STORY: Hong Kong businesswoman strives to carry on hometown spirit
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 19, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 21, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:10
LOCATION: HONG KONG, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. file of the handover ceremony for the new president of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce
2. various of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WINNIE KO PUI SHUEN, President of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce
4. file of Qiaopi exhibition in Shantou at 2020
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WINNIE KO PUI SHUEN, President of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce
6. various of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce

STORYLINE:

In September, businesswoman Winnie Ko Pui Shuen took up the post of President of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce and became the first female leader of the chamber in 103 years.

Founded in 1921, the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce is one of the oldest and most influential business organizations in Hong Kong. 

It gathered in the financial hub elites from the Chaoshan region, mainly including Chaozhou (called "Chiu Chow" in Cantonese) and Shantou cities in south China's Guangdong Province.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WINNIE KO PUI SHUEN, President of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce
"So for everything I do, I would consider whether it benefits society. If it does, I will go ahead with it. If I can profit from it at the same time benefiting society, that's even better; if not, I will still do it. However, if a business is not beneficial to society, no matter how profitable it is, we won't do it."

In May 2023, with the efforts of Ko, a Qiaopi culture exhibition was successfully held in Hong Kong.
   
In the olden days, Qiaopi was a unique form of mail that combined remittances and family letters. It served as a bond between overseas Chinese and their family members back in China.
   
Since many overseas Chinese were from the Chaoshan region, Qiaopi became a unique part of the Chaoshan culture.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WINNIE KO PUI SHUEN, President of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce
"Chaoshan natives who went abroad never forgot their hometown. The first thing they did when they earned money was sending it back to their hometown. Back then, living conditions were difficult. Some of them couldn't even write and had to hire someone to write the Qiaopi so every single character in Qiaopi meant money."

For many years, Ko has spared no effort to preserve and carry forward traditional Chinese culture, including providing substantial financial support to academic research projects on Qiaopi culture.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hong Kong, China.
(XHTV)