Peter Kam Hing Cheung (1939-2017)
Peter Cheung was born to a poor family in Hong Kong, then a British protectorate, during the Second World War.
He went to Queen Elizabeth School in Mongkok, Kowloon – the northern part of Hong Kong.
He left school at 14 as his parents could no longer afford to buy his books.
Peter’s first jobs included office boy and managing a bicycle shop.
Aged 21, he migrated to the UK in 1960.
He arrived with little money and set to work as a waiter in Jersey, before moving to Chinatown in London’s Soho, where he found work on the first day.
Working hard and saving his gratuities, with two years he had saved enough to open his own restaurant.
He stopped off in Grantham in 1962 and could find nothing to eat, so decided to open his own restaurant, in Welby Street, more than 20 years before the major developments began.
He called the restaurant Hop Sing which in Chinese means “hope everything soars”.
It was an instant success.
He married Kam Ha in 1965 and they had three children.
The restaurant was relocated around the corner, at the former Malt Shovels pub, in Wide Westgate.
He retired from the business in 1993 and took an active part in Grantham’s charitable affairs.
After a fall at home, Peter died of his head injuries at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham in February 2017 at the age of 77.
He was a great friend for many years, and the most generous person I have ever met. Sadly missed.