My greatgrandparents, parents of Chu Yan-Kit and grandparents of my mother Pauline Shamash. I believe they came from China to Hong Kong before 1920 and that Chu Ting Cheung built a villa in Tai Po Market on the site of the current Catholic Church in Wan Tau Street. The villa was built in contemporary European style and from later pictures seems to have been extended to add wings. Family mythology is that Chu Ting Cheung had a number of wives or concubines who served him and his friends opium on a large opium bed. There were a number of daughters but only 4 or 5 survided into adulthood; Chu Yan-Kit was the youngest child and only son.
The site of the villa and surrounding gardens was divided and sold in 1958 to allow the creation of a care home for older people and a Church with a school. Both were sold according to stipulations set by Chu Yan-Kit and in memory of his father Chu Ting Cheung.
Around 1997 and at Chu Yan-Kit's request, one of his sons arranged for the ashes of Chu Ting Cheung, Chu Mak Shi and wife number 3 Woo Kam Man to be transported to a cemetry in Toronto where he was living by then. The gravestone says that Chu Ting Cheung lived from 1879 - 1930, Chu Mak Shi lived from 1879 - 1924 and Woo Kam Man from 1898 - 1951. There is a family myth about what caused his death at the age of 50 but I would be interested to know if there are any newspaper reports or documents about exactly how and when he died as well as whether anyone has any other information about where they came from and how they came to Hong Kong.
