Yue-Kong Pao
Yue-Kong Pao | |||||||||||||||
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| 包玉剛 | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 November 1918 | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 23 September 1991 (aged 72) | ||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Founder, Worldwide Shipping Group | ||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Huang Sue-Ing | ||||||||||||||
| Children | Doreen Pao Cissy Pui-lai Pao Watari Anna Pui-Hing Pao Sohmen Bessie Pui-Yung Pao Woo | ||||||||||||||
| Parent | Pao Siu-Loong Pao Chung Sau-Gin | ||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Helmut Sohmen, Peter Woo (sons-in-law) | ||||||||||||||
| Awards | Knight Bachelor (1978) CBE (1976) | ||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 包玉剛 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 包玉刚 | ||||||||||||||
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Sir Yue-Kong Pao CBE JP (Chinese: 包玉剛; pinyin: Bāo Yùgāng; 10 November 1918 — 23 September 1991), was the founder of Hong Kong's Worldwide Shipping Group, which at one point was the largest shipping company in the world. Anticipating the seriousness of the shipping downturn starting in the late 1970s, he diversified his interests, notably through the purchase of a controlling stake in The Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company and later Wheelock Marden, giving exposure to Hong Kong real estate, retail, and transportation.
He was noted for his unmatched access to leaders in both the commercial and political arenas and was equally at ease with Western political leaders and the Chinese leadership in the run-up to Hong Kong's handover to China on 1 July 1997. He was also a philanthropist, notably in educational projects, helping set up universities, libraries, and scholarships.