Lau Chu-pak

Lau Chu-pak (5 June 1867 – 3 May 1922) was a Hong Kong merchant and politician.

Lau Chu-pak was admitted to Queen's College in the same year as Sun Yat-sen. He became a clerk at the Hong Kong Observatory and later went into business and became a comprador of the West Point Godown Company in 1888 and of A. S. Watson from 1893. Together with Ho Fook, they founded the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, where he later served as chairman.

Along with Sir Robert Hotung, Lau was an early developer of the West Hung Hom (now East Tsim Sha Tsui) area of Kowloon in the 1890s.^[1]

He held various public posts, including the chairmanship of Po Leung Kuk and Tung Wah Hospital, and was a member of the District Watch Committee and the Sanitary Board.^[2] He was appointed as Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council from 1913 until his death in 1922.^[3]

He helped found the University of Hong Kong by donating to the endowment fund in 1911. He later became a member of the University's Court between 1911 and 1914 and was made honorary life member of the Court in 1914. He was a member of the University Council from 1911 to 1922.

En 1921, Lau y su colega consejero legislativo Ho Fook fundaron la Sociedad para la Protección de las Mui Tsai, una iniciativa destinada a frenar la desaparición del sistema mui-tsai , una forma de esclavitud infantil en la que se compraban y vendían niñas en Hong Kong y otras partes de China. La sociedad contaba con el respaldo de líderes de la comunidad china, entre ellos Ts'o Seen Wan , Chow Shou-son y Ho Kom-tong . ^{[ 4 ]}

Lau adoptó una postura firmemente conservadora y anticomunista en medio de la huelga de marineros de 1925. Consideraba que el "fuerte apoyo bolchevique" era la causa fundamental y se oponía a cualquier concesión. ^{[ 5 ]}

Su hijo, Lau Tak-po, fundó la compañía de ferris de Hong Kong y Yaumatei , que aún permanece bajo el control de la familia.