Shuping Scholarship - Biography of The Founder

Biography of The Founder

Short Biography of the Founder, Mr, J L KOO (1909–1998) Business man, industrialist and philanthropist. Standing member of the 7th & 8th Shanghai Political Consultative Committee; Consultant in education to the Beijing City; Hon. Consultant to the International Human Resource Exchange Bureau of the Liaoning Province; Hon. Citizen of Huzhou, Zhekiang Province; Adviser to the Board of Jardine Matheson & Company; Chairman of Koo & Company; Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Shuping Scholarship Foundation.

1. Mr. Koo, of Huzhou ancestry, was born in January 1909 in Shanghai, the only son of Mr. & Mrs. Koo Soh Bing.

2. He received his early education at the Shanghai Huzhou School, the Wah Dung School, and FuDan Experimental School.

3. His father died of acute kidney failure when he was only aged 17. Thus he had to give up study and stepped into his father's shoe to work as an apprentice manager at the EWO Press and Packing Company, a joint venture of his family with the British firm of Jardine & Matheson. At the time, the Packing Company was ailing and heavily in debt.

4. He married Liu Size Ming, also from Huzhou, in 1929

5. With hard work, smart business acumen and honest repute, he was able to turn the Packing Company to profitability. His ability was recognised and from 1937 he was appointed the sole agent for cotton purchase for the EWO textile business. With the hard earned success in business, he was motivate for humanitarian philanthropy

6. In 1939, seeing that many academically excellent students hacl to give up schooling, because of poverty, he established the Shuping Scholarship Scheme in Memory of his father whose last words to his son was that if and when you are successful, you should "return to the society what you have gained from the it". These words also became the motto for all the Scholars. Open examinations were held for applicants.

7. The Scholarships were also unique because it was continuous, whereby if the students kept up with his or her standard, they will be supported until graduation and beyond.

8. A designated activity centre was established as a Library, Science Laboratory and for other extracurricular activities of the scholars. Free medical consultation and treatment were provided for.

9. Between 1939—1949 around 1100 students had received the scholarship. Even during the World War II, the through the Japanese occupation, the scholarship was maintained, sometimes with self sacrifices from himself and Mrs. Koo. He cared for the personal lives of each scholar and treated them like his own sons and daughters.

10. The Emergency Medical Aid Society: In 1946, with the help from his business associates, he founded this society to give emergency financial aid to help those who require treatment for acute illness. It gave immense assistance to over 7000 patients during the two years of operation.

11. In 1947, with his Peking Opera Friends, he organised charity performance to raise fund for the building of a Home cum Institute for the many destitute refugee street children in Shanghai. He followed this up with setting up of qualified teaching staff in the institute to give these children proper education and vocational training.

12. His association with Jardine also grew closer both at business and personal level. During the Japanese occupation, many of the Jardine expatriate personnel were interned in camps. With the assistance of the Swiss consulate, he arranged regular monthly food parcels to be delivered to the camps to alleviate their hardship.

13. After the end of WWII, he was promoted to be the Chinese Manager at Jardines and also manager of the Shanghai Hung Kew Wharf

14. He and his family moved to Hong Kong in 1949, where he continued his association with Jardine's in their Cotton department. He also began his interest in other areas of business, The Star Textiles, Far East Textiles, and later the Textile Alliance Company. After his retirement from textiles, he founded the stock brokerage firm of Koo & Co., and became an adviser to the Board of Jardine's until his decease in 1998.

15. During his sojourn in Hong Kong, he continued with his zest for charitable works and was board director of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals for 5 years. He again raised fund for the group including organising and performing in Peking Opera performances. Mrs. Koo was also involved in the Po Leung Kuk, a charitable institute for orphans and related works.

16. In 1982, with the passing of the tumultuous Cultural Revolution, he was able to return to mainland China, and to liaise with his beloved Shuping Scholars. Thereafter he made such visits at least once a year and to pay homage and respect to his ancestral graves in Huzhou.

17. In 1986, with the support of the Government and of the past scholars, he restarted the Shuping Scholarships first in schools in Shanghai, followed by schools in Beijing and Huzhou. It now awards scholarships in 37 secondary schools and 24 tertiary institutions.

18. In December 1986, the directors of Jardine, Matheson & Company in Hong Kong and him held a joint celebration for the Anniversary for his 60th years' Association with Jardines. A lifetime of trust and friendship.

19. 1987 - he was appointed member of the Political Consultative Committee of the City of Shanghai

20. In 1988, for his lifetime of humanitarian and charitable endeavors, he was recognized and honoured with the honorary degree of Doctor of human letters by the College of St. Rose of New York, U.S.A.

21. 1989. He was honored by his native city of Huzhou as their favorite son and the City's first Honorary Citizen. The City of Beijing appointed him as Adviser to the Bureau of Education. Mr. Koo visited the Liaoning Province, and met the Provincial Governor Mr. Lin Shun and discussed educational exchange matters. He was invited to be a consultant to the Liaoning overseas educational exchange association, and arranged Lecture tours in Mainland by one of his past Scholars, the eminent Prof. Xhi Zhen Kwong Chi from the U.S.A.

22. Back in 1980, Mr. Koo had a major operation on his prostate, he made a good recovery, but by 1990 he became more easily tired and had to give up his regular morning walk and Breathing Exercise. He grew weaker physically and from 1992 he often needed the wheelchair for ambulation.

23. In the Spring of 1994, during his regular trip to Beijing Mr. & Mrs. Koo was received and welcomed by Vice Premier and Foreign Minister, Mr., who himself was a Shuping Scholar in the 1940s. Later in the same year, Mrs. Koo was suddenly struck down with cerebral haemorrhage and required emergency operation on the brain. It had complication and needed a second operation to save life. However after this she never recovered fully her cognitive powers and was paralysed from hemiplegia. She was thereafter a wheelchair user when not confined to her bed.

24. In 1989, at the age of 80, he wrote his autobiography listing out what he regarded the ten miracles in his life that he was blessed by in his life, allowing him to attain achievements he never dreamt of. His life motto was:

"Filial Piety to your Parents

Treat People with Honesty

Credibility as Foundation in Business

Tolerance in dealing with the Affairs of the World"

In concluding the Memoir he was philosophical and positive about life:

Youth will not return

A day has only one morn

Make hay while there's still sun

As time will wait for no one

25. In 1995, Mr. Koo donated HK$10 million to the Shanghai Education Development Foundation, to be earmarked for use towards the continuing support of the Shuping Scholarship scheme

26. From 1996, his health progressively deteriorated, but despite this he continued to make regular visits both to Shanghai, Beijing and Huzhou, including paying homage to his graveyard of his parents in Huzhou. Filial Piety has been the foremost virtue in his mind.

27. During 1996 to 1998, he also made repeated donations to his native city of Huzhou for various new school buildings, named after his father Shuping.

28. On 14 February 1998, he died aged 89

29. It was also his dying wish that his ashes will be eventually buried in Huzhou next to his parents'.