YK Pao School was founded by the Pao family in memory of shipping magnate Mr. YK Pao, the renowned Chinese businessman and philanthropist.
At the age of 22, YK Pao took a position within the insurance department of the Central Trust of China. His excellent performance saw him transferred to the Hengyang branch of the China industrial and Mining Bank to serve as deputy manager. After the war in 1945, Mr. YK Pao and his wife brought their newly born daughter from Chungking to Shanghai. Recognising YK Pao's banking acumen, the government appointed him as a departmental manager at the Municipal Bank of Shanghai. He was then quickly promoted to the position of deputy manager, the youngest of his kind at the time.
In spite of pressure from corrupt officials in an economic recession, he upheld his principles, risking his life during the chaotic years leading to communists liberating Shanghai.
From 1945 to 1948, the Pao family lived at No. 2 Tangshan Village in Shanghai. A ‘YK Pao Micro-Exhibition Hall’ was built around his old residence in 2023 to commemorate YK Pao, a global citizen with a Chinese heart.
