Elsie Tu, English-born Hong Kong social activist, Died at 102

  Centenarian

Elsie Tu was born on June 1913, and died on December 8, 2015.

He was an English-born Hong Kong social activist, elected member of the Urban Council of Hong Kong, and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

Elsie moved to Hong Kong in 1951 following a period as a missionary in China.

She became known for her strong antipathy towards colonialism and corruption, as well as for her work for the underprivileged.

In the run up to the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China, Elsie surprised many by finding favour with the CCP authorities, and taking a seat on the Beijing-controlled Provisional Legislative Council, from December 1996 to June 1998, after failing to win in the 1995 election.

In the post-1997 Hong Kong, although without a formal public role, Elsie consistently supported the Beijing government, being seen as a mouthpiece of CCP, especially on contentious issues, to the disappointment of democracy advocates.

Elsie was born to John and Florence Hume on 2 June 1913 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the second child of four.

After attending Benwell Girls Secondary School and Heaton Secondary School, Elsie went on to study at Armstrong College, a forerunner of Newcastle University, graduating in 1937 with a Bachelor of Arts.

From 1937 to 1947, Elsie was a school teacher in Halifax, where, during World War II, she was a Civil Defence volunteer.

Elsie Tu passed away at age 102 in December 2015.