James Wu Explained

James Tak Wu, GBS, (; 1922 – 29 October 2020) was a Hong Kong businessman who co-founded Maxim's Catering (now a major subsidiary of Dairy Farm International Holdings) and co-founded a chain of restaurants, nightclubs, fast-food outlets, cake and coffee shops, institutional catering units and theaters throughout Hong Kong. As of 2015, Wu remained Honorary Chairman of Maxim's Group under Jardine Matheson's ownership.^[1]

Background

With ancestry from Taishan, Guangdong, Wu was born in the United States and educated in Guangdong. Wu graduated from Lingnan University in Guangzhou in 1947. With brother S.T. Wu, Wu established Maxim's Catering in Kowloon, Hong Kong, in 1956^{[2] [3]} and, by 1967, had a thriving business.^[4]

Wu was a member of the Hong Kong Tourism Board in 2002.^[5]

Family

He is the father of Annie Wu Suk-ching.^[6]

Honours

Wu is Honorary Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Development & Planning Council, whose focus is on nurturing professional management talent for Southern China.

• He holds Honorary Doctorates from the Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou and Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.
• In 2009, he was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong SAR Government.
• He was named "Honorary Citizen of Guangzhou" by the municipal government of his native Guangzhou in 2003.

Death

On 19 November 2020, the Maxim's Group published a post on its website, announcing Wu had died on 29 October 2020 at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, aged 98.^[7]

Legacy

• The Dr and Mrs James Tak Wu Award for Outstanding Service (Lingnan University; established 1998)

Notes and References

1. Topping-out of Maxim's Centre. Thistle, the Magazine of Jardine Matheson. 1. 2015.
2. https://web.archive.org/web/20120902122741/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=5466333 Business Week article
3. Web site: Honorary University Fellows. https://web.archive.org/web/20080408014641/http://www3.hku.hk/eroonweb/honfellows/fellow_detail.php?section=main&id=100. dead. 2008-04-08. University of Hong Kong.
4. Web site: Decision. Intellectual Property Department, Hong Kong Government. 30 June 1982.
5. Web site: Appointments to Hong Kong Tourism Board. Department of Tourism, Hong Kong Government. 24 December 2002.
6. Web site: Annie Wu biography . 2009-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090302094113/http://www.womenofchina.cn/Profiles/Businesswomen/15568.jsp . 2009-03-02 . dead .
7. Web site: James Wu, co-founder of Hong Kong's biggest restaurant group Maxim's, targeted during protests, dies aged 98 . Enoch . Yiu . South China Morning Post . 19 November 2020 . 19 November 2020 .