Hsu Ta Tung (1909-1982), was a Chinese

business magnate A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

and the father of Yuan Kai (Lincoln) Hsu, Daisy Hsu and Rita Fan.

Life

Hsu was born in

Zhenhai Zhenhai is a district and former county of the sub-provincial city of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province in eastern China. It has a population of 200,000. History The town of Zhenhai grew up at the foot of Zhaobao Hill on a tongue of land at the mo ...

County (current Zhenhai District),

Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...

Zhejiang Province Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiangs ...

. His father was a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

at Chongzheng College (崇正書院), and he also graduated from this school. Hsu went to

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

and joined a bank as a clerk. Three years later he and founded his own company in the paper industry named Ta-Tung (大統紙號) after himself. His company developed rapidly and the company was renamed Tung-Yi (統益紙號). In the late 1930s and 40s, he monopolized the paper business in eastern China and was known as the 'Magnate of Paper Industry' (紙業大王). He became chief director (理事長) of the Shanghai Trade Association (上海同業公會). Hsu invested broadly in other sectors including banking and

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

. He became the major shareholder of

Dah Sing Bank Dah Sing Banking Group Limited (DSBG) is a Hong Kong-based banking and financial company, headquartered in Wan Chai. It has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 2004. It has three main banking subsidiaries (Dah Sing Bank, Banco Co ...

, established in Hong Kong in 1947 as mainland China turned communist. His son yuan Kai (Lincoln) Hsu, aughters Daisy Hsu and Rita Fan were born in Shanghai, with the latter named after American film star Rita Hayworth, who was then very popular in Shanghai.

Hong Kong

1949, Hsu moved his whole family to

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 ...

. He once became the largest single shareholder of

Dah Sing Bank Limited Dah Sing Banking Group Limited (DSBG) is a Hong Kong-based banking and financial company, headquartered in Wan Chai. It has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 2004. It has three main banking subsidiaries (Dah Sing Bank, Banco Co ...

. The number plate of his car was also famous in Hong Kong - HK1000. In later life he was involved in the charitable promotion of education in mainland China.

Memorial

* ''Ta-Tung Bridge'' (大統橋) in Ningbo * ''Hsu Ta Tung Memorial Building'', at

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 ...

, Hong Kong

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hsu, Ta Tung 1909 births 1982 deaths Businesspeople from Ningbo