Ellen Li Shu-pui (; 22 July 1908 – 2 June 2005) was a politician in Hong Kong. She is best known as the first woman to be appointed to 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 ...

Early life and education

Li was born Ts'o Sau-kuan in 1908 in

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. She was educated at the

St. Stephen's Girls' College St Stephen's Girls' College (SSGC) () is a grant school in Hong Kong under the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Anglican Church). Established in 1906, SSGC is a top girls' school and among the oldest schools in Hong Kong. It is managed by the St. Step ...

and was among the first women to study business administration at the

University of Shanghai University of Shanghai, also known as Shanghai College and Hujiang University (), was a university established by the American Baptist Missionary Union and the Southern Baptist Convention in Shanghai. It was the predecessor of University of Sh ...

. After her education, she worked at the Chinese Maritime Customs before she moved to Hong Kong in 1934. She married Dr. Li Shu-pui, younger brother of Dr.

Li Shu-fan Li Shu-fan (1887 – 24 November 1966) was a leader of the medical profession in Hong Kong and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Biography He was a native of China but received his early education in the US. Li graduated from ...

, in 1936.

Public life

During the depression years of the 1930s Hong Kong, she worked in the social services and founded the Hong Kong Chinese Women's Club and the Hong Kong Council of Women. She also encouraged and extended the activities of the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

, repeatedly serving as president. She also worked in the

Family Planning Association FPA (Family Planning Association) was a UK registered charity (number 250187) working to enable people to make informed choices about sex and to enjoy sexual health. It was the national affiliate for the International Planned Parenthood Federat ...

and many government committees. She was made member of the Court of the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

in 1948. She was diagnosed of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

in 1962 and was cured after receiving a series of operations. She was made

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 ...

in 1948. In 1964, she was appointed member of the

Urban Council of Hong Kong The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services ...

, the first woman to be appointed to the Council. She became the first woman to be appointed to the

in 1965 as a provisional member during the absence of Dhun Jehangir Ruttonjee, and was appointed in July 1966 in place of

Kwan Cho-yiu Sir Cho-yiu Kwan (; 10 July 1907 – 7 December 1971) was a prominent Hong Kong politician and public figure in the 1960s. He was the Senior Chinese Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council and Executive Council of Hong Kong and the found ...

in which she held the position until 1973. She was instrumental in passing the 1971 Marriage (Amendment) Bill, which abolished the

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

by virtue of the

Great Qing Legal Code The Great Qing Legal Code (or Great Ching Legal Code), also known as the Qing Code (Ching Code) or, in Hong Kong law, as the ''Ta Tsing Leu Lee'' (大清律例), was the legal code of the Qing empire (1644–1912). The code was based on the Ming ...

. For her services, she received a Doctor of Laws honorary degree. She was awarded Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE) in 1958 and Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1964. She became the first woman to receive Commander of the

(CBE) in 1974. In 1999, she was named Hall of Fame of the

International Women's Forum The International Women's Forum (IWF), founded in 1974 as the Women's Forum of New York, is an invitation-only women's organization with some 7,000 members. Its mission is "to support the women leaders of today and tomorrow". The IWF hosts two con ...

(IWF).

Family and death

Ellen Li married Dr. Li Shu-pui (1903–2005), younger brother of Dr.

who was also member of the Legislative Council, in 1936. Before her name was Ts'o Sau-kuan, meaning "the most accomplished of the crowd". Dr. Li Shu-pui was the chairman of the

Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, or HKSH, is a private hospital established in 1922 in Happy Valley, Hong Kong. The hospital has more than 500 beds and various room types and facilities. It also has a 24 hours outpatient consultation service. ...

. The couple had one daughters and two sons. She died on 2 June 2005 aged 96.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Ellen 1908 births 2005 deaths Hong Kong women in politics Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Members of the Urban Council of Hong Kong Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century women politicians Vietnamese emigrants to Hong Kong