Ngan Shing-kwan

Who is Ngan Shing-kwan?

'Ngan Shing-kwan CBE was born in Chaoyang city, Guangdong, China a notable Hong Kong transport and later property tycoon that ran China Motor Bus. Ngan, got his start running his uncle's rickshaw service during the 1920s in Kowloon. Such was Ngan's reputation in the rickshaw industry that according to one interview "[s]top any rickshaw puller on the street and he would nod knowingly at the nearest mention of Ngan Shing Kwan's [sic] name." This success within the rickshaw industry attracted the attention of the government and Ngan won the first exclusive licence to operate a bus service in Hong Kong in 1933. Ngan established himself on the Hong Kong business scene via a frugal attitude during the early days of China Motor Bus. The Company owned many strategic bus depots and properties, which were subsequently redeveloped for commercial, residential and industrial use at great profit. Ngan Shing-kwan thrived by sticking to two simple principles: devotion to the buses and counting the pennies. In fact, it was Ngan that was instrumental in bringing the iconic double-decker bus to Hong Kong.

However, by the early 1990s and after Ngan Shing-kwan's retirement from day-to-day operations, that the Company began to fall behind its competitors Citybus and Kowloon Motor Bus. Ngan Shing-kwan's children incorrectly wagered that frugal Hong Kong customers would not pay a premium for air conditioned buses. The Company's frugality, once a virtue, had now become a liability. Even though CMB was a Hong Kong Stock Exchange listed Company, annual general meetings were often held in a depot and once inside a hospital. Finally, in 1998, despite owning a fleet of more than 800 buses, having 2,400 employees and a turnover of HKD$800 million, the Hong Kong government pulled CMB's licence, citing poor performance. At the time CMB's licence was pulled just 20% of their fleet was air conditioned, versus their competitors which had approximately 80%. Ngan Shing-kwan remained Chairman of CMB until his death, where he was subsequently succeeded by his children: Irene, Henry and Horace. The later, Horace, subsequently became Baron of Appleby in 1999.