Pioneering Paulines

Yip Yeuk Lam graduated from St. Paul’s College in 1936. He worked in food distribution and wholesale and was the CEO of the Hong Kong Union Egg Corporation, Hong Kong Fruit & Vegetable Merchants Association, and general manager of the Hong Kong Choi Luen Hong, to name but a few. He also once served on the board of the (now-closed) Hong Kong Central Hospital and was a treasurer and vice-chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce.

Since the 1950s, Yip has worked to improve mainland–Hong Kong cooperation. He engaged in importing non-staple food items from mainland China. Despite China’s early political upheavals, which led to a mass influx of refugees, Yip managed to maintain a constant supply of food in Hong Kong.

During the 1950s, Hong Kong’s growth outpaced its water supply. Despite additional imports from Shenzhen Reservoir, low water levels meant the government had to introduce a once-every-four-days water ration during 1963. Yip proposed building a series of pipelines to transfer water directly from the Dong River, after negotiating with Guangdong’s provincial government. An agreement was eventually reached, and the pipeline was operational in 1965, proving vital for Hong Kong’s stable post-war development.

葉若林在一九三六年畢業於聖保羅書院，其後從事副食品業，曾擔任香港蛋品企業有限公司董事長、香港果菜營業有限公司董事長、香港菜聯行總經理等職，又曾任港中醫院董事及中華總商會司庫及副會長。

葉氏熱心促進中港交流。自一九五〇年代起從事中國副食品供港的業務。期間內地政治不穩，致大批難民湧入香港，葉氏保持業務正常運作，令糧食維持穩定供應。

一九五〇年代，香港人口劇增，工業迅速發展，食水用量大幅上升，制水成日常問題，因此香港需要從深圳水庫引水。一九六三年，深圳水庫水量不足，香港限制供水至每四日一次。有見及此，葉氏提議直接從東江駁喉運水，隨後三赴廣州，終於取得省政府與港府同意供水安排，並在一九六五年正式開始供水，對戰後香港穩步發展影響甚深。