Hu Hao

Hu Hoe (Aw Hoe, 1919–1951) was the third son of Southeast Asian tycoon Aw Boon‑haw. Born in British India, Burma, he founded the Hong Kong Chinese‑language newspaper Sing Tao Daily and the Sing Tao Sports Association. He died in a plane crash in 1951.

Biography

Hu Hoe was born in 1919 in British India, Burma, as the third son of Aw Boon‑haw. In 1923, his father moved the family’s main branch from Burma to Singapore. At age four, Hu Hoe relocated with his family to Singapore and attended the Anglo‑Chinese School. After secondary school, he studied in the Overseas Chinese Program at Lingnan University in Guangzhou and served as president of its student association.

In 1937, Hu Hoe planned to launch the newspaper Star Canton Daily in Guangzhou, but the outbreak of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident disrupted his plans. Acting on his father’s instructions, he went to Hong Kong to prepare the launch of Sing Tao Daily, which was first published on 1 August 1938, with Hu Hoe serving as president. The venture quickly expanded with the addition of Sing Tao Evening News, Sing Tao Morning News, and Sing Tao Weekly.

In 1940, he established the Sing Tao Sports Association in Hong Kong. Using substantial financial resources, he recruited top talent from the rival South China Athletic Association. In its debut 1940–41 season, Sing Tao finished third in the Hong Kong First Division League. The following season, they led the league until the Japanese air raids on Hong Kong in December 1941 forced the season’s cancellation.

During World War II, Hu Hoe supported many players, and after the war helped secure benefits, organized youth schools, and formed player associations. He also served on the selection committee for the Chinese National Olympic football team at the 1948 London Olympics.

In the postwar 1946–47 season, Sing Tao rejoined the First Division and won the league title, the Stanley Shield, the Senior Shield, and the Second Division championship. In summer 1947, the club toured Europe—the first Chinese team to do so. Hu Hoe also funded the development of another Chinese club, Kitchee SC, which won the First Division in 1947–48 and 1949–50. In 1948–49, he served as director of South China’s football section, guiding them to their first postwar league title.

Due to his influence, he was known as the “boss of football” in 1940s Hong Kong, though critics accused him of monopolizing talent. Disillusioned, he withdrew from football and returned to Singapore to resume business.

On 18 February 1951, at age 32, Hu Hoe boarded a company plane bound for Malaya to inspect business operations. The aircraft crashed on the Thailand–Malaysia border, killing all nine on board.

Hu Hoe Cup

To honor his contributions to football, the Hong Kong Football Association and the Football Association of Singapore jointly established the Hu Hoe Cup, an annual interport match alternating between Hong Kong and Singapore. The inaugural tournament was held in Singapore in April 1952. In 1988, Hong Kong revived the Hu Hoe Cup as a season‑opening match between the previous First Division champion and a Hong Kong League XI, holding ten editions until its final staging in 1998.