Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1996

A Citation Mr. Tang Hsian g Chie n OBE , JP A prominent Hon g Kong industrialist, Mr. Tang Hsiang Chien, born in Shanghai in 1923, is a third-generation textile magnat e of a well- established and distinguished family, which has its ancestral home in Wuxi of Jiangsu Province. Family upbringing has encouraged Hsiang Chien since childhood to be forthright and persistent, qualities which remain very much part of his character. A very diligent student who thrived on learning, young Hsiang Chien was among the top students in every examination. In 1948 ， Tang Hsiang Chien pursued the study of economics in the United States, obtaining a master's degree from the University of Illinois in 1950. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, he then established Soco Textiles (Hong Kong) Ltd. in Hong Kong. In the early 1950s Hong Kong lacked raw materials, labour, manufacturing facilitie s and markets for its products, all of which are essential for the successful development of any industry. Despite working in such unfavourable conditions, Tang strove ahead indefatigably, overcoming adversity and making the best of difficult situations. His perseverance paid off and the textile industry headed towards new and brighter horizons. When setting up a business, Tang Hsiang Chien carefully supervised all tasks, big and small, from site development and building construction to advertising and promotion. In his textile manufacturing he was devoted to the immaculate planning and design of every detail in spinning, weaving, dyeing and even the production of garments. Only when the business wa s well on track would this 'field marshal' hand over its well- organized management to his young and able 'attachés', so that he would be free to start another new plant from scratch. Following this pattern over several decades, Mr. Tang has established dozens of manufacturing plants not just in Hong Kong, but also north and south of the Yangtze, in the remote northwestern part of China, and in other parts of the world. A firm believer in 'No pain, no gain' ,Mr. Tang, who has been an industrialist all his life, never speculates. His accomplishment in breaking new ground and achieving such spectacular success in the textile industry owes much to two factors. The first is his constant search for innovative ideas in various fields, the other is having the courage to set up business in different regions worldwide. In 1973, the government of the sugar- exporting Mauritius began to develop its country's other industries. Actin g on his impeccable business instinct, the farsighted Tang Hsiang Chien travelled all the way to Africa to establish a factory there, thus pioneering for other Chinese manufacturers who were to follow his example. In the late seventies, not long after the Cultural Revolution, Tang set about establishing his businesses in the Pearl River Delta, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Wuxi as soon as China opened its markets. In 1979 he visited Xinjiang. There he set up a factory in 1980, starting production in September that same year! The first industrial joint venture in Xinjiang, 8