Elsie Tu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Elsie Tu GBM CBE
Member of the Legislative Council
In office 22 September 1988 – 17 September 1995
Preceded by	Hilton Cheong-Leen
Succeeded by	Mok Ying-fan
Constituency	Urban Council
Member of the Provisional Legislative Council
In office 25 January 1997 – 30 June 1998
Member of the Urban Council
In office 1 April 1963 – 31 March 1995
Preceded by	Alison Bell
Succeeded by	Szeto Wah
Constituency	Kwun Tong West (1983–1995)
Personal details
Born	Elsie Hume (1913-06-02)2 June 1913 Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Died	8 December 2015(2015-12-08) (aged 102) Kwun Tong, Hong Kong
Citizenship	Hong Kong
Political party	Reform Club (1963–1967)
Spouses	William Elliott ​ ​ (m. 1946; div. 1964)​ Andrew Tu ​ ​ (m. 1985; died 2001)​
Residence	Hong Kong
Alma mater	Benwell Secondary Girls' School Heaton Secondary School Armstrong College, Durham University
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	杜葉錫恩
Simplified Chinese	杜叶锡恩
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dù Yè Xí'ēn Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Douh Yihp Sek-yān Jyutping Dou6 Jip6 Sek3-jan1

Elsie Tu (born Elsie Hume; 2 June 1913 – 8 December 2015) was an amazing social activist from Hong Kong. She was born in England and was known for fighting against unfair rules and corruption. Elsie Tu also worked hard to help people who were not as lucky.

She was an elected member of the Urban Council of Hong Kong from 1963 to 1995. This council dealt with local issues like public health and markets. She also served in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1988 to 1995. Elsie Tu is famous for her role in the 1966 Kowloon riots, where she protested a ferry fare increase. Her efforts helped create the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in 1974, which fights corruption. She passed away in Hong Kong at the age of 102.

Elsie Tu's Early Life and Education

Elsie Tu was born on June 2, 1913, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Her family was working-class, and she was the second of four children. She went to Benwell Secondary Girls' School and Heaton Secondary School.

Later, she studied at Armstrong College, which is now part of Newcastle University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1937. From 1937 to 1947, she worked as a schoolteacher in Halifax. During Second World War, she also volunteered in Civil Defence.

Becoming a Missionary in China

Elsie became a Christian in 1932 while at university. In 1946, she married William Elliott and moved with him to China in 1947. They worked as missionaries in a place called Yifeng.

After the Communist Party of China took power in 1949, foreign missionaries were asked to leave Mainland China. Elsie was among the last group of missionaries to move from Nanchang to Hong Kong in 1951.

Life in Hong Kong and Founding a School

When Elsie arrived in Hong Kong, she lived in a small, unofficial apartment in a squatter community. She quickly saw how much poverty and unfairness there was. She also learned about corruption, where people had to pay money to gangs for protection.

Elsie felt that her church was not doing enough to help with these social problems. She decided to leave her church in 1955. She then returned to Hong Kong to continue her work in education. She divorced her husband in 1964.

In 1954, Elsie started the Mu Kuang English School for poor children. She began with only 30 students in an old army tent near Kai Tak. For a year, she lived on very little money. Later, she taught English and French at Hong Kong Baptist College. At the school, she met Andrew Tu Hsueh-kwei, who would become her second husband many years later. The Mu Kuang English School is still helping children from low-income families today. Elsie remained the school principal until 2000.

Elsie Tu's Political Career

Fighting for Justice in Hong Kong

Elsie was deeply affected by the unfairness she saw in Hong Kong. After leaving her church, she felt it was her mission to help people. She wrote to The Guardian newspaper, describing the long working hours, low pay, and poor conditions for Chinese workers in Hong Kong. Her letter even led to discussions in the UK Parliament and helped bring about labor reforms in Hong Kong. She was also shocked to find that child labor was accepted.

Serving on the Urban Council

In 1963, Elsie Elliott was elected to the Urban Council. This council handled local issues like public health and markets. At first, she joined the Reform Club, which was a group pushing for changes in the government. Later, she ran as an independent candidate.

One rule for being an Urban Councillor was that you had to know English, which was the only official language. Elsie thought this was unfair. She worked for many years to make Chinese an official language too.

Elliott meeting with Labour MP John Rankin during her delegation to London in May 1966.

Elsie was very popular and was re-elected to the Urban Council many times, often with the most votes. In 1966, she traveled to London to meet with politicians. She asked for an investigation into Hong Kong's economic inequality and corruption in the government. She also wanted Hong Kong to have more self-governance, like other British colonies.

Leading Social Activism

From the 1960s to the 1980s, Elsie fought for many important causes. She pushed for better housing, more welfare services, playgrounds, and fair rules for hawkers (street vendors). She was especially strong against corruption and the influence of criminal gangs. Her popularity grew because she was a brave voice for those who needed help.

In 1954, the government started tearing down new squatter huts where many refugees lived. Elsie believed this policy was unfair and led to corruption. After being elected to the Urban Council in 1963, she called for a review of the policy and helped homeless people.

In 1965, the Star Ferry wanted to increase its fare. Elsie collected over 20,000 signatures against the plan and even flew to London to try and stop it. The fare increase was approved, but Elsie was the only one on the Transport Advisory Committee to vote against it. Her actions inspired a young man to start a hunger strike protest. This led to the Kowloon riots in April 1966. Some people tried to blame Elsie for the riots, but she continued to fight for what was right.

Elsie's strong campaigns against corruption are believed to have led to the creation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in 1974. The ICAC was set up to fight corruption in Hong Kong. She reported many cases of corruption, including issues with minibus drivers paying money to avoid tickets.

In 1979, Elsie and Andrew Tu formed the Association for the Promotion of Public Justice (APPJ). This group worked to promote fairness and stability in society. They also helped Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong with human rights issues.

In 1980, it was discovered that Elsie was being watched by a government committee. However, Elsie was not worried. She said, "I know my telephone was tapped... but I have done nothing wrong."

Before and After the Handover to China

In 1985, Elsie Tu was appointed to a committee that helped create the Basic Law for Hong Kong. This was an important document for Hong Kong's future after it returned to China.

She was elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 1988 and served until 1995. She was one of the most popular lawmakers during this time.

As Hong Kong was preparing to return to Chinese rule in 1997, Elsie Tu supported a slower pace for democratic changes. She disagreed with the last British Governor, Chris Patten, who wanted faster reforms. She felt that Britain had not given Hong Kong democracy for many years and was only pushing for it at the very end of its rule.

In the 1995 elections, Elsie lost her seats in both the Urban Council and the Legislative Council. She was defeated by Szeto Wah, a well-known pro-democracy politician. Elsie was seen as being closer to Beijing at this time.

After her election defeats, the Beijing government appointed Elsie Tu to the Provisional Legislative Council, which was set up to help with the handover in 1997. Her political career ended when this council was dissolved in 1998. Elsie always said she was not for China or Britain, but always for the people of Hong Kong and for justice.

Retirement and Later Life

Elsie Tu stopped active politics in 1998, but she continued to speak out on social issues. She wrote articles for newspapers, criticizing government policies she thought were unfair. Many people still saw her as a hero for the common people.

In 2002, she supported a new law against subversion, which was unpopular with many people who worried about civil liberties. She also publicly supported Regina Ip in a 2007 election.

In 2013, Elsie criticized the growing gap between rich and poor in Hong Kong. She showed sympathy for striking dock workers who were protesting against a very wealthy businessman.

Elsie Tu turned 100 in June 2013. To honor her, former students of Mu Kuang English School set up the Elsie Tu Education Fund. She passed away on December 8, 2015, at the age of 102, due to complications from pneumonia. Many important leaders, including the three former Chief Executives of Hong Kong, attended her funeral. Her ashes were buried with her husband, Andrew Tu.

Family and Marriages

Elsie's father, John Hume, had a big influence on her. He fought in the First World War and suffered from it. He taught her to hate war and to care for all people. He was interested in politics, and her family often discussed social issues. This influenced Elsie to want to be "good and useful in life."

Elsie married William Elliott in 1946. They went to China as missionaries. However, Elsie became unhappy with her husband's strict religious views and their church's refusal to get involved in social issues. They separated, and she divorced him in 1964.

She later met Andrew Tu Hsueh-kwei, who had come to Hong Kong from Inner Mongolia. They worked together at the Mu Kuang English School. Elsie found that Andrew's ideas were similar to her father's. In 1985, 30 years after they first met, Elsie and Andrew got married. Elsie was 71 and Andrew was 63. They remained married until Andrew passed away in 2001. Andrew was also a social activist, fighting for justice for victims of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Elsie Tu's Published Works

Elsie Tu wrote two autobiographies and other books.

• Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Elsie Tu was published in 2003.
• Shouting at the Mountain: A Hong Kong Story of Love and Commitment was co-written with Andrew Tu. It tells the story of their lives dedicated to society. Elsie finished it after Andrew's death in 2001, and it was published in 2005.
• She also helped publish Andrew's autobiography about his childhood in Inner Mongolia, called Camel Bells in the Windy Desert.

Elsie Tu's Lasting Legacy

Elsie Tu is remembered as a champion for the underprivileged and a strong fighter against corruption. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying praised her "passion and devotion to Hong Kong and her tremendous contributions to social reform and development."

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam said she was inspired by Elsie Tu when she was a university student. She described Elsie as an amazing example of someone who fought for social justice with brave words and actions.

Many other pro-democracy politicians, like Martin Lee, Lau Chin-shek, and Frederick Fung, said that Elsie Tu inspired or helped them get involved in social activism.

Awards and Honors

Elsie Tu received many awards for her service to Hong Kong:

• In 1975, she received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service.
• In 1977, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her work against corruption.
• In 1997, she was one of the first people to receive the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM), which is the highest honor in Hong Kong.

She also received several honorary degrees from universities:

• In 1988, she received an honorary doctoral degree in Social Science from the University of Hong Kong.
• In 1994, she received honorary doctoral degrees from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong.
• In 1996, she received honorary doctoral degrees in Civil Law from Durham University and Newcastle University, where she had studied.

Images for kids

• 

  Elsie Tu in her later years.

See also

• List of centenarians

Additional Sources

• Elliott, Elsie (1971). The Avarice, Bureaucracy and Corruption of Hong Kong.
• Elliott, Elsie (1981). Crusade For Justice: An Autobiography.
• Tu, Elsie (2003). Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Elsie Tu. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-962-209-606-6.
• Tu, Elsie; Tu, Andrew (2005). Shouting At The Mountain: A Hong Kong Story of Love and Commitment.
• Urban Council, Urban Council Annual Report, 1974