She Who Came from the Stars: The Legacy of Liu Biru in Changzhou and Beyond

Introduction:
This article is an English adaptation of a piece originally published by 常州史志 on October 31, 2024, exploring the life and contributions of Ms. Liu Biru, daughter of the renowned Chinese industrialist Liu Guojun. As an influential figure in her own right, Ms. Liu has upheld and expanded her father’s legacy through her dedication to philanthropy, business leadership, and social activism. Through this translation, we aim to share Ms. Liu Biru’s remarkable story and her impact on her hometown of Changzhou with a broader audience.

Additional Notes:
This English version has been adapted for accessibility to English-speaking readers, with minor adjustments made for clarity. All images and captions are sourced from the original publication, with copyrights retained by their original creators, included to honor the spirit and details of the initial work. The original article in Chinese is available for viewing here.

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“She” Who Came from the Stars: Celebrating Liu Biru’s Legacy in Changzhou, Her Museum, and the School Named for Her Father

In October 1998, the International Astronomical Union honored Ms. Liu Biru, a prominent Hong Kong figure, by naming asteroid 3960 as “Cha Liu Biru Star.” This celestial tribute originated from an observation by the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on January 20, 1955. Ms. Liu’s life has been marked by a strong commitment to public welfare, with significant contributions to China’s advancements in social welfare, maternal and child education, healthcare, and support for the visually impaired. Ancient pines may endure a thousand years, yet a centenarian is rare. In 2024, Ms. Liu will celebrate her 105th birthday. This article honors her remarkable contributions to her homeland and her unwavering dedication to her hometown.

01: Born to a Notable Family, Destined for Greatness

Liu Biru was born in June 1919 in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, into an influential family. Her father, Mr. Liu Guojun, was a pioneering industrialist, celebrated as a “textile giant” and a devoted patriot who made lasting contributions to China’s industrialization. Like her father, Liu Biru would distinguish herself in both business and public service. She served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and became widely respected as a businesswoman and social activist. An outstanding example of female leadership in China’s modern textile industry, Liu Biru has witnessed China’s transformative journey from the founding of the People’s Republic to the modern reform era. Alongside her husband, Mr. Cha Jimin, she advanced China’s textile industry while supporting Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity.

Liu Biru was her father’s eldest daughter and began her education at the private school he established in 1929. There, Liu Biru and her peers studied Confucian classics and traditional Chinese poetry under renowned Changzhou poets Su Dichen and Qian Xiaoshan. Even as a child, Liu Biru had a deep love for literature and an eye for crafting balanced parallelisms in her verse. Her talent for poetry earned praise from her teachers, especially for her skill in writing couplets and classical-style poems. Today, she continues to publish her poetry, with collections released in Hong Kong, mainland China, and internationally. She is now recognized as a celebrated poet within the business community.

Liu Biru often reflects on the wisdom her father imparted to her. He taught her that true success begins with ambition and that achieving one’s goals requires frugality and discipline. This foundational advice played a crucial role in her and Mr. Cha Jimin’s eventual success, fueling the rapid development of the Cha Group. (To read more about the life of “Mr. Cha Jimin,” see the article in 常州史志 from March 20, 2024, titled “Cha Jimin: Jin Yong’s Clan, Changzhou Son-in-Law, Business Tycoon, and Founder of a Special Museum in Changzhou!“)

During the Republic of China era, Liu Guojun stood among China’s leading industrialists, known for his impact on the textile industry alongside families like the Rongs of Wuxi. Amid the devastation of the Anti-Japanese War, his Changzhou Dacheng Dyeing Factory was bombed by Japanese forces, reducing it to ruins. Undeterred, Liu relocated to Wuhan, Shanghai, and Chongqing to continue his work. In Chongqing, he co-founded the Daming Dyeing and Weaving Factory with Lu Zuofu, appointing his son-in-law Cha Jimin as the factory director at just 24 years old. Cha Jimin cherished Liu Guojun’s mentorship, often recalling the lessons learned from his father-in-law with profound gratitude:

“Mr. Liu Guojun, the general manager and primary shareholder, was a self-made industrialist who led with thrift, diligence, and a knack for empowering others. From him, I learned the core principles of business management—he was my first true teacher.”

In 1948, amid the upheaval of civil unrest, Cha Jimin and Liu Biru relocated to Hong Kong, where they laid the foundation for their entrepreneurial legacy by establishing the Hong Kong China Dyeing Factory in Tsuen Wan. Initially a modest operation with only about 60 employees, the factory specialized in bleaching and dyeing, producing approximately 500,000 yards of fabric per month. Liu Biru not only took an active role in managing the business but also engaged personally in the technical side of operations, overseeing printing, pattern design, and other intricate processes within the workshop. Today, Liu Biru still serves as the chairman of Hong Kong’s Mingli Group and as a director of the China Dyeing Factory Group.

In 1964, Liu Biru and Cha Jimin began expanding their business internationally. They established polyester textile and dyeing factories in Nigeria, followed by similar ventures in Ghana and Togo, where they opened three knitting and dyeing facilities. Their enterprises then extended into Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, diversifying into various textile, dyeing, and related industries. They even built the tallest and most luxurious office building near Stanford University and founded a management company to oversee their U.S. interests, marking the beginning of an internationally directed business approach.

By the 1980s, the couple invested HK$500 million to construct a state-of-the-art dyeing factory in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, and secured a technical cooperation agreement with Europe’s KBC. By the close of that decade, Liu Biru and Cha Jimin held substantial assets, managing three listed companies in Hong Kong with a combined market valuation nearing HK$14 billion by 1996.

02: Like a Jade Orchid: Setting a Lasting Example

While Liu Biru has achieved remarkable success in business across the globe, she has equally distinguished herself in public service and philanthropy. She has held the role of chairman of the board at Hong Kong’s Yan Chai Hospital, and she currently serves as chairman of the Cha Foundation, director of the Qiushi Science and Technology Foundation, and chairman of the Liu Guojun Vocational Education Foundation. Additionally, Liu Biru remains active in civic affairs as a member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and holds an honorary doctorate from Hong Kong Baptist University.

Liu Biru’s commitment to the development of her homeland has been evident throughout her life. Together with her husband, Cha Jimin, she has invested in numerous projects that have advanced China’s economic growth, including investments in China International Financial Investment Corporation, ceramic and textile factories in Zhongshan, Guangdong, and several printing and dyeing enterprises in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shanghai. These endeavors have helped fuel China’s progress in key industries, a testament to her dedication to national development.

In the late 1970s, Liu Biru demonstrated her boldness and sense of responsibility in a striking way. In 1978, she learned that the owner of Discovery Bay on Lantau Island had gone bankrupt. This land was originally mortgaged to a Soviet bank in Brazil, which would have had first rights to the property if notified. Seeing both the strategic value of the land and its significance to China, Liu Biru made a swift decision. With her husband’s support, she bypassed competing offers and purchased the uninhabited land for tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars. Reflecting her patriotism, she humbly commented to the public afterward, “Jimin said that if we do this well, we will have lived up to Premier Zhou.” Her purchase of this land was an important step that would later ease the path for Hong Kong’s return to China.

In 1989, Liu Biru and Cha Jimin fulfilled one of her father’s lifelong wishes by founding the Changzhou Liu Guojun Vocational Education Center. With initial backing from the Huaxia Foundation and contributions from the Liu family, the school was founded to carry on Liu Guojun’s legacy in education. The Huaxia Foundation donated $500,000, and the Liu family contributed $1 million to establish an educational endowment fund. The interest generated from this fund has been used annually to support the school’s construction and provide awards for outstanding teachers and students. When U.S. interest rates dropped in the early 1990s, potentially reducing the school’s funding, Liu Biru and her husband stepped in, guaranteeing that the fund would yield at least $50,000 in interest each year. In 1993, they increased the principal by another $100,000, bringing it to $1.1 million and ensuring that the school would continue to receive $55,000 annually. To date, the fund has generated over $700,000 in support, benefiting more than 160 students and teachers each year. Liu Biru and Cha Jimin have also donated essential teaching equipment, transportation, and other resources to enrich the school.

Additionally, Liu Biru and Cha Jimin have made substantial investments in fostering scientific and technological advancement in China. They established the “Sang Ma Foundation” and the “Qiushi Science and Technology Foundation,” both of which have significantly contributed to domestic innovation and research. These foundations have funded numerous projects and scholarships, supporting talented individuals and driving technological progress in critical areas.

Today, the legacy of these contributions endures prominently in Changzhou. The Changzhou Sang Ma Hall of Fame, situated along the canal, commemorates these achievements, and Liu Biru serves as the honorary chairman of the Changzhou Sang Ma Education Foundation. Through this foundation, she continues to promote educational development and support aspiring students, extending her family’s tradition of philanthropy and community-building into future generations.

03: Heart to Changzhou, Love to Hometown

Throughout their lives, Liu Biru and Cha Jimin have maintained close ties with successive leaders in Changzhou, building a friendship grounded in mutual respect, understanding, and trust. Their relationship with Changzhou is one of both formal exchange and genuine personal warmth. Each time Changzhou’s leaders visit Hong Kong, Liu Biru and her husband graciously welcome them into their home, often inviting their own children to join in the conversations. A memorable example of this camaraderie took place in March 2004, during the “Changzhou-Hong Kong Economic and Trade Fair” held in Hong Kong. Following the event, they invited Changzhou’s leaders to their Discovery Bay residence for an intimate dinner. In a gesture of mutual appreciation, the couple presented a set of “Qiushi Foundation Memorial Books,” honoring their 40-million-yuan donation to support China’s aerospace industry—an achievement they hold in great esteem. In return, the Changzhou representatives gifted them a piece of the region’s famed random needle embroidery.

After the meal, the two elders strolled through the garden with their guests, discussing Changzhou’s recent economic and social developments. They expressed hopes for deeper cooperation between Hong Kong and Changzhou, and Liu Biru affirmed her commitment to expanding Cha Group’s investments in Changzhou to foster mutual prosperity. The two parties parted warmly, looking forward to future collaboration.

Liu Biru and Cha Jimin’s connection to Changzhou transcends business; it is deeply personal. The city along the Yangtze River, with its rich history, has become a cherished part of their lives and memories. The Baijia Bridge near Dacheng’s second factory, just outside Changzhou’s east gate, holds a special place in their hearts, filled with sweet memories from the early days of their marriage. In 1992, Cha Jimin captured these sentiments in a poem titled Traveling in Changzhou with Biru, where he wrote with deep affection:

“Standing by Baijia Bridge for a long time, I forgot the vicissitudes of life but not the foolishness. Sixty years ago, we visited the old place, and the spring breeze and peach trees and willows are known to both of us.”

As Liu Biru celebrates her 105th year, she has borne witness to the immense changes of two centuries and countless experiences that have shaped her remarkable life. To honor this milestone, the United Front Work Department of the Changzhou Municipal Party Committee, through the Sang Ma Foundation, extended their heartfelt congratulations. Their message reads:

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Attribution & Credentials:

• Produced by | Changzhou Chronicles
• Source | Compiled from Jiangsu Local Chronicles, the official account of the Changzhou Sang Ma Education Foundation, and various online resources
• Images | Sourced from Bi Ru Bai Nian
• Editor | Propaganda and Education Department
• Art Editor | Qi Wenxian