Eli Kadoorie

Sir Elly Kadoorie was a Jewish philanthropist in Hong Kong and the founder of China Light and Power Company. He was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1926.

Life

Elly Kadoorie was born in 1867 in Baghdad.

Around 1900, Elly Kadoorie, along with Liu Chu-pak, who was devoted to the welfare of the Chinese community, initiated the establishment of the Yut Sun School Society. With support from the upper class and prominent figures, over HK$200,000 was raised in donations. Elly Kadoorie and Liu Chu-pak were elected as the Chairman and Manager of the Society, respectively. A total of four schools were established, two of which were in Hong Kong—one eventually became the Sai Ying Pun Government Primary School (formerly a secondary school, taken over by the government in 1910 and converted into a government primary school), and the other was located in So Kon Po, Causeway Bay, specifically for Indian children. The remaining two were set up in Ao Chau, Henan, Guangzhou, and in the Shanghai International Settlement (which later became the present-day Yucai High School in Shanghai).

He died in 1944 in a Japanese internment camp.

Kadoorie Family

The Kadoorie family initially established their fortune in Shanghai. They later purchased the Guangzhou Electric Company from the British, but after losses in Guangzhou, they moved their operations to Hong Kong and built the Hok Yuen Street Power Station, which primarily supplied electricity to The Peninsula Hotel. After a corporate reorganization, Elly Kadoorie became a major shareholder of the power plant.

See also

• Kadoorie family
• Liu Chu-pak
• Li Sing
• The Peak Tower and Peak Tram
• The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited
• Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden

External links

• The Origins of the Yut Sun School Society - Ta Kung Pao, 23 December 2002