The secrets to the strength of Elsie Tu
Soon-to-turn 100, the woman who told off the billionaire looks back on her life and love
Working out regularly from a young age is the secret of longevity for former urban councillor Elsie Tu, who is allowed to take it rather more easily now as she approaches her 100th birthday.
On June 2, Tu will become a centenarian and now needs a walker to move around the home and a wheelchair when she heads out. But her mind remains active and engaged - as her defence of the striking dockers demonstrates.
"Exercising has kept me healthy," she said "I've been very active in my life. I was a member of all the school teams like hockey, netball … I spent a lot of time on physical education," she said.
After moving to Hong Kong from Britain, Tu set up Mu Kuang English School in 1954, where she often gave exercise classes to the students.
"I never smoke … I never drink - I think that must be good for your health - physical exercise and never eat until you feel full," she added.
Tu said her late Chinese husband was the biggest influence on her and taught her to be kind and strong.
As she says it, she glances at the oil painting of Andrew Tu Hsueh-kwei which hangs in the sitting room of her home on the top floor of a wing of Mu Kuang English School. The couple co-founded the secondary school in 1954 and it moved to its current site in Kwun Tong in 1972.
