Zhou Huili

Wailee Chow, JP (Chinese: 周蕙禮) is a renowned Hong Kong female architect and social activist. She is the founder of WDA Group Ltd and has been actively involved in the preservation of Hong Kong's heritage, historic architecture, and folk culture.

Biography

Wailee Chow was born in Hong Kong. She is the daughter of Hong Kong industrialist Chow Yick-keung and Japanese mother Miyagawa Michiko, making her of mixed Chinese and Japanese heritage. Her ancestral home is in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. She is married to Gary Wong.

Chow studied abroad in the United Kingdom, where she earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from Oxford Brookes University. She later pursued further studies in the United States, obtaining a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Washington.

In 1991, she became a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) and has remained actively involved ever since. From 1993 to 1997, she served consecutive terms as an HKIA council member and was appointed spokesperson of the association in 1995. She also served as the association’s Vice President of Internal Affairs (1995–1996) and Vice President of International Affairs (1994), and frequently participated as a judge for various HKIA awards.

Wailee Chow established Wailee Chow Architectural Design Ltd (WDA Group Ltd) in Hong Kong, where she has served as CEO, Managing Director, and Director.

Public Service and Community Involvement

- 1995: Member of the Hong Kong Arts Centre Fundraising Committee - 1995: Appointed Special Architectural Advisor for the Hong Kong Federation of Women - 1996: Board Member of Friends of the Earth (HK) - 1995–2002: Member of the Hong Kong Antiquities Advisory Board - 1998–Present: Executive Secretary of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong - 2001–2004: Member of the Hong Kong Tourism Board - 2003–Present: Member of the Hong Kong Administrative Appeals Board

Chow was also actively involved with the Hong Kong Festival Fringe, serving as a committee member from 1993 to 1996, and as Chairperson of the Board of Directors from 1996 to present. She is also the Chairperson of The Fringe Club and a board member of the Hong Kong Ballet.

Together with her father Chow Yick-keung and brother Chow Wai-ching, she is a member of The Hong Kong Jockey Club. Since 2013, she has been a voting member of the Club and owns the racehorse "Holy See" (D E Ferraris stable).

Honors

- On July 1, 2002, Wailee Chow was appointed as a Justice of the Peace (JP) in Hong Kong.

Notable Projects

- Nina Kung Service Centre for the Hong Kong Federation of Women, designed and overseen by Wailee Chow’s WDA Group Ltd. - Participated in the redevelopment project of Yue Man Square in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong.