# Chan Chak

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traditional Chinese: 陳策; simplified Chinese: 陈策; pinyin: *Chén Cè*; Jyutping: *can4 caak3*

**Andrew Chan Chak** (traditional Chinese: 陳策; born **Chen Mingtang**; ; 2 April 1894 – 31 August 1949[1]), [courtesy name](/source/Courtesy_name) **Choushou** (), was a Chinese [admiral](/source/Admiral) of the [Republic of China Navy](/source/Republic_of_China_Navy), best known for his role in a [breakout](/source/Breakout_(military)) in five Royal Navy torpedo boats from the [Japanese occupation of Hong Kong](/source/Japanese_occupation_of_Hong_Kong) on Christmas Day 1941.

## Career

Chan was born in Shangqi, a village of Huiwen town, [Wenchang](/source/Wenchang) on [Hainan Island](/source/Hainan_Island). Like Chan, several male members of the family also joined various Chinese military branches, including two of his younger brothers, Chen Mingzhou (later Chen Ji) and Chen Mingchen, who became similarly prominent figures in the Air Force and Marine Corps respectively. Chan joined the [Tongmenghui](/source/Tongmenghui), retaining membership when the group became the [Kuomintang](/source/Kuomintang), as a member of the [Central Committee](/source/Central_Committee_of_the_Kuomintang). He graduated Guangdong Naval Academy in [Guangzhou](/source/Guangzhou) as a [Midshipman](/source/Midshipman) in 1911 and participated in the [National Protection War](/source/National_Protection_War) to oust [Yuan Shikai](/source/Yuan_Shikai).[2][3][4]

Throughout the [Warlord Era](/source/Warlord_Era) he participated in several naval engagements in Southern China. In 1923 he was appointed [Commander-in-Chief](/source/Commander-in-Chief) of the Guangdong Fleet, later renamed the 4th Fleet of the ROC Navy.

At the beginning of the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War) Chan was given the additional position of Commander of the Fortresses of [Humen](/source/Humen); He defeated the Japanese during a battle there in 1938 his left leg was wounded which eventually necessitated its amputation. Unable to take Guangzhou, the Japanese bombed Cantonese civilians in Guangzhou, thus the Japanese bombing killed thousands of Cantonese children and adults in Guangzhou out of revenge.

In 1939 Chan, then a [Rear Admiral](/source/Rear_Admiral), was sent to Hong Kong as Liaison Officer of the Nationalist Government. Under the cover as a stockbroker, he arranged for the transportation of [materiel](/source/Materiel) into China despite the Japanese blockade, and at the same time liaised with British colonial authorities, keeping the local Chinese population on-side, controlling the [Triad](/source/Triad_(organized_crime)) gangs and identifying Japanese sympathisers.

On 8 December 1941 the [Battle of Hong Kong](/source/Battle_of_Hong_Kong) began; on Christmas Day the Governor, Sir [Mark Aitchison Young](/source/Mark_Aitchison_Young), informed Chan of his intention to surrender to the Japanese. Chan decided to flee Hong Kong, and was given command of the five remaining [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) [Motor Torpedo Boats](/source/Motor_Torpedo_Boat). In [Aberdeen Harbour](/source/Aberdeen,_Hong_Kong) he and his entourage boarded the motor launch *[Cornflower II](/source/SS_Tai_Hing)*; while on the way to a rendezvous with the torpedo boats waiting south of [Ap Lei Chau](/source/Ap_Lei_Chau) it was fired upon by Japanese forces. Chan ordered “Abandon Ship”, threw off his artificial leg, only to be shot at the left wrist; barely able to swim with one arm and one leg (he gave his life jacket to his bodyguard, who did not know how to swim), he was dragged ashore by his [aide-de-camp](/source/Aide-de-camp), Lieutenant-Commander [Henry Hsu](/source/Henry_Hsu). The torpedo boats came to their rescue, then headed towards [Mirs Bay](/source/Mirs_Bay) at high speed. From there the escapees, with the help of Chinese guerrillas, walked for four days through Japanese-occupied territories towards [Huizhou](/source/Huizhou) in unoccupied China.

Altogether sixty-eight British, Chinese and Danish intelligence, naval and marine personnel were saved in the breakout, including [David Mercer MacDougall](/source/David_Mercer_MacDougall), who had worked with Chan on intelligence matters. For aiding in the escape of these British military personnel, Chan was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 19 August 1942.[5][6][7]

From September 1945 to June 1946, Chan was the [Mayor of Guangzhou](/source/Mayor_of_Guangzhou).[8] In 1948, Chan gathered the heads of all Chen clans from his ancestral home to convene at Hongkanpo in [Haikou](/source/Haikou) to create a comprehensive *[zupu](/source/Zupu)*.[2] He died in Guangzhou on 31 August 1949, during the final weeks of the Communist takeover, officially from a stomach ulcer, although some allege that he was poisoned by Kuomintang agents.[8] Chan was posthumously granted the rank of Admiral.[2]

Most of Chan's immediate family subsequently fled to Taiwan while some went to Singapore, where they formed the Chan Clan Association (陈氏社), the latter of whom kept in contact with the remaining relatives in Shagang district, Hainan.[2]

## References

1. ["Admiral Chan Chak"](http://www.hongkongescape.org/Chan-Chak.htm). *Escape from Hong Kong*

1. ["沙港将星"](http://news.hndaily.cn/resfile/2016-05-23/019/hnrb20160523019.pdf). *海南日报*. 23 May 2016.

1. ["陈策 现代人物"](https://www.hainan.gov.cn/szfbgt/sdaj/xdrw/201810/b8585d207d484455b6f61858f58fc2e8.shtml). *海南省人民政府*

1. "广州战役国民党海军抗日名将：陈策中将(组图)". *舰船知*. 4 June 2005.

1. Lai, Benjamin (2014). [*Hong Kong 1941–45: First strike in the Pacific War*](https://books.google.com/books?id=0KnvCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT142). Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781782002703.

1. Luard, Tim (2012). [*Escape from Hong Kong: Admiral Chan Chak's Christmas Day Dash, 1941*](https://books.google.com/books?id=U8En3GmM02MC&pg=PA12). Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 9789888083763.

1. ["How British helped one-legged Chinese admiral make great escape from Second World War Hong Kong"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/hongkong/8963647/How-British-helped-one-legged-Chinese-admiral-make-great-escape-from-Second-World-War-Hong-Kong.html). Telegraph. 18 Dec 2011.

1. Luard, Tim (2012). [*Escape from Hong Kong: Admiral Chan Chak's Christmas Day Dash, 1941*](https://books.google.com/books?id=U8En3GmM02MC&pg=PA252). Hong Kong University Press. p. 252. ISBN 9789888083763.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chan Chak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Chak) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Chak?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.