Henry Hu Hung-lick GBM GBS JP (, born 20 January 1920) is a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, formerly served as the vice-chairman of the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it comprised an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male cl ...

, Legislative Council member, and vice-chairperson of

Urban Council 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 ...

during 1 April 1975 to 31 March 1979.

Diplomat career

Born in a poor family, Hu only received education starting from 9, but finished all primary education within 2.5 years, and earned an excellent result in secondary school admission examination among all students in Chekiang. Hu graduated from the National University of Political Science in 1942 where he studied diplomacy. In 1945, Hu, along with his just-married wife, went to

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

to begin his diplomat career. Following the change of regime in China which the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

retreated to Taiwan, he decided to study in

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

and received

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

and

Diploma of High Studies A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

in International Law and International Affairs in 1952, and qualified as a barrister in the UK in 1954, and began his legal practice upon his return to Hong Kong a year later. Hu, a pro-China patriot, eventually gave up to be barrister in Hong Kong, reportedly because of his unwillingness to revoke his Chinese nationality. During his legal practice in Hong Kong, Hu handled some infamous cases, including Happy Valley Cardboard Box murder.

Political career

Hu was elected to the

in 1965, criticised the government to increase the fare of

Star Ferry The Star Ferry is a passenger ferry service operator and tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island, and Kowloon. The service is operated by the Star Ferry Com ...

foot-passenger. Hu then was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1976 as unofficial member, and met Chinese leader

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CC ...

in 1979, becoming the first Hong Kong legislator entering PRC. His Legco member term ended in 1983, and entered

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 ...

four years later.

Family

He married Chung Chi-yung; together they have two children. They co-founded

Hong Kong Shue Yan College Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU or SYU) is a private liberal-arts university on Braemar Hill, North Point, Hong Kong. Founded in 1971 as Hong Kong Shue Yan College () by Henry Hu and Chung Chi-yung, it was unilaterally recognised as the ...

, which would be the first private university in Hong Kong.

References

*Urban Council, ''Urban Council Annual Report'', 1974
Hong Kong Newspaper Clippings Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hu, Henryhunglick 1920 births Living people Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal Members of the Urban Council of Hong Kong Place of birth missing (living people) Reform Club of Hong Kong politicians Politicians from Shaoxing Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Barristers of Hong Kong Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong Hong Kong centenarians Men centenarians Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2021–2026 Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong