Wong Ker-lee, (; 15 August 1910 – 1 May 2004) was a

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

ese Hong Kong businessman and politician. He was first

Mayor of Taichung The Mayor of Taichung is the head of the Taichung City Government, Taiwan and is elected to a four-year term. The current mayor is Lu Shiow-yen of the Kuomintang since 25 December 2018. Titles of the Mayor List of mayors This list includes o ...

after the Chinese retrocession of Taiwan from 1946 to 1947 when he resigned for the February 28 Incident. After he moved to Hong Kong, he founded several banks including the

Overseas Trust Bank Overseas Trust Bank Limited (OTB) () was a bank in Hong Kong. It was established in 1955 by Chang Ming Thien, a Malaysian businessman and it was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972. It was the fourth largest bank in Hong Kong before ...

and the Hong Kong Industrial and Commercial Bank. From the 1980s, he was the member of the National Committee of the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and member of its standing committee from 1988 to 2003.

Early life, Fujian and Taiwan career

Wong was born in 1910 in Quanzhou,

. He was graduated from the Jimei Middle School and

Xiamen University Xiamen University (; Southern Min: ''Ē-mn̂g-toā-o̍h''), colloquially known as Xia Da (; Southern Min: ''Hā-tāi''), is a national public research university in Xiamen, Fujian, China. Founded in 1921 by Tan Kah Kee, a Chinese patriotic e ...

in 1935 in Economics and was an accountant for the two schools. He was the revenue commissioner of

Tong'an District Tong'an District () is a northern mainland district of Amoy which faces Quemoy County, Republic of China. To the north is Anxi and Nan'an, and to the south is Jimei. Tong'an is also east of Lianxiang and Changqin to the West. It covers

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an ...

and Quanzhou during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

and served as a financial adviser of the

Fujian Provincial Government The Fujian Provincial Government was the former government that governed Fujian Province of the Republic of China. Since 2018, it has been superseded and its duties have been transferred to the Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center, the National ...

. After the victory, he was sent to Taiwan to represent the Nationalist government to receive the surrender of Japan. Between 1946 and 1947, he was the deputy director of the finance department of the

Taiwan Provincial Government The Taiwan Provincial Government was the government that governed Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. Its functions have been transferred to the National Development Council and other ministries of the Executive Yuan. History At the ...

and first

. During his mayorship, he co-founded the Chang Hwa Bank with

Lin Hsien-tang Lin Hsien-tang (; 22 October 1881 – 8 September 1956) was a Taiwanese-born politician and activist who founded several political organizations and sat on the Japanese House of Peers. Early life and family Lin Hsien-tang's earliest Taiwan-based a ...

where he was the deputy chairman of the bank. At the time February 28 Incident broke out, where he was surrounded by a crowd with

Yen Chia-kan Yen Chia-kan (; 23 October 1905 – 24 December 1993), also known as C. K. Yen, was a Kuomintang politician. He succeeded Chiang Kai-shek as President of the Republic of China on 5 April 1975, being sworn in on 6 April 1975, and served out the ...

, the then director of the finance department of Taiwan Provisional Government while the city's military arsenal was looted by

Hsieh Hsueh-hung Xie Xuehong (; 17 October 1901 – 5 November 1970), born Xie Shi Anu (), was a Chinese politician. A women's rights activist, she cofounded the Taiwanese Communist Party, active in Japanese Taiwan. Persecuted by the Kuomintang after its forces r ...

-led crowd of the

Taiwanese Communist Party The Taiwanese Communist Party ( zh, t=臺灣共產黨; ja, 台湾共產党) was a revolutionary organization active in Japanese-ruled Taiwan. Like the contemporary Taiwanese People's Party, its existence was short, only three years, but its ...

. Wong had to dress like a beggar in order to escape. He reassumed to the administration resumed the public order with the help of Lin Hsien-tang. On 4 April 1947, his resignation from the mayorship was approved by Taiwan Chief Executive

Chen Yi Chen Yi may refer to: * Xuanzang (602–664), born as Chen Yi, Chinese Buddhist monk in Tang Dynasty * Chen Yi (Kuomintang) Chen Yi (; courtesy names Gongxia (公俠) and later Gongqia (公洽), sobriquet Tuisu (退素); May 3, 1883 – June ...

Hong Kong career

Wong arrived in Hong Kong in 1947, he stayed and worked at the

Chiyu Banking Corporation Chiyu Banking Corporation Limited also known as Chiyu Bank is a bank incorporated in Hong Kong. History It was founded by Tan Kah Kee on 15 July 1947, and it has 23 branches in Hong Kong and focuses on serving the community of Fujianese peo ...

on the recommendation of the bank's founder

Tan Kah Kee Tan Kah Kee (; 21 October 1874 – 12 August 1961) was a Chinese businessman, investor, and philanthropist active in Singapore and the Chinese cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Guangzhou. A prominent figure in the overseas Chinese ...

as an assistant manager. In 1955, Wong founded the

and subsequently the Hong Kong Industrial and Commercial Bank, until the two banks were taken over by the Hong Kong government in 1985. In the 1960s, he set up the Winco Paper Products and Tai Cheng Securities Ltd. and became the chairman of the two companies. He was also a director of the

Tung Wah Group of Hospitals The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (), with a history dating back to 1870, is the oldest and largest charitable organisation in Hong Kong. It provides extensive education and community services through 194 service centres spread across Hong Kong. ...

from 1969 to 1970. He was first appointed to the Fujian Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 1979. He was then appointed member of the National Committee of the 6th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in 1983 and became a member of standing committee for the 7th, 8th and 9th CPPCC from 1988 to 2003. He was also a member of the Selection Committee, which was responsible for electing the first

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

and

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 ...

. In 1997, he was among the first recipients of the

Grand Bauhinia Medal The Grand Bauhinia Medal () is the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system; it is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the ...

, the highest honour of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Death

Wong died in Hong Kong on 1 May 2004, aged 95. He was the second Hongkonger to have his casket draped in the Chinese national flag since the handover after T. K. Ann. He was survived by his wife Wong Lin Chin-hwa and children

Philip Wong Yu-hong Philip Wong Yu-hong, GBS (; 23 December 1938 – 6 June 2021) was a politician in Hong Kong who served as a member of the legislative council ( Functional constituencies, Commercial econd, a deputy to the National People's Congress and vice ...

, who is also a businessman and politician, Patrick Wong Yu-pei and Kay Wong Yu-chen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Ker-lee 1910 births 2004 deaths Xiamen University alumni Xiamen University faculty Chinese government officials Hong Kong businesspeople Hong Kong bankers Mayors of Taichung People from Quanzhou Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 1998–2000 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2000–2005 Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong