Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee
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Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee (; born 25 January 1945) is a former Hong Kong television executive and politician. She was a member of the Legislative Council for nearly three decades, and was also a member of the Executive Council. She is honorary chairwoman of the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
, having formerly been its chairwoman. Joining
Television Broadcasts Limited Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and TVB ...
(TVB) after graduating from 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 ...
(HKU), she was Hong Kong's first weather girl. She went on to executive roles at all three of Hong Kong's major television broadcasting companies: TVB from 1967 to 1977, general manager of
Commercial Television Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship. It was the United States′ first model of radio (an ...
(CTV) from 1977 to 1978 and chief executive 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) from 1988 to 1991. She was first appointed to the Legislative Council in 1981 and the Executive Council in 1991. She was the founding member of the pro-business Liberal Party and the vice-chairwoman from 1998 to 2008. She was appointed to the Executive Council for the second time in 2003. In 2004, she won a directly elected seat in
New Territories West New Territories West (NTW) is the western part of Hong Kong's New Territories, covering Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing and the Islands District. History Settlements in the area, except the Islands District, have been connected by the ...
but lost in her re-election in 2008. She continued to serve as party chairwoman from 2011 to 2012 and chairwoman from 2012 to 2014.


Education and television career

Selina was born Liang Shuk-yee on 25 January 1945 in Hong Kong. She was educated at St. Paul's Co-educational College and earned a bachelor's degree in English from 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 1965. She later obtained a postgraduate diploma from the
Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discipli ...
and Licentiateship in Drama (Teacher and Performer) of the
Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
in the United Kingdom. Liang started her career in Hong Kong's television broadcasting industry as the first weather girl in Hong Kong at the first wireless TV station
Television Broadcasts Limited Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and TVB ...
(TVB) in 1967.Emily Tang
Stars unite to kick-off Selina Chow's Legco bid
, ''The Standard'', 26 August 2004
She was an assistant producer at TVB in
Broadcast Drive Broadcast Drive is a road in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. The road is notable as it is only 1 km long but having played host to all five broadcasting outlets in Hong Kong at one point in the 1970s, and the hill on which the road is located ...
for the English and Chinese channels under general manager Colin Bednall before being promoted to Assistant General Manager to run the entire programming section. Thinking her career in TVB had reached the glass ceiling, Chow left TVB in 1977 and joined
Commercial Television Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship. It was the United States′ first model of radio (an ...
(CTV) as general manager in an attempt to resurrect the ailing station, along with around 200 former TVB personnel including
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
, Patrick Tam and
Ringo Lam Ringo Lam Ling-Tung (, Cantonese: Lam Ling-tung, 8 December 1955 – 29 December 2018) was a Hong Kong film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Hong Kong in 1955, Lam initially went to acting school. After finding he preferred making f ...
in a bidding war between CTV and TVB. However, despite spending HK$50 million on production in just three years, CTV was unable to survive in the highly competitive television broadcasting industry and ceased transmissions in 1978. After she left CTV, Chow codirected her only feature film, ''No Big Deal'' in 1979, a teen comedy, with
Po-Chih Leong Leong Po-Chih (born 31 December 1939) is a British-born Chinese film director from Hong Kong and United States. Early life On December 31, 1939, Leong was born in England. He has two siblings. Leong attended the London Film School, before em ...
. In August 1988,
Lai Sun Group Lai Sun Group () is a Hong Kong conglomerate. It was founded by garment billionaire and entrepreneur, Lim Por-yen. Its businesses include property development, real estate investment, hotel, telecom, mass media and entertainment. Lai Sun is work ...
founder
Lim Por-yen Lim Por-yen (; c. 1914 – 18 February 2005) was a Hong Kong industrialist. He founded the Lai Sun Group, and his family was the biggest shareholder of Asia Television. Biography Lim Por-yen was born in Chaoyang, Guangdong, and moved to Hong ...
took over
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) and hired Chow as the station's chief executive. Chow proceeded in the same month to unveil a $233 million six-year investment plan to improve ATV's competitive edge against TVB. Chow's first year in office saw ATV's annual budget rocket to an estimated $300–350 million, just $100–150 million less than TVB. It also poached many talents from TVB, including comedy stars
Lydia Shum Lydia Shum Din-ha or Lydia Tin Ha Sum (; 21 July 1945 – 19 February 2008) was a Hong Kong comedian, Master of Ceremonies, MC, actress and singer. Known for her portly figure, signature dark rimmed glasses and bouffant hairstyle, she was affect ...
and
Eric Tsang Eric Tsang Chi-wai (; born 14 April 1953) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, and television host, best known for hosting the variety show ''Super Trio series'' on the Hong Kong television network TVB over 18 years. He currently holds ...
, as well as producers, technical staff and administrators. The growing deficit sapped Chow's power as chief executive and in March 1991 she was formally dismissed and replaced by Lam Por-yen himself.


Legislative Council


Colonial period

Chow first stepped into politics when she was appointed to the
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 ...
in 1980. She was subsequently appointed to the Legislative Council in 1981 by
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Murray MacLehose Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, (; 16 October 1917 – 27 May 2000), was a British politician, diplomat and the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, from 1971 to 1982. He was the longest-serving governor of the colony, with four ...
. She also held numerous public offices at the time, including the membership of the Law Reform Commission, the
Housing Authority A housing authority or ministry of housing is generally a governmental body that governs aspects of housing or (called in general "shelter" or "living spaces"), often providing low rent or free apartments to qualified residents. The existence of ...
and the
Education Commission The Education Commission of 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 List of cities in China, city and Special ...
, a well as the chairmanship of the
Consumer Council A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. T ...
. In 1991, she was appointed to the Executive Council, the top advisory board in the government, by Governor David Wilson. She resigned the following year after the arrival of the last Governor
Chris Patten Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, (; born 12 May 1944) is a British politician who was the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997 and Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992. He was made a life pe ...
who wanted to reshuffle the council. Chow was also a member of the
Co-operative Resources Centre The Co-operative Resources Centre (CRC; ) was a short-lived political group in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo). Led by the Senior Unofficial Member of the Executive and Legislative Councils Allen Lee, it was established on 12 Decemb ...
(CRC) headed by Senior Member of the Legislative Council
Allen Lee Allen Lee Peng-fei, CBE, JP (; 24 April 194015 May 2020) was a Hong Kong industrialist, politician and political commentator. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, serving from 1978 to 1997 and was the Senior Member of th ...
consisting of the appointed members who aimed to counter the rise of the
United Democrats of Hong Kong The United Democrats of Hong Kong (; UDHK) was a short-lived political party in Hong Kong founded in 1990 as the united front of the liberal democracy forces in preparation of the 1991 first ever direct election for the Legislative Council of ...
(UDHK) in the legislature after their landslide victory in the first ever direct election in 1991. The CRC soon transformed into the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
to actively lobby against Chris Patten's constitutional reform proposal, which they thought would damaged the smooth transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong due to Beijing's strong opposition. In the 1995 Legislative Council election, Chow contested in the Wholesale and Retail
functional constituency A functional constituency is an electoral device (a non-geographical constituency) used within the political systems of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China: * Functional constituency (Hong Kong) * Functional cons ...
and won the seat against
Wong Kwok-hing Wong Kwok-hing BBS MH (, Vietnamese : ''Vương Quốc Hưng'' ; born 29 March 1949, Haiphong, North Vietnam) is a Hong Kong trade unionist and a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, representing the New Territories West cons ...
of the
Beijing-loyalist The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp, pro-government camp or pro-China camp refers to a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) t ...
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is a pro-Beijing conservative political party in Hong Kong. Chaired by Starry Lee and holding 13 Legislative Council seats, it is currently the largest party in the l ...
(DAB). She was later elected to the Beijing-controlled
Provisional Legislative Council The Provisional Legislative Council (PLC) was the interim legislature of Hong Kong that operated from 1997 to 1998. The legislature was founded in Guangzhou and sat in Shenzhen from 1996 (with offices in Hong Kong) until the handover in 1997 an ...
(PLC) after the dismantling of the "through train" of the last colonial Legislative Council.


SAR period

In the first SAR Legislative Council election in 1998, Allen Lee resigned as Liberal Party chairman lost in the direct election. James Tien succeeded as chairman and Chow became party vice-chairwoman. After 1997, the Liberal Party became the partner in
Tung Chee-hwa Tung Chee-hwa (; born 7 July 1937) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He is currently a vice-chairman of the Chin ...
's "governing coalition" which saw Chow being appointed to the
Hong Kong Tourist Association The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a Government-subvented body founded in 2001. The Board replaced the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) established in 1957. It has 15 branch offices and representative offices in 6 markets around the w ...
before it was transformed into the
Hong Kong Tourism Board The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a Government-subvented body founded in 2001. The Board replaced the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) established in 1957. It has 15 branch offices and representative offices in 6 markets around the w ...
in 2001. She has also been a board member of the
Hong Kong Airport Authority The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA or AAHK) is the statutory body (governed by the Airport Authority Ordinance (Cap. 483)) of the government of Hong Kong that is responsible for the operations of the Hong Kong International Airport. History ...
, honorary adviser to Against Child Abuse, and director of the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Society. As the most senior member in the Legislative Council, she was also the chairwoman of the House Committee of the Legislative Council from 2000 to 2003. From 2003 to 2008, she was also a member of the 10th National Committee of
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 ...
(CPPCC). Public opposition to the national security legislation of the
Basic Law Article 23 Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 () is an article in the Hong Kong Basic Law, Basic Law, the organic law, constitution of Hong Kong. It states that Hong Kong "shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subvers ...
, and the historic 2003 July 1st protest against it, led to the resignation of Liberal Party chairman James Tien from the Executive Council on 6 July. Without Liberal support in the legislature, the government was short of sufficient votes to pass the bill, which it later shelved. In September 2003, Chow was appointed to the Executive Council to fill Tien's vacancy. Riding on the popularity from the 2003 crisis, Chow and Tien left their trade-based functional constituencies and ran in
geographical constituencies In Hong Kong, geographical constituencies, as opposed to functional constituencies, are elected by all eligible voters according to geographically demarcated constituencies. There are currently 5 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong, returnin ...
. Chow won a seat in
New Territories West New Territories West (NTW) is the western part of Hong Kong's New Territories, covering Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing and the Islands District. History Settlements in the area, except the Islands District, have been connected by the ...
with more than 50,000 votes, more than 10 per cent of the vote share, and was elected with Tien. In the 2008 Legislative Council election, she lost her re-election in the New Territories West by receiving only about 21,000 votes, ending her 27 years of service in the legislature. Chow blamed the loss of her seat on
Heung Yee Kuk The Heung Yee Kuk, officially the Heung Yee Kuk N.T., is a statutory advisory body representing establishment interests in the New Territories, Hong Kong. The council is a powerful organisation comprising heads of rural committees which repres ...
chairman and Liberal Party member
Lau Wong-fat Lau Wong-fat, GBM, GBS, OBE, JP (; 15 October 1936 – 23 July 2017) was a Hong Kong businessman and politician. He had been the long-time chairman of the Rural Council, the most powerful organ representing the interests of the New Territo ...
for canvassing for the DAB candidate
Cheung Hok-ming Cheung Hok-ming (; born 3 July 1952, in Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, Hong Kong) is a former councillor in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong representing the New Territories West constituency. A Hakka, he is also the chairman of Tai Po District Council an ...
during the elections. As a result, both Tien and Chow resigned from the party organ with Chow also resigned from the Executive Council.


After Legislative Council

Selina Chow and James Tien returned to the party leadership after the intra-party split between James's brother
Michael Tien Michael Tien Puk-sun (born 25 August 1950) is a Hong Kong politician, businessman and member of the Legislative Council for New Territories North West. He is the founder and chairman of the G2000 clothing retail chain and former chairman of ...
and
Tommy Cheung Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, GBS, JP (, born 30 September 1949 in Hong Kong) is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo), representing the Catering functional constituencies seats. He is a non-official member of the Executive Counci ...
over the Minimum Wage Bill which resulted Michael's departure from the party. In January 2011, Chow succeeded Tommy Cheung as the vice-chairwoman for the second time. In the 2012 Chief Executive election, the Liberals initially supported their former member and
Chief Secretary for Administration The Chief Secretary for Administration, commonly known as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong, is the most senior principal official of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Chief Secretary is head of the Governmen ...
Henry Tang Henry Tang Ying-yen (; born 6 September 1952) is a Hong Kong politician who served as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong between 2007 and 2011. He held the position of Financial Secretary from 2003 to 2007. In 2012, he lost the Hong Kong Chief ...
but withdrew their support after Henry Tang's illegal basement controversy. However, they refused to support another Beijing-supported candidate
Leung Chun-ying Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Mar ...
. Selina Chow and party chairwoman
Miriam Lau __NOTOC__ Miriam Lau Kin-yee (, former married name Miriam Lau Lau Kin-yee; born 27 April 1947) was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco), representing the transport industry functional constituency. Lau was the acting-ch ...
defended their null vote as "the responsible decision" as they could not with all conscience vote for either Tang or Leung; their internal poll of 1,900 people showed 30 percent would cast blank votes.Siu, Phila (22 March 2012)
"Tang or Blank"
''The Standard''
After Miriam Lau was defeated in
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...
in the
2012 Legislative Council election 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
and resigned as party chairwoman, Selina Chow was elected chairwoman, unopposed, on 15 December 2012.Chow new chairperson of Liberal Party
RTHK News, 15 Dec 2012, retrieved 15 December 2012
Under her chairmanship, the new office of party leader was created and assumed by James Tien. She held the chairmanship for two years until she was succeeded by
Felix Chung Felix Chung Kwok-pan (, born 4 November 1963) is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for the Textiles and Garment constituency, representing the Liberal Party. He has also been the leader of the Liberal Party since 2016, afte ...
and became the party honorary chairwoman. In the 2017 Chief Executive election, she split with other party figures in the election to nominate former Financial Secretary
John Tsang John Tsang Chun-wah, GBM, JP (; born Mui; born 21 April 1951) is a Hong Kong former senior civil servant and government official who was the longest-serving Financial Secretary in the Special Administrative Region period to date. Born in ...
on the capacity as an
Election Committee The Election Committee is a Hong Kong electoral college, the function of which is to select the Chief Executive (CE) and, since 2021, to elect 40 of the 90 members of the Legislative Council. Established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong ...
member for Wholesale and Retail with James Tien, Miriam Lau and Felix Chung against the former Chief Secretary for Administration, the Beijing-supported
Carrie Lam Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the 4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022. She served as Chief Secretary for Administration between 2012 and 2017 and Secr ...
.


Personal life

Liang is married to engineer Joseph Chow Ming-kuen, having proposed on the phone when he was in Britain in 1968. The couple have two daughters, Chee-may and Chee-kay, she also has five grandchildren ages 13, 11, 11, 8 and 2


See also

*
List of graduates of University of Hong Kong This is a brief list of notable graduates 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 Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chow, Selina Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the Provisional Legislative Council 1945 births Living people Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Hong Kong Liberal Party (Hong Kong) politicians Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Members of the Urban Council of Hong Kong District councillors of Mong Kok District HK LegCo Members 1985–1988 HK LegCo Members 1988–1991 HK LegCo Members 1991–1995 HK LegCo Members 1995–1997 HK LegCo Members 1998–2000 HK LegCo Members 2000–2004 HK LegCo Members 2004–2008 Alumni of Rose Bruford College Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2012–2017 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2017–2021 Alumni of St. Paul's Co-educational College Hong Kong chief executives Hong Kong film producers TVB 20th-century Chinese politicians 21st-century Chinese politicians 20th-century Hong Kong people 21st-century Hong Kong people