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Hong Kong youth
Hong KongSociety

Tycoon Michael Kadoorie says he has ‘full faith’ in Hong Kong’s youth, and city will ‘thrive and thrive’

Kadoorie, 76, whose family owns controlling stake in major power supplier, says city has faced myriad challenges before and come out on top

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Michael Kadoorie says negative news about Hong Kong and its future does not discourage him. Photo: Nora Tam
Harminder Singh

The head of one of Hong Kong’s wealthiest families has said he is optimistic about the city’s future despite the constant stream of negative news, and has faith in Hong Kong’s youth.

Michael Kadoorie, 76, whose family owns a controlling stake in CLP Holdings, which supplies power to nearly 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s population, made the comments to the Post prior to the release of never-before-seen photos taken by his father, Lawrence Kadoorie.

“I feel [Hong Kong] is going to thrive and thrive more. We’ve always faced challenges,” Kadoorie said.

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He cited the refugee crisis of 1952 as a great challenge to the city that Hong Kong overcame. The city faced an influx of refugees from the mainland as the Communist Party took power, increasing the population from 600,000 to 2.2 million in the span of one year.

Michael Kadoorie’s father, Lawrence Kadoorie, is captured on camera in the 1950s. Photo: Lawrence Kadoorie
Michael Kadoorie’s father, Lawrence Kadoorie, is captured on camera in the 1950s. Photo: Lawrence Kadoorie
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“We had to adapt. That was far more of a crisis than the umbrella movement,” Kadoorie said, referring to the 79-day protest for universal suffrage that brought the city to a standstill in 2014.

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