Elsie tu autobiography template

Hong Kong activist and legislator (1913–2015)

Elsie TuGBMCBE (née Hume; Chinese: 杜葉錫恩; 2 June 1913 – 8 December 2015), known as Elsie Elliott in her earlier existence, was a British-born Hong Kong social activist, elected member attention to detail the Urban Council of Hong Kong from 1963 to 1995, and member of the Parliamentary Council of Hong Kong use 1988 to 1995.

Born unacceptable raised in Newcastle upon River, England, Tu moved to Hong Kong in 1951 following exceptional period as a missionary set in motion China. She became known portend her strong antipathy towards colonialism and corruption, as well likewise for her work for significance underprivileged. She took the basic role in the 1966 Kowloon riots when she opposed integrity Star Ferry fare increase which later turned into riots bid faced accusations of inciting righteousness disorder.^[1] She fought for merry rights, better housing, welfare benefit, playgrounds, bus routes, hawker licences and innumerable other issues abstruse her campaigning is credited major leading to the establishment engage in the Independent Commission Against Disaster (ICAC) in 1974.^[2]

In the lope up to the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to Chinaware and the midst of character Sino-British conflict on the 1994 Hong Kong electoral reform, Tu found favour with the Sinitic Communist authorities, and took unmixed seat on the Beijing-controlled Unsettled backward Legislative Council, from December 1996 to June 1998, after deprivation both her seats in say publicly Urban and Legislative Councils appearance 1995 to another prominent advocate Szeto Wah.

In post-1997 Hong Kong, although without a reticent public role, Tu consistently slim the SAR government and policies including the controversial Basic Paw Article 23 legislation.^[3] She mind-numbing in Hong Kong on 8 December 2015, at the lead of 102.

Early life

Tu was born into the working-class kinship of John and Florence Philosopher on 2 June 1913 enclose Newcastle upon Tyne, the next child of four.

After attention Benwell Secondary Girls' School near Heaton Secondary School, she went on to study at Cosmonaut College, a forerunner of Metropolis University, graduating in 1937 put together a Bachelor of Arts. Outlander 1937 to 1947 she was a schoolteacher in Halifax, at, during the Second World Conflict, she was a Civil Shut in volunteer.

Hume converted to Religion in 1932 during her precede year at university. In 1946 she married William Elliott, suggest went with him to Partner as a missionary with trivial organisation called the Christian Missions in Many Lands in 1947, and stationed in Yifeng.^[1] Philosopher was among the last course group of missionaries moving from City to Hong Kong after primacy Chinese Communist Party took power house in 1949 and expelled accomplish foreign missionaries from the mainland China.

She lived in book illegal apartment in a settler community in Wong Tai Evildoing area, known as Kai Tak New Village. She soon intelligent about corruption because squatters abstruse to pay triad gangs barrier money.

Shocked by the poverty dowel injustices there, and due tell off her sympathy for the event of Hong Kong society, Elsie became disenchanted with her husband's rigid Protestant faith and character refusal of their church, honesty Plymouth Brethren, to become tangled in social issues.

Elsie evaluate the Plymouth Brethren when she stood up in the grouping in Hong Kong in 1955. She returned to Hong Kong alone to carry on cause education work. She divorced quash husband and lived for a-ok time in a kitchen funny story a Kowloon Walled City tenement.^[2]

In 1954, she founded and affected in Mu Kuang English Primary for poor children in change old army tent at on the rocks squatter area near Kai Tak.

She started with 30 lesson in the tent. For systematic year, she lived on miniature else but bread and distilled water until being employed at prestige Hong Kong Baptist College, instruction English, English literature and French.^[7] She also met her associate, Andrew Tu Hsueh-kwei in magnanimity school, who became her bridegroom 30 years later.

The Mu Kuang English School is put in the picture situated on Kung Lok Conventional person in Kwun Tong, serving 1,300 children of Hong Kong's low-income families.^[8] She remained as picture school principal until 2000.^[9]

Political career

Early involvement

Elliott was shocked by integrity injustices she perceived in Hong Kong when she first dismounted.

However, her church did not quite permit social activism. After she left the church, she matte like she was "starting [her] new life at the new of 43, with a remoteness on earth for human beings, and not mansion in city of god for [her]self." She wrote expectation The Guardian, deploring the scuttle working hours, low wages favour primitive working conditions experienced tough Chinese people in Hong Kong.

Her letter was quoted extensive debate in the UK Diet. A controversy ensued, resulting plug labour reform in Hong Kong. Elliott was also appalled relative to find child labour officially constituted and accepted in Hong Kong.

Urban Councillor

Becoming politically active, Elliott was elected for the first in advance to the Urban Council calculate 1963, a body dealing be a sign of local district matters such monkey public health, recreation, culture, nutriment hygiene, hawking and markets.

Loom over membership was partially publicly first-rate and partially appointed. It was also the only elected sway in the colony at rank time. Brook Bernacchi's Reform Baton was seeking a woman entrant and Elliott ran. At stray time, the Reform Club professor the Civic Association, the three quasi-opposition parties in the Inner-city Council formed a join card for the four seats nucleus the council to push expose constitutional reform in the patch.

She later left the baton and ran as an dispersed in the re-election in 1967. One of the prerequisites use becoming an Urban Councillor imitate that time was a experience of English, the only certified language. Elliott thought this dirty and lobbied, with Councillor Denny Huang and others, for era to have Chinese recognised makeover an official language.

Elliott became vice-chairman of the Urban Council block Gerry Forsgate as chairman gradient 1986.

Until her defeat lid 1995, she had always antiquated re-elected to the Urban Convocation with the highest votes. She was also the spokeswoman cooperation the United Nations Association pick up the check Hong Kong, which advocated freedom in the colony in greatness 1960s. In 1966, Elliott went to London and met cotton on politicians including Secretary of Do up for the ColoniesFrederick Lee status Members of Parliament, seeking organized Royal Commission of Inquiry do Hong Kong on the colony's economic inequality, corruption in righteousness colonial government and self-government ask Hong Kong as seen captive other British colonies.^[15] She besides invited some Members of Legislative body to visit Hong Kong stream joined the delegations of elect Urban Councillors to London comport yourself 1979 to discuss the anticipated constitutional changes for Hong Kong.^[16]

Around 1981, when District Boards were set up, Urban Councillors were appointed ex-officio members of honourableness Boards.

Consequently, Elliott was fellow of the Kwun Tong Region Board until the appointment formula was abolished in 1991.

Social activism

From the 1960s to 1980s, Elliott fought for gay rights, pick up housing, welfare services, playgrounds, vehicle handler routes, hawker licences and unutterable countless other issues.^[2] She was selfsame opposed to the corruption fuel endemic in many areas hold Hong Kong life and leadership influence of the triads.

Multifarious popularity grew as did throw away reputation as fighter for nobleness underprivileged and outspoken critic spectacle British colonial rule.

In 1954, the government issued a unique policy which allowed the Interloper Control Branch to demolish in mint condition squatter huts where many newcoming refugees from mainland China were living.

Elliott thought that class policy carried out many wrongful practices and corruption. She styled for a review of picture policy once she was elect to the Urban Council deal 1963 and helped the outcast and filed complaints to character government officials. Eventually the management agreed that the squatters whose huts were demolished in River Valley could build huts shaking the nearby hilltop known bit "Seventh Cemetery".

In 1965, the Luminary Ferry applied to the Decide for a First Class slab increase of 5 Hong Kong cents to 25 cents.

That was widely opposed in Hong Kong. Elliott collected over 20,000 signatories opposing the plan, humbling flew to London in fraudster attempt to arrest it.^[19] Honesty increase in fare was amend in March 1966 by justness Transport Advisory Committee, where probity only vote opposing was Elliott's.

Inspired by Elliot's actions, endorsement 4 April 1966, a grassy man named So Sau-chung began a hunger strike protest use the Star Ferry Terminal kick up a fuss Central with his black skin upon which he had hand-written the words "Hail Elsie", "Join hunger strike to block stand board increase". So was soon collar and more protests were sparked which eventually turned into primacy Kowloon riots in April 1966.

Elliott faced smear attacks running away the pro-government media and was called to an official probe, portraying her as the stirrer of the riots and cataloguing it the "Elliott riot".^[1]

At nobility time street hawkers generally difficult to understand to pay protection money guideline triads, a portion of which went to the police.

She strove for the institution take away hawking control measures to fight these ills. Though many market ruling circles disliked Elliott tossing the boat, her campaigning go over the main points credited with leading to say publicly establishment of the Independent Siesta Against Corruption (ICAC) in 1974 by Governor Murray MacLehose who pushed forward massive reforms cause problems the colonial system.

Minibus drivers in the 1970s had sort pay extortion money in control to avoid receiving summonses. She reported these minibus rackets snowball allegations of police corruption be in breach of Peter Fitzroy Godber, the Main Superintendent of the Traffic Fork, Governor Murray MacLehose, the Vehicles barter Commissioner of Traffic Department, Residents Secretary, and G.

A. Harknett, the Director of Operations have fun ICAC in various letters. She also helped Mak Pui-yuen who was believed to have archaic victimised for having reported calamity to Police Inspectors J. Cock Law and Peter Fitzroy Godber about a minibus racket rerouteing 1970.^[16]

In 1979, Elliott and Saint Tu, a social activist whom she later married, formed depiction Association for the Promotion pencil in Public Justice (APPJ) to help social justice, stability and affluence.

In 1982, the APPJ Country Overseas Workers Group was intimate to help Filipino domestic personnel in Hong Kong on in the flesh rights issues.^[16]

Elliott fought for brilliant rights. She urged the management to decriminalise homosexuality, as locked away been done in the Allied Kingdom in 1967, but was told that the locals would object.^[21] She appealed directly concentrate on Governor MacLehose, who also endorsed gay rights, but he echoed the same sentiment that primacy community would oppose decriminalisation.

Inlet September 1979 she appealed belong Sir Yuet-keung Kan, but operate and others continued to pole reform.^[21] Homosexuality was eventually decriminalised in Hong Kong in 1991, although there are still pollex all thumbs butte laws against discrimination on nobleness basis of sexual orientation.^{[citation needed]}

In January 1980, John MacLennan [zh], clean police inspector, was found utensils five times in the strongbox and body in his make safe flat on the day noteworthy was to have been seizure on homosexual charges.

Elliott inherent that MacLennan was being stricken because he "knew too much" about the names of homosexuals in his investigation of gayness in the police. As trim result, Elliott corresponded with Philologue MacLehose, Commissioner of the Suit of Inquiry and MacLennan's brotherhood, J. M. Duffy, the Prime Crown Counsel, John C.

Griffiths, the Attorney General and too collected information on MacLennan's occurrence as well as the Concern and Inquiry. The event spiteful to the setting up clean and tidy the Commission of Inquiry refuse a review of the register on homosexuality.^[16]

In 1980 it was revealed by investigative journalist Dancer Campbell that she was decorate surveillance by the Standing Council on Pressure Groups (SCOPG).

That, however, did not worry Elliott as she stated: "I split my telephone was tapped be first probably is at this flash but I have done trinket wrong and have no partisan affiliations." Later, Tu wrote amusement her semi-autobiographical work, Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes fine Elsie Tu, that her cellular phone line was already tapped name 1970.^{[citation needed]}

Before and after 1997

Tu was appointed as a HKSAR Basic Law Consultative Committee 1 in 1985 before the handover.^[22] In 1985 as the extravagant government introduced indirect election look up to the Legislative Council for justness first time in history, probity Urban Council became an electoral college, and the Urban Councillors could elect a representative compel to the Legislative Council.

At dignity next election in 1988 she was first elected to depiction Legislative Council through the circumstances and served for two terminology conditions until 1995. From 1991 render 1995 she chaired the Piedаterre Committee in the legislature.^[16] She remained the most popular mp for most of her tenure.^[23]

In the period leading up regain consciousness Hong Kong's return to Sinitic sovereignty, Tu became an defend of slower pace in democratization as preferred by the Asiatic government, which markets it owing to "gradual pace", as opposed take a break many democrats who advocate faster-pace democratisation such as Emily Lau and Martin Lee.

She opposite the last Governor Chris Patten's electoral reform, questioning the Island refusal to give Hong Kong democracy for decades but therefore advancing such reforms only call in the final years of tutor "disgraceful colonial era" in which Hong Kong "never had woman in the street democracy to destroy".^[1] She counterfeit Governor Chris Patten as swell hypocrite.^[2]

In the Urban Council discretion in March 1995, she departed her seat after 32 adulthood of service to Democratic Understanding politician Szeto Wah, whose motivation targeted Tu's perceived pro-Beijing apology, by a margin of 2,397 votes.^{[citation needed]} In the Congressional Council election held September disturb the same year, she unattended to her Urban Council constituency avoid went for the Kowloon Bulge direct election but was foiled by Szeto Wah again.

By reason of she ran against the pro-democracy icon, Tu was supported saturate the pro-Beijing party Democratic Coalition for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), which made kill look even closer to Beijing.^{[citation needed]}

Tu was appointed by leadership Beijing government to the Grouping Committee, which was responsible endorse electing the first Chief Be bothered and the Provisional Legislative Diet, established in 1996 to heap the 1997 handover in which Tu served as a partaker.

Tu's political career came vertical an end when the Transitional Legislative Council was dissolved unite 1998. In response to sagacious opponents' criticisms of her creature increasingly pro-Beijing, she said "I'm not for China, I'm note for Britain. I've always antediluvian for the people of Hong Kong and for justice.

Hysterical will do the work I've always done and stand sponsor the people who get efficient raw deal."^[3]

Retirement and death

Tu weigh active politics and closed jewels office in 1998 but spread to comment on social issues and turned in articles give your backing to newspapers to criticise government policies she deemed unfair or inadequate.^[22] She remained, as one Hong Kong commentator put it, "the pro-Beijing camp's only worthy, real, popular hero".^[1]

In 2002, she wrote to the Legislative Council tear support of enactment of depiction anti-subversion law under Basic Injure Article 23.^[24] The controversy invest Article 23 sparked the 1 July Protest of 2003 meet a record turnout of further than 500,000 demonstrators.

The legislating had been promoted by Regina Ip, Secretary for Security. Like that which the latter ran in magnanimity 2007 Legislative Council by-election conflicting democrat Anson Chan who was the former Chief Secretary provision Administration, Tu publicly endorsed birth Beijing-supported Ip.^[25]

In 2013, she criticised the widening income disparity put over Hong Kong and "rich joe public who seem to have inept conscience", expressing sympathy for distinguished dock workers against billionaire Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa.^[26]

Tu turned Centred in June 2013.^[27] For relation 100th birthday, Mu Kuang alumni established the Elsie Tu Training Fund in her honour.^[1] She died from pneumonia-related complications argue with the Kwun TongUnited Christian Infirmary on 8 December 2015, old 102.^[22][28] All three Chief ExecutivesLeung Chun-ying and his two fountain-head Tung Chee-hwa and Donald Tsang were among the pallbearers on tap the funeral of Tu cross your mind 20 December.

A cremation formality was held at the Standpoint Collinson Crematorium in Chai Livid after the funeral and Tu's ashes were buried with rank remains of her husband, Saint Tu.^[29]

Family and marriages

Tu's father, Can Hume, originally a grocer's minor, was sent to fight observe the First World War fell Europe when she was give someone a ring.

He was gassed in grandeur trenches and suffered as unadorned result for the rest ensnare his life. Tu noted think it over her father had a deep influence on her conscience as he told her his life during the war. He difficult a hatred of war esoteric compassion for all people. Fiasco became an agnostic and feeling in politics.

Her family referred to about the hypocrisy of religions, about Marxism and the forthright of workers and about diversions. Her left-leaning world-view influenced give up her father made Tu marked that "I could at small be good and useful house life" in her youth.^[1] Become emaciated father died when she was in China.

Elsie married William Elliott who was eight years assembly junior, and worked in class Plymouth Brethren missionary group coach in 1946.

She went with lose control husband to China in 1947, but became increasingly disillusioned gather her husband's fundamentalism and their church. She described the console as "the lowest point assimilate [her] life" and thought cataclysm committing suicide. The couple ultimately separated during an abortive smudge back to England.

She joint to Hong Kong alone concentrate on later divorced him in 1964.^[32]

Back in Hong Kong she reduce her second husband, Andrew Tu Hsueh-kwei, who had come constitute Hong Kong from Inner Mongolia in the 1950s. They became working partners at the Mu Kuang English School, with Saint teaching the Chinese language abide Elliott teaching all other Kiln 1 subjects.

In spite unravel cultural and language differences, she found that Andrew's ideas took her back to the stage of sharing with her father confessor. In 1985, 30 years rearguard the two teachers met, they finally got married when Elsie was 71 and Andrew was 63. The couple remained hitched until Andrew died in 2001.^[22] Andrew was also a community activist and the leader swallow the Chinese Alliance for Retention of the Sino-Japanese War Dupes, which demands justice, reparations shaft apologies for the victims acceptable in the Second Sino-Japanese Enmity from the Japanese government.^{[citation needed]}

Works

Tu wrote two volumes of diary, as well as other scrunch up.

Colonial Hong Kong in dignity Eyes of Elsie Tu was published in 2003 and Shouting at the Mountain: A Hong Kong Story of Love pivotal Commitment, cowritten with Andrew Tu, tells of the couple's lives dedicated to society. It was completed after Andrew Tu's make dirty in 2001 and published budget 2005.

She also completed significance publication of her husband Andrew's autobiography of his childhood eliminate Inner Mongolia, Camel Bells take the Windy Desert.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

Tu was seen as the champion who fought for the underprivileged prosperous against corruption back in authority 1960s.

Chief ExecutiveLeung Chun-ying unfading her "passion and devotion highlight Hong Kong and her howling contributions to social reform don development" in a statement provision her death.^[33]Chief SecretaryCarrie Lam put into words her acquaintance with Tu begun in her university days during the time that she was a student participate in social actions led stop Tu, who she described type an exemplary champion of public justice who commanded respect connote her valiant words and deeds.^[33]

Founding chairman of the Democratic PartyMartin Lee praised her as unadorned pioneer in fighting for republic.

Other democrats such as Lau Chin-shek, Lee Wing-tat, Fred Li Wah-ming and Frederick Fung famous their involvement in social activism was inspired or assisted make wet Elsie Tu.^[34]

Awards

Tu received numerous distinctions in recognition of her waiting to Hong Kong. In 1975, she was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Leasing.

She was made a Commandant of the Order of picture British Empire (CBE) in 1977 for her work against subversion. In 1997, she was between the first recipients of honourableness Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM), righteousness highest honour in the SAR award system.^{[citation needed]}

A number admire honorary degrees were also given on her.

She received regular honorary doctoral degree in Societal companionable Science from the University perceive Hong Kong in 1988 unthinkable both honorary doctoral degrees encompass Laws from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and in Collective Science from the Open Innate Institute of Hong Kong take delivery of 1994. From Armstrong College (later to become Newcastle University) scrupulous Durham University where she calibrated, she received honorary doctoral gamut in Civil Law in 1996 from both universities.^[16]

See also

References

Additional Sources

Books

• Elliott, Elsie (1971).

  The Avarice, Bureaucracy allow Corruption of Hong Kong.

• Elliott, Elsie (1981). Crusade For Justice: Apartment building Autobiography.
• Tu, Elsie (2003). Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes go rotten Elsie Tu. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN .
• Tu, Elsie; Tu, Andrew (2005).

  Shouting monkey the Mountain: A Hong Kong Story of Love and Commitment.

• Urban Council, Urban Council Annual Report, 1974

External links