Wei Yuk Boshan

Sir Boshan Wei Yuk (; 1849 – 16 December 1921) was a prominent Hong Kong businessman and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

Early life, education, and business career Wei was born in Hong Kong in 1849, the son of Wei Kwong (1825–1879), an adopted son of an American missionary, Elijah Coleman Bridgman, at the age of 13; and became the head compradore of the Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London and China in 1857. He married the eldest daughter of Wong Shing, the second Chinese member to be appointed to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 1892. Wei received classic Chinese private education and studied at the Government Central School (today known as Queen's College).

Shortly after the 1911 Revolution, Wei and Kai Ho voted for an amendment to the Peace Preservation Ordinance which authorised the flogging of rabble-rousers in the prisons, in order to prevent any political and economic instability in Hong Kong, despite Wei and Ho supported the revolution. In April 1912, the Hong Kong government banned the circulation of Chinese coins as it feared the effects of their depreciation after the revolution. In November, Governor May encouraged the Star Ferry and Hong Kong's two tramways stop accepting Chinese coins. Many Chinese took it as an insult to the new Chinese republic and left the local residents with less money for tram fare. A colony-wide boycott broke out, and Wei and Kai Ho defended the tram companies and condemned the boycott for harming the economies of both Hong Kong and Guangdong in a meeting at the Chinese Commercial Union. The boycott ended by early February 1913 with the help from local Chinese merchants.

Boshan Wei Yuk was reappointed for further six-year terms in 1902 and 1908, and a further three-year term in 1914. When he retired from the Legislative Council in October 1917, Governor Sir Henry May paid a very high tribute to Wei. He was also member of the Council and Court of the University of Hong Kong from 1911 to 1921. Wei and Kai Ho were the first Chinese Freemasons. They took an active part in forming the University Lodge of Hong Kong No. 3666 when the University of Hong Kong was opened in 1912.

Wei was chairman of the Tung Wah Hospital from 1881 to 1883 and from 1888 to 1889, the most prominent Chinese charity authority in Hong Kong. He co-founded the Po Leung Kuk (Society for Protection of Women and Children) and was the permanent member of the committee of the society. He was a good friend to government official Stewart Lockhart, who was godfather to Boshan Wei Yuk's son Lock Wei, and was one of the most enthusiastic supporter of Lockhart's scheme of the Hong Kong District Watchmen's Committee. After its foundation, Wei served as a permanent member of the District Watchmen's Committee from 1898 until his death in 1921.

Wei was also the originator of the idea of a railway from Kowloon to Canton, and thence to Beijing.

He was rewarded the Third Class Order of Chao Ho by President Yuan Shikai for his service. He was also offered the civil governorship of Guangdong by President Yuan after Governor Hu Hanmin was driven out by Yuan's army in the Second Revolution, but Wei declined it. However, although May was "willing to acquit Mr. Wei Yuk of disloyalty" in his dispatch to the Secretary of State Lewis Harcourt in 1913, Kai Ho was not so lucky. May said that he had lost confidence in him and he was not reappointed to the Legislative Council.

Death Boshan Wei Yuk retired in 1917. He died at his residence 37 Wong Nei Chong Road (demolished and now residential flats) at Happy Valley at 9:15 p.m. on 16 December 1921 at the age of 74. He was knighted in 1919 after his retirement from the Legislative Council.

Wei figured in several important championship matches in England (including Wimbledon) in the 1920s.

He died in New York on 23 September 1935.

His great-great-grandson Lo Tak-Chun (卢德俊) is a technologist and venture capitalist based out of Hong Kong. He was one of the first directors for Techstars and served under Paul Chan for two terms under the inaugural Hong Kong Government Innovation, Technology, and Industry Bureau. He also served in the United States Army with distinction.

Legacy Po Shan Road, in the Mid Levels, was named after him.