Sir Edward Youde (
Chinese:Chinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of languages mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
尤德)
GCMGThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent whilst he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III. It is named in honour of two military saints, St. Michael and St...
,
GCVOThe Royal Victorian Order
is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognizing distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms,
any members of her family, or any of her...
,
MBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
(19 June 1924 - 5 December 1986 in
BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
,
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
administratorAn Administrator in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfills a role similar to that of a Governor or a Governor-General...
,
diplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organisation. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and Sinologist. He served as
Governor of Hong KongThe Governor of Hong Kong was the head of Government, ex-officio Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Admiral of Hong Kong during British rule between 1841 and 1997....
between 20 May 1982 and 5 December 1986.
Youde was born in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and attended
University of LondonBased primarily in London, England, United Kingdom, the University of London is a federal mega university made up of 31 affiliates: 19 separate university institutions, and 12 research institutes...
's School of Oriental and African Studies. He was fluent in Chinese (Mandarin) and spent 10 of his 30 years as a diplomat in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
Youde is mainly remembered as the Governor during whose time in office the Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong was signed in Peking in 1984.
Sir Edward Youde (
Chinese:Chinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of languages mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
尤德)
GCMGThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent whilst he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III. It is named in honour of two military saints, St. Michael and St...
,
GCVOThe Royal Victorian Order
is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognizing distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms,
any members of her family, or any of her...
,
MBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
(19 June 1924 - 5 December 1986 in
BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
,
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
administratorAn Administrator in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfills a role similar to that of a Governor or a Governor-General...
,
diplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organisation. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and Sinologist. He served as
Governor of Hong KongThe Governor of Hong Kong was the head of Government, ex-officio Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Admiral of Hong Kong during British rule between 1841 and 1997....
between 20 May 1982 and 5 December 1986.
Early years
Youde was born in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and attended
University of LondonBased primarily in London, England, United Kingdom, the University of London is a federal mega university made up of 31 affiliates: 19 separate university institutions, and 12 research institutes...
's School of Oriental and African Studies. He was fluent in Chinese (Mandarin) and spent 10 of his 30 years as a diplomat in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
Governorship
Youde is mainly remembered as the Governor during whose time in office the Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong was signed in Peking in 1984. This, amongst other things, made it clear that the British would leave Hong Kong in 1997 after 156 years of colonial rule.
Youde, Hong Kong's only Welsh Governor, was widely liked for his pleasant, kindly demeanour and greatly admired for his formidable erudition. He was widely respected by the Chinese population of Hong Kong.
The idea of setting up a secondary school to develop students' potential in sport and the visual arts together with a normal academic syllabus was first mooted by Sir Edward Youde. Based upon this idea, the
Jockey Club Ti-I CollegeJockey Club Ti-I College is a secondary school in Sha Tin, Hong KongJockey Club Ti-I College was established by a total funding of HK$ 84 million from Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club...
was founded in 1989.
Death and after
During a visit to
BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
, Sir Edward suffered a fatal heart attack in the British Embassy in the early morning of 5 December 1986, while he was sleeping. He was the only Governor of Hong Kong to have died in office and many thousands lined the streets for his "state" funeral, which was conducted with the highest military honours in 1986. A fund, known as the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, was created from public contributions upon the recommendation of the Legislative Council. The fund is currently administered by the HKSAR Government and offers a number of scholarships and sponsorship schemes aimed at encouraging and promoting the education of and research by Hong Kong people.
The
Edward Youde AviaryThe Edward Youde Aviary is built over a natural valley at the southern corner of Hong Kong Park which is located on the northern slope of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. The Edward Youde Aviary was opened to the public in September 1992 and managed by the Urban Council...
in
Hong Kong ParkThe Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong. It covers an area of 80,000 m² and is an example of modern design and facilities blending with natural landscape.-History:...
was named after him in 1992 and the
Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern HospitalPamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital is an acute care hospital in Hong Kong.The hospital opened in 1993 with 1829 beds and staff of over 3000. It replaced the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Mid-Levels in Hong Kong Island and moved to Chai Wan...
in Hong Kong was named after his wife. A plaque to his memory was commissioned by the Hong Kong Civil Service and placed on the wall of
St John's CathedralSt. John's Cathedral , officially The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist and located at 4 Garden Road, Central, is an Anglican cathedral in Hong Kong. It is the Diocesan cathedral of the...
, in the Central District of Hong Kong; a memorial plaque was also installed in
Canterbury CathedralCanterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion...
, England, where his ashes were laid.