The Four big families of Hong Kong is a term used to describe the four Chinese-Hong Kong business families who rose to prominence and became influential during the era of British colonial rule in Hong Kong. In order of influence, they are Li, Ho, Hui and Lo. Some who use the term have replaced the Hui family with the Fu family, headed by, while others have substituted Chau and Lee - in reference to, Chau Sik-nin and Lee Hysan - for the Hui and Lo families, respectively. The founders of the original four families are Li Sek-peng, Robert Ho Tung, Hui Oi-chow and Lo Cheung-shiu. Of these families, the Li's and the Ho's and their descendants are the two most recognized by regular Hong Kong citizens today.
Families
The families and their descendants are listed below. Each indentation represents one generation down, though not necessarily the next generation. Not all the descendants are shown. Most members of these families have reached tycoon status.
Li family notables
Li Shek-pang also known as Li Pui-choi - Originally from Guangdong
Victor Wan-tai Zheng, co-author of Grand Old Man of Hong Kong: Sir Robert Ho Tung and Opium King: Lee Hysan, lists 10 "Wealthy Chinese Family Busineses in Hong Kong" in his PhD thesis: Ho Tung Family, Li Shek-pang Family, Fung Pak-liu Family, Lee Leung-yick Family, Chau Wing-tai Family, Hui Oi-chow Family, Family, Kowk Family, Family and Family. He also lists a number of families, including Wang Lo Kat and Lee Kam Kee, in a separate category. The thesis was later modified and published as Chinese Family Business and the Equal Inheritance System: Unravelling the Myth in 2010. Other authors have suggested new Four big families for the post colonial era. In this case, there are many more variants, including the Li Ka-shing, Kwok Tak-seng, Lee Shau-kee and Cheng Yu-tung families or the Tung Chee-hwa, James Tien, Henry Tang and Rong Yiren families. Some scholars have gone even further by widening it to include the "big 10 families": Li Ka-shing family, Swire family, Keswick family, Kwok Tak-seng family, Pao Yue-kong family, Kadoorie family, Lee Shau-kee family, Cheng Yu-tung family, Chan Tseng-Hsi family and Ng Teng Fong family. Most of the latter members have been associated with the term "real estate tycoons", a label made popular by Alice Poon's book Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong. In her book, she lists the Li's , the Kwoks , the Lees , the Chengs , the Pao's and Woo's and the Kadoories as the powerful Hong Kong families who hold sway over local "property-cum-utility/public services conglomerates". The Chinese translation of the book uses as a section title. As of 2018, Li Ka-shing and Lee Shau-kee were ranked first and second in Forbes' Hong Kong's 50 Richest respectively, while Thomas and Raymond Kwok brothers, sons of the late Kwok Tak-seng, were ranked 4th; their eldest brother, Walter Kwok, was ranked 10th. Richard Li, the younger son of Li Ka-shing, was ranked 19th. Henry Cheng, son of the late Cheng Yu-tung, was ranked 49th. Some of the members of the aforementioned "new" families were also on the list, such as Peter Woo, son-in-law of the late Pao Yue-kong, Michael Kadoorie, the brothers Tung Chee-hwa and Chee-chen and Chan Tan Ching-fen, widow of Chan Tseng-His.
