The clan’s philanthropic tradition finds its earliest and most notable expression in the landmark contribution made by the late Mr. Siu (1863-1933) in the 1920s toward the construction and establishment of the Tung Wah Eastern Hospital, which officially opened its doors on 27th November 1929. Younger members of the Siu clan have subsequently sat on the Board of Directors of the Tung Wah Hospital.

The late Mr. Siu developed a notable reputation as a reliable building contractor from the 1880s. He also amassed considerable wealth from landownership in the Wan Chai and Happy Valley districts; and strategic holdings in companies linked to Shewan, Tomes & Co., one of the region's leading trading houses at the time.

His donation of HK$2,000.00, a substantial sum at the time, placed him among the most generous individual benefactors of the hospital. His name and portrait is displayed prominently alongside other distinguished figures such as Sir Tang Shiu Kin, KBE (eminent entrepreneur and philanthropist), Sir Cecil Clementi, GCMG (former Governor of Hong Kong and noted Sinologist), Sir Shouson Chow CMG (distinguished politician and entrepreneur) and Mr. Fung Ping Shan (renowned entrepreneur and benefactor), all of whom contributed similar amounts. The names of these individuals, along with the corresponding donation figures, are permanently commemorated on a prominent donor wall situated within the hospital’s interior; an enduring testament to their collective civic spirit.

The Tung Wah Eastern Hospital has, over the decades, retained much of its original architectural character and institutional identity. In recognition of its historical, architectural and cultural significance, the hospital building was designated a Grade II Historic Building on its 80th anniversary in 2009.

While the hospital’s founding mission was to provide medical care that was administered “by Chinese, for Chinese” - a crucial initiative in an era when the healthcare needs of the Chinese majority were often underserved. The institution also played a broader socio-political role at a time when the institutions of government had relatively limited experience governing the Chinese population. As noted by historian Dr. Elizabeth Sinn in her first book in 1989 (former Deputy Director, Centre of Asian Studies, HKU) :

“It also reveals the important social and political role the Hospital Committee played in the nineteenth century and show the great extent to which the Hospital’s history is the history of Hong Kong itself” 

(Sinn E. (1989). Power and Charity: the early history of the Tung Wah Hospital. Oxford University Press).

Link:

History of Tung Wah Eastern Hospital - Hospital Authority

Photo credit: Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.