Tung Chao-yung

Tung Chao-yung or C. Y. Tung (traditional Chinese: 董兆榮; simplified Chinese: 董兆荣; pinyin: Dǒng Zhàoróng; 28 September 1912 – 15 April 1982), also known as Tung Hao-yun, simplified Chinese: 董浩云; traditional Chinese: 董浩雲; pinyin: Dǒng Hàoyún), was a Chinese shipping magnate, the founder of the Orient Overseas Line (now Orient Overseas Container Line or OOCL). He was the father of Tung Chee Hwa, the first chief executive of the Hong Kong S.A.R..

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Tung (Dong).
Tung Chao-yung
董兆榮 or 董浩雲
Born1912 (1912)
Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China
DiedApril 15, 1982(1982-04-15) (aged 69)
Hong Kong
Other namesOnassis of the Orient
OccupationFounder of Orient Overseas Container Line
ChildrenTung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Chen
Tung Chee Ping
Tung Siu-ping
Tung Yi-ping

At the peak of his career, he owned a shipping fleet with over 150 freight ships; his fleet's cargo capacity exceeded 10 million tons. He was one of the world's top seven freight moguls; he was often called the Onassis of the Orient.

Tung believed in the importance of education. In September 1970, he bought the Cunard ocean liner RMS Queen Elizabeth to convert it into a floating university S.S. Seawise University to keep the World Campus Afloat program alive. On 9 January 1972, the ship caught fire during refurbishing and sank into Hong Kong's harbour. He did not give up the plan because of this setback. He bought a smaller ocean liner SS Atlantic to complete the plan. He cooperated with various universities (e.g. University of Pittsburgh) to run the academic sea programme with the Institute of Shipboard Education entitled Semester at Sea.[1][2] In 1979, Tung received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[3]

Politically, Tung was aligned with Kuomintang regime of the Republic of China on Taiwan; indeed the company emblem of the OOCL is a plum blossom, the national flower of the Republic of China. However, when the OOCL experienced financial trouble after his death the government of the People's Republic of China rescued the company. This paved the way for C.Y. Tung's son, Tung Chee Hwa, to become the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China in 1997.

References
  1. Wessel, Rhea (November 10, 2006). "Business Schools Set Course For Charted Waters" (PDF). Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved May 19, 2009. Mr. Tung was one of the founding fathers of shipboard education—the practice of turning vessels into floating universities that carry students from one port to the next, from one experience to the next.
  2. "Media Kit". Semester at Sea. Archived from the original on 2010-06-17. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  3. "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
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