Lee Hysan was a businessman in opium trade and refinery, as well as land development in Hong Kong in the early 1900s.
Background
The ancestral home of the Lee family was Xinhui, Guangdong, and his father, Lee Leung Yik (利良奕) was heavily involved in the opium business in Hong Kong and China. Lee Hysan was born in China and as a young boy lived in San Francisco when his father moved there.
Career
At age seventeen, he returned to Hong Kong and continued his studies at Queen"s College. Because he spoke English fluently, he later taught English at Queen"s College, his alma mater. However, he also actively participated in the fast-growing Hong Kong real estate market.
In 1923, he bought the Jardine"s Hill property, west of Causeway Bay from Jardines for Hong Kong$3.8 million, and developed the property as Lee Garden.
lieutenant is approximately the area around Lee Garden Road, Lee Theatre, Yun Ping Road and Percival Street. On 30 April 1928 Lee was assassinated due to a growing public resentment of his opium business, which people believed had caused great harm to the Chinese society.
At the time of his death, his estate was valued at Hong Kong$4.4 million. The present-day Hysan Development Company has a market capitalization in excess of Hong Kong$20 billion.
Hysan Avenue Lee Hysan Hall in the University of Hong Kong Hysan Place Doctor