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Kwan Ko Siu-wah

1924 – 2019

Hong Kong politician, educator, and social worker

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About Kwan Ko Siu-wah

Lived 1924 – 2019 (aged 94–95). Kwan Ko Siu-wah was an Indonesian social worker.

Kwan Ko Siu-wah, SBS, OBE, JP (; 1924 – 22 December 2019) was a Hong Kong politician, educator and social worker.

Ko Siu-wah was born in Surabaya, Dutch Indonesia in a Chinese Indonesian family in 1924. She was sent to study in Guangzhou and subsequently at the Pooi To Middle School in Hong Kong. She was later educated at the Yenching University with the degree in Social Work and Sociology. She taught at the Pooi To Middle School before she received social work training in the United Kingdom and the United States. She took her husband name Kwan Bing-kwong when they married on 19 September 1947. The couple has one son, Kwan Kay-cheong.

She joined the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in 1952 and became its long-time general secretary in 1962. She was also chairwoman of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. In 1965, she was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her social services in Hong Kong.

She was first made unofficial Justice of the Peace in 1969. From 1972 to 1974, she was appointed member of the Urban Council, succeeding Catherine Joyce Symons. In 1974, she became an unofficial member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong until 1978. During her service on the Legislative Council, she was concerned about the youth and women issues, community affairs, family and education matters. She demanded equal pay for men and women and maternity leave for women. For her public services, she was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1976. After the handover, she had been vice chairwoman of the Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee. In 2001, she was awarded Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) Award by the Hong Kong SAR government.

She died in December 2019 at the age of 94.

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Important facts

Born
1924
Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Yenching University
Awards
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

People in Kwan Ko Siu-wah's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Kwan Ko Siu-wah's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Kwan Ko Siu-wah?

Hong Kong politician, educator, and social worker (1924–2019)

When was Kwan Ko Siu-wah born?

Kwan Ko Siu-wah was born in 1924.

When did Kwan Ko Siu-wah die?

Kwan Ko Siu-wah died on 22 December 2019.

What was Kwan Ko Siu-wah's occupation?

Kwan Ko Siu-wah was a social worker.

What nationality was Kwan Ko Siu-wah?

Kwan Ko Siu-wah was Indonesian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Kwan Ko Siu-wah

· Wikidata: Q23683507

· DBpedia: Kwan Ko Siu-wah

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Kwan Ko Siu-wah. https://biography.guide/kwan-ko-siu-wah/

MLA: "Kwan Ko Siu-wah." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/kwan-ko-siu-wah/.

Chicago: "Kwan Ko Siu-wah." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/kwan-ko-siu-wah/.

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