Donald Liao Poon-huai, one of Hong Kong’s most influential government architects and public housing visionaries who became the first Chinese official under British rule to serve as secretary for district administration, has died at the age of 96.
His death was confirmed to the South China Morning Post by his family on Friday, with one member saying he died peacefully on Thursday morning at home, surrounded by family and friends.
Known as a pioneer of Hong Kong’s subsidised Home Ownership Scheme, Liao was born in the late 1920s. He joined the government in 1960, embarking on a decades-long career that helped reshape the city’s urban landscape.
He served as Hong Kong’s first Director of Housing from 1973 to 1980. A visionary architect and civil servant, he played a key role in the design and development of several landmark early housing estates, including Ma Tau Wai and Wah Fu.
From 1980 to 1985, he served as secretary for housing and chairman of the Hong Kong Housing Authority. He later became the first Chinese official under British rule to serve as secretary for district administration from 1985 to 1989.
