been founded in 1884. In 1959, it was granted a Royal Charter and renamed The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (). The institution reverted to its original name ...

, owning horses Fair Wing, My Time and Wind Winner. From his two marriages, Chiu had seven sons and one daughter.Webb-site: Chiu, Deacon Te Ken 邱德根
/ref> Since 2022, his youngest son

Duncan Chiu Duncan Chiu Tat Kun (born 1974, ) is a Hong Kong politician serving as a member of the Legislative Council for the Technology and Innovation functional constituency. He is the youngest child of Hong Kong entrepreneur Deacon Chiu. Chiu is t ...

has been a member of the

Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's " one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kong ...

In popular culture

* '' The Romancing Star II'' : 1988 film, Character Mr. Chow, portrayed by

Lo Hoi-pang Lo Hoi-pang (born 21 December 1941) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. Lo attended TVB's Training Classes in 1973. Among his classmates are Chow Yun-fat and Ng Man-tat. Lo won the 2012 31st Hong Kong Film Awards for the Best Supporting Actor c ...

. * ''It Could Happen Here - The TV Magnate'' : 1991 television film, portrayed by Lo Hoi-pang.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiu, Deacon 1924 births 2015 deaths Hong Kong bankers Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Hong Kong racehorse owners and breeders Asia Television Heung Yee Kuk Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong