Sir Shouson Chow (; 1861–1959), KBE,

LLD Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

, JP, also known as Chow Cheong-Ling (), was a Hong Kong businessman. He had been a

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

official and prominent in the

Government of Hong Kong The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...

Family

Chow is said to have been born in Wong Chuk Hang San Wai, a village at the foot of present-day Shouson Hill. Wong Chuk Hang San Wai was a village of a Chow lineage. His father was compradore of the

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

-based Canton and Hong Kong Steamship Company. His grandfather was the head of "Little Hong Kong", who helped

Charles Elliot Admiral Sir Charles Elliot (15 August 1801 – 9 September 1875) was a British Royal Navy officer, diplomat, and colonial administrator. He became the first Administrator of Hong Kong in 1841 while serving as both Plenipotentiary and Chief Su ...

post the first official proclamation of

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an 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/km2, . The island had a population of a ...

in 1841. He had a son, named Chow Yat-Kwong.

Career

Among the third group of Chinese students sponsored by the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

government to the United States in the 1870s,''Chinese Educational Mission Connections 1872–1881 – Chow Chang Ling''
/ref> Chow left China in 1874 and studied at Phillips Academy, Andover (class of 1880) and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. After his graduation he worked for the Qing government. In 1881 he joined the Korean Customs Service under

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 1859 – 6 June 1916) was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China. H ...

. Later he was the president of the China Merchant Steam Navigation Company of

Tientsin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

from 1897 to 1903, and the managing director of the Peking-Mukden Railway between 1903 and 1907. He was the Customs and Trade Superintendent and Counselor for Foreign Affairs in Newchwang between 1907 and 1910. During this period he was promoted to Mandarin of the Second Rank. He left government service after the

1911 Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty, the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of Chi ...

and became director of various companies and charities.

Public Service

Shouson Chow, Justice John Wood and Chief Justice Henry Gollan

Chow was appointed a

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 s ...

in Hong Kong in 1907. He was subsequently elected to membership of the North British Academy of Arts.''Document III.1: Mr. Chou Show Son'' p118-9 in ''A Documentary History of Hong Kong Society'', ed David Faure, Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong 1997
/ref> In 1918, he founded the Bank of East Asia with three Chinese partners where he was the chairman of the board from 1925 to 1929. In 1922 he was appointed a member of the Sanitary Board, the precursor of 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 Servic ...

, and the Legislative Council, where he served until 1931. In 1926, he became the first Chinese member of the Executive Council, and was knighted. In 1933, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws. During the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong, Chow and other leading Chinese figures joined the Chinese Cooperative Council founded by the

Japanese military The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

which he was the chairman to maintain public order amongst the Chinese population. They did not suffer from punishment after the return of British rule.

Memory

Shouson Hill, in the south of

, is named after him.

External links

Chow Cheong-ling (Zhou Changling) 周長齡
from ''Biographies of Prominent Chinese'' c.1925.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chow, Shouson 1861 births 1959 deaths Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the Sanitary Board of Hong Kong Hong Kong businesspeople Hong Kong collaborators with Imperial Japan People from Bao'an County Bank of East Asia Hong Kong expatriates in China Hong Kong expatriates in Korea Hong Kong Anglicans