A Brief Biography of Yeung Sau King
Renowned as the Mermaid of China, Yeung Sau-King (AKA: Yang Xiuqiong, Yvonne Tan, Yang Shiu Chung), was a celebrated Chinese swimmer during the 1930s and the first female swimmer to represent China in the Olympic swimming competition.
Yeung Sau King was born in Tai Hang(大坑)village, Hong Kong on April 25, 1919. Her father moved to Hong Kong from Dongguan county in the Guangdong Province of China when he was young. Yeung's talent in swimming was inspired by her parents, both members of the South China Athletic Association of Hong Kong.
Sau King(second from left) with her family,1934
During the period from September to October 1930, she got brilliant achievements in several swimming competitions in both Guangdong Province and Hong Kong . On October 14th, she participated in Hong Kong's annual cross-harbour swimming race for the first time. Not only did she win the competition , but she also became the first ethnic Chinese to break the record with a time of 32 minutes and 39 seconds.
In 1932, she won the Hong Kong's annual cross-harbour swimming race again.
In
October 1933, Yeung represented Hong Kong in the 5th National Games held in Nanking (ASA Nanjing). She made a splash at the time by winning all
five women's swimming championships, including 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre freestyle, 100-metre backstroke, 200-metre breaststroke and 200-metre relay. On account of her swimming talent and
beautiful face, Yeung was given a nickname "the Mermaid of China" by the press.
In May 1934, she represented the Republic of China in the 10th Far East Games held in the Philippines. She became the most popular aquatic star of the time by winning 4 gold medals, including 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre freestyle, 100-metre backstroke and 200-metre relay. Many Filipinos affectionately called her "Miss China". Some Chinese people even praised her as a national heroine.
The trophy Yeung won in the10th Far East Games,1934
From July to August 1934, Yeung was invited by the Republican Government(ASA: Kuomintang Government) to give a series of swimming demonstrations in Nanchang, Nanjing and Shanghai to promote the "New Life Movement" and interest among the public in swimming.
"The Sunday Star", Washingon,D.C.,USA,1935-12-08
In October 1935, she represented Hong Kong again in the 6th National Games held in Shanghai, winning the 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke swimming championship with new national records.
In August 1936, she represented the Republic of China in the 11th Berlin Olympic Games and completed the 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke swimming event . Although she was eliminated in the preliminaries, her performance in the 100m backstroke was one second faster than the national record she created in 1935 .
In Olympics 1936: Berlin , the cover of a local magazine showed the photo of Yeung Sau King with Dorothy Poynton-Hill ,the first Olympic diver to win the 10 m platform twice(1932 and 1936).
On November 5th, 1939, Yeung got married to a famous jockey, Tao Bolin in Hong Kong . After their marriage, they had a daughter and a son.
According to strictly confidential archives declassified by Japanese government in 1988, from September 1942 to April 1943, during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, Yeung secretly served as a special intelligence officer for the Republican Government in Chungking (AKA :Chongqing) by collected intelligence in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, this intelligence organization was dismantled by Japanese Occupation Forces in April 1943. On May 1st, 1943, Yeung was interrogated in the headquarters of the Japanese Kenpeitai.
In October 1943, Yeung went to Shanghai to live and
work for a local sports club. The reason for leaving Hong Kong to Shanghai, as well as her situation in Shanghai during the
wartime remains unknown. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Yeung
worked as a reporter for the "Chiao Sheng Pao Weekly" in Shanghai in 1946.
On October 13th, 1947, Yeung and Tao Bolin
completed the divorce procedures in Hong Kong in
which Yeung maintained custody of their children . In October 1948, Yeung remarried in Shanghai to Tan
Tjin Koan who was an ethnic Chinese Indonesian businessman. After the
wedding, they moved to Thailand where
they had two daughters.
In 1953, Yeung returned to Hong Kong with
her husband and four children to settle . Assisting her husband's business,
Yeung also participated in charity works of the Catholic Church.
Yeung Sau King(middle)
Hong Kong Life Saving Society : Diamond Jubilee Edition,2015
In 1962, she served as the first chairwoman
of the Ladies section of Hong Kong Life Guard Club (later renamed The Hong Kong Life Saving Society) until 1966. On
February 28th, 1968, she was awarded the Medal of Achievement by the Commonwealth
of Nations and the certificate signed by Lord Louis Mountbatten, in
recognition of her contribution to the life-saving service in Hong Kong.
In 1978, she and her family emigrated to Vancouver, Canada where she lived until her death. On October 10th, 1982, she was found unconscious under a high ladder in her residence. Unfortunately, she was certified dead after being sent to the hospital. Her family suspected that she wanted to take some objects at a high place when she was alone at home. Accidentally she lost her balance while on the latter. Yeung died at 63 years old and was buried at Ocean View Buried Park, Vancouver.
English
news clippings about Yeung Sau King
1982-10-14
The Globe and Mail,Canada
1982-09-03
Chinatown News(biweekly magazine),Vancouver,Canada
1966-07-10
South China Morning Post,Hong Kong
1936-07-24 China Press, Shanghai, China((1925-1938)
1936-07-10
South China Morning Post, Hong Kong
1936-6-11
China Press, Shanghai, China((1925-1938)
China Press, Shanghai, China((1925-1938)
1935-10-09
South China Morning Post, Hong Kong
1934-07-23
South China Morning Post,Hong Kong
1934-07-16
The Hong Kong Telegraph
1934-05-24
The Tribune ,Philippines (1932-1945)
1933-10-20
The Hong Kong Telegraph
1933-10-23
The Hong Kong Telegraph
1930-10-15
The China Mail,Hong Kong
1930-10-15
South China Morning Post,Hong Kong
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《尋找美人魚楊秀瓊──香港一代女泳將抗日秘辛》
