The legacy of the suffragettes
35 Garden Road houses an elegant milestone in the history of colonial feminism, the Helena May Institute.
During the Victorian era (1837–1901) women’s rights were extremely limited, so when a woman married, her entire property fell into the hands of her husband. In 1884 the women’s rights activists - primarily upper middle class ladies - gained a huge victory: the repeal of the Married Women’s Property Act. Women could now own and control their property and were equal before the law. This newly gained freedom caused a huge wave of self-awareness. Suffragettes violently demanded voting rights and more and more women travelled to the colonies, in pursuit of happiness.
Info
Address 35 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong, Tel +852 2522 6766 | Public Transport Near Lower Peak Tram Terminus; MTR Island line (blue) Central Station Exit 5 or Exit J2 Chater GardenBus 15C to the Peak Tram Terminus on Garden Road | Hours No public access, guided tours once a month, by appointment only; check www.helenamay.com| Tip The Helena May offers accommodation at reasonable prices, some exclusively to women and, in the adjacent building, to men as well.
Despite all these changes, it was still regarded as immoral for a single woman to stay in a hotel. Hong Kong, however, lacked alternatives – suitable accommodation and places where European women could meet without being molested. It was this lack of accommodation that in 1893 motivated Lucy Eyre and Agnes Hamper to found the Young Women’s Christian Association, a gathering place at the Fairlea School.
After Lucy Eyre’s death, Helena May, the governor’s wife, continued Eyre’s dedicated work. With major financial support from the influential businessmen Ho Kom Tong and Sir Ellis Kadoorie, the Helena May Institute was built in 1916, providing lodgings for European women travelling or working abroad. Ironically, Governor Francis May took the lead in 1917 in preventing Ho Kom Tong from settling on the Peak, as he was Chinese.
The Helena May Institute soon became a popular meeting place for active and committed ladies, which it continues to be to this day.
At the beginning of the 20th century emancipation was on the rise but it was unable to overcome the racial gap between Europeans and Chinese. It was not until 1969 that the first non-European woman was accepted as a resident at the Helena May.
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