Yang Xiuqiong

Hong Kong swimmer Yang Xiuqiong, often called the “Mermaid”, had her roots in the Guangdong province and was introduced to swimming by her parents. She attracted attention at the age of eleven competing competitively in Guangzhou and Hong Kong. In October 1930 Yang won the Hong Kong Open Cross-sea Hong Kong-Kowloon Swimming Competition in a record time of 32:39. In 1933, she represented Hong Kong in the Fifth National Games to win all five women’s swimming championships.

In 1934, Yang competed in the 10th Far East Games held in Manila winning all four women’s swimming events. Coming from behind, she swam the last leg in the relay to win the event for China making her a national heroine. As an icon Yang promoted the “New Life Movement” of the nationalist government throughout the country. During her appearance in Nanjing, she was filmed by a team of the 20th Century Fox Film Company, a rare document, which is still available. One year later she claimed another two championships (100 m freestyle and backstroke) at the National Games. Although Yang improved her previous national record in the 100 m backstroke in the heats at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by one second, she did not qualify for the semi-finals.

In 1939, Yang married famous jockey Tao Bolin in Hong Kong. The couple had two children but allegedly broke up in 1941. While Hong Kong was occupied by Japan during World War II Yang Xiuqiong was involved in anti-Japanese activities as a special intelligence agent for the national government. When the organization was uncovered by the Japanese army in 1943 the military police investigated Yang. Later that year she moved to Shanghai to work for a local sports club. After the liberation she became a journalist for the Chiao Sheng newspaper and subsequently got a clerk job at the Finance Department of the General Administration of Rehabilitation and Relief of the Executive Yuan.

In 1947 Yang Xiuqiong was finally divorced and remarried an Indonesian overseas Chinese businessman in the following year. The couple then moved to Thailand to have two more children. The family returned to Hong Kong in 1953. Yang supported her husband in business affairs and was involved in various charity activities including the Hong Kong Life Saving Society. In recognition of her contribution to Hong Kong’s lifesaving service she was awarded the Medal of Merit by the Commonwealth. In 1978 the family moved to Vancouver, where she opened a gift shop four years later. Shortly thereafter, Yang Xiuqiong was found unconscious lying under a high ladder and was declared dead after being rushed to a hospital.