Paul Chater: The Father of Modern Hong Kong

Sir Paul Chater is a giant of Hong Kong history. When the great man died 79 years ago on this day, his passing was mourned in Hong Kong by bestowing on him the city's greatest honor - the stock exchange was closed for the rest of the day.

His complete achievements are too many to enumerate here, but he can be said, more than any other man, to have created modern Hong Kong.

He was a visionary. As a tireless member of the Legislative Council for four decades, he single-handedly pushed through the reclamation of the northern waterfront that allowed modern Central to develop - without him, the waterfront today would be on Des Voeux Road. He was a founder of the Hong Kong Electric Company and China Light and Power, recognizing the huge demand that would come for electricity. He also bought coal mines in Vietnam to fuel these facilities!

He was a businessman of genius. In combination with Jardine Matheson, he possessed the foresight to buy up much of the property of the modern Central district, giving the company he co-founded, Hong Kong Land, a huge slice of the lucrative Central office rental market, and more importantly a base upon which to grow the seamless retail environment that makes the district unique.

He knew how to take risks - and win. After the great typhoon of 1872, he spent HK$53,000 on buying up the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, against the conventional wisdom of the time that Kowloon would never amount to anything. He also invested in a state-of-the-art docks facility, again with Jardines, that became the Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company - the company later became a tremendous success. As a member of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, he dominated the local racing scene, with his partner Sir Hormusjee Mody and himself calling themselves Mr. Buxey and Mr. Paul, discreetly winning 27 out of the 44 key races in one particular season.

Finally, he was incredibly generous. He funded a variety of charities, schools and even churches that were not of his Armenian Apostolic faith. Today, on the 79th anniversary of his death, an Armenian Apostolic service was held in St. Andrews church, with the blessing of both the Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Faith and the Anglican Archbishop of Hong Kong. The choice of venue was an inspired one, since it had been 100 years ago that Sir Paul, originally christened Katchick Boghos Asdvadsaderian, had generously donated the funds that made the Anglican church of St. Andrew's possible. The ceremony was formal and traditional, and a group of Sir Paul's Armenian relatives and descendants, from Calcutta (where he was born) and elsewhere came especially for the event.



Yet this Armenian man has become a forgotten figure amongst most locals, except for those with a penchant for history and an appreciation for his great contributions to this city. The man deserves every accolade for all he has done, and should be remembered for being the most celebrated type of Hong Konger: an immigrant of modest means, who came here and made his fortune with vision, ability and hard work.