Tony Miller (government official)
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John Anthony Miller OBE SBS JP (Chinese: 苗學禮; born 12 April 1950) is a former Hong Kong government official and civil servant, author, art collector and historian specialising in Chinese porcelain.[1][2][3]
Early life
Miller was born in London in 1950, the first son and third child of seven siblings. Brought up in Bad Oeynhausen, Hanover, West Germany (1950–1953, where his father served at the Headquarters of the British Army of the Rhine) and Tripoli, Libya (1959–1962, where his father headed the British Command Secretariat), Miller's British schooling was at St. Josephs College, Ipswich. He graduated in Arabic from the School of Oriental Studies, London University (1972), and in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard (1984).[4]
Career
Miller was a prominent Administrative Officer in Hong Kong for thirty-five years from 1972 to 2007, spanning the transfer from British to Chinese sovereignty.[5][6] In recognition of his contributions to Hong Kong's public administration during the period, Miller was awarded Britain's OBE in 1997,[7] prior to British Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, and Hong Kong's Silver Bauhinia Star in 2008,[8] a decade into Chinese administration.
Hong Kong Civil Service (1972–2007)
Miller's senior roles in the Hong Kong government included Private Secretary to Governor Sir Murray MacLehouse (later Baron) from 1979 to 1982, Government Information Coordinator (1989–91), Director of Marine (1991–93),[9] Director General of Trade (1993–96, when he led Hong Kong’s negotiating team for the close of the Uruguay Round and as Senior Official at APEC),[10] Director of Housing (1996–2002, see controversies below)[11][12][13][14][15][16] and Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (2002–04).[17][18]
From 2004 to 2007 Miller was Hong Kong's Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland.[19][20][21] While representing Hong Kong in Geneva, Miller chaired the WTO’s Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Council and the WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiating Group.[22][23][24]
Hong Kong commercial (post 2008)
Miller worked with Sun Hung Kai Properties Group, one of Hong Kong’s largest family-owned listed companies from 2008. This included non-executive Directorships with Transport International Holdings Ltd. (2008–17); Kowloon Motor Bus (1933) Ltd. (2008–17); Long Win Bus Company Ltd. (2008–17), RoadShow Holdings Ltd. (2008–17), SmarTone (2010–present), SUNeVision (2011–13) and Autotoll (2016–present).[25]
Miller was Chairman of the Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre from 2009 to 2016, during which time he urged the Hong Kong government to construct a third runway at Chep Lak Kok airport,[26] and a Director of Hong Kong's Business Environment Council. Miller is a member of the Hong Kong 2047 Foundation [27] and (in 2021) chaired the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce's Economic Policy Committee.[28]
Contributions to the arts
Miller and his wife travelled extensively in China after 1979, visiting together every Chinese province at least once. During their visits to China, and in Hong Kong, they acquired a shared interest in visual arts and antiquities, from painting to porcelain. The common themes of Miller’s work are the human side of artistic and technical innovation, the economic and other developments that enable them, and the conversations between cultures that result.[29]
Chinese porcelain
In 2006, Miller authored a seminal catalogue on Chinese porcelain from the 19th and early 20th century, "Elegance in Relief", which is frequently consulted at art auctions.[30][31][32]
Miller has lectured extensively on Chinese porcelain, including for Hong Kong’s Oriental Ceramic Society (of which he is also a former President),[33][34][35][36] Hong Kong's exclusive Min Chiu Society,[37][38] and the Royal Asiatic Society.[39]
Miller's writings on Chinese porcelain focus on carved porcelain from the Daoguang period, in particular the small group of master craftsmen who signed such desk pieces for wealthy private clients;[40] the origins of delicately pierced porcelain cups and bowls brought to Europe by the Dutch in the early 17th century (which owe their origins to even finer articles produced by private kilns as playthings for Chinese scholar officials); and how Dutch dominance of the porcelain trade in the 17th century was facilitated by their alliance with Fujianese traders and early development of hub-and-spoke logistics.
The "Yixian Luohan" terracotta sculptures
During the 2010s, Miller became interested in the so-called “Yixian Luohans”, a group of three-colour glaze, life-size terracotta sculptures of Chinese monks, which had first surfaced in China shortly before World War I and are now scattered amongst museums in Europe, North America and Japan.[41][42] Their discovery in the early twentieth century was intertwined with the German sinologist Friedrich Perzynski fascination with Chinese ceramics uncovered in northern China during the construction of railway lines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[43]
Miller highlighted discrepancies in the original account of their discovery and offered fresh perspectives on their provenance in "The Missing Buddhas". He noted:
“As every spy-master, spook and espionage author understands, all good cover stories, or what the late John le Carre called “legends”, rely on verifiable circumstantial facts to camouflage a significant fiction. Perzynski based his legend on a real but fruitless visit to Yixian. The circumstantial details have stood the test of time and, even more recently, have been in large part corroborated by investigations in the field…The significant fiction at the core of his tale is his claim that, while in Yixian, he saw some of the sancai glazed terracotta Luohans. He did not, nor did he find any tangible evidence of them ever having been there.”[44]
Controversies
Following piling problems in some Hong Kong Housing Authority projects during the 1990s,[45] a rare motion of no confidence was tabled in Hong Kong's Legislative Council during 2000 against the authority’s chairman (Rosanna Wong) and Miller, then Director of Housing.[46][47] The controversy evoked widespread media and academic attention about its impact on the administration of C. H. Tung.[48][49] Although the motion passed (June, 2000), Hong Kong's then chief secretary, Anson Chandefended both officials and regretted that Rosanna Wong had resigned ahead of the debate in an attempt to head off the crisis:[50]
“…I support the Chief Executive's remarks in this Chamber last Friday. In my view, it would have been much better, and eminently fairer, to allow Ms Wong and Mr Miller to finish the job they started. With Ms Wong's resignation, that will not now be possible. But it remains vitally important to maximise continuity and stability, and for that reason, Mr Miller will remain in his post.”
The controversy triggered a wider debate in Hong Kong about government accountability.[51] This led to Hong Kong's Chief Executive introducing a new tier of appointed Principal Officials (ministers) to oversee career civil servants. Miller continued in government service for eight years after the No Confidence motion and was promoted by the Chief Executive to be one of the Permanent Secretaries supporting the new ministers.[5]
In 2019, Miller joined other prominent Hong Kong former civil servants appeal for a commission of inquiry into Hong Kong's extradition bill saga.[52]
Personal life
Tony Miller married Wong Nga-ching (黄雅貞) in 1975, and they live in Hong Kong. He is a lifelong bilingual speaker of English and Cantonese.[53][54][55]
Works
- (2005) "Behind the Golden Cockerel Table Screen – Some Observations on Biscuit Carved Porcelain". Bulletin of the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong. 13
- (2006) "Elegance in Relief: Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to Early 20th Centuries" Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. (Catalogue)
- (2006) "Elegance in Relief: Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to Early 20th Centuries". Arts of Asia. September–October: 110–117 (Journal essay)
- (2015) "A Taste for China – Eastern and Northern Europe in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries". Bulletin of the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong. 16. Originally delivered as lecture to Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong (21 October 2011)
- (2016) "Linglong. Literati Luxuries of the Late Ming Period". Arts of Asia. January–February: 82–92 Also delivered as lecture in association with Min Chiu Society’s "Radiant Ming" exhibition (1 January 2016)
- (2017) “Jade from Rao: the passing of technical and artistic leadership from imperial to private kilns in the late Ming”. (24 March 2017) (Lecture at Royal Asiatic Society of Hong Kong).
- (2017) "Searching in a Thicket of Bamboo – Imperial Origins of Carved Porcelain of the Daoguang Reign". Bulletin of the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong. 16.
- (2017) "17th Century Disruptors: The Dutch Rise to Dominance of the Chinese Porcelain Trade". Journal of Ceramics. July–August.
- (2019) "Jiang Qi's Tao Ji". The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong. (2 May 2019). (Lecture)
References
- ^ Szeto, Sandy (10 January 2006). "Brush with history (Author profile feature)". South China Morning Post.
Tony Miller is a Jiungdezhen porcelain expert ... [who] has invested much of his free time researching and collecting this ceramic art.
- ^ Pomfret, James; Yuriko Thomas, Lisa (18 December 2011). "As markets plunge, Asia's wealthy flock to art". Reuters.
[Tony Miller]... a former top Hong Kong government official and long-standing collector of scholars' objects and Chinese art.
- ^ Neville-Hadley, Peter (30 Jul 2021). "Chinese Buddhist statues, a German Indiana Jones and his big lie exposed in art history whodunnit by a retired Hong Kong civil servant (Author profile feature)". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Terry, Edith (1 June 2021). "Meet the Author (Legend of the Luohans – where the brethren really came from)". Asia Society Hong Kong.
Tony Miller (苗學禮) arrived in Hong Kong in 1972, with a degree in Modern Arabic, intending to stay three years and learn Chinese before joining the FCO. He quickly changed his mind about leaving and spent the next 35 years serving in the local government. Along the way, he developed a keen interest in Chinese painting, porcelain, jade and the conversations across borders that have influenced art and style through the ages. He is a former President of Hong Kong's Oriental Ceramic Society and a member of the Min Chiu Society, and has published a variety of papers on previously unresearched aspects of Chinese antiquities. Since 1979, he and his wife Nga-Ching have wandered all over China, happily exploring its historic sites and natural wonders.
- ^ a b HKSAR Government (14 May 2004). "Senior appointments announced". Press Release.
Aged 54. Mr Miller joined the Administrative Service of the Hong Kong Government in September, 1972 and rose to his present rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A on January 1, 1993. During the early years of his career with the Administrative Service, Mr Miller has served in a number of offices including the former Urban Services Department, Home Affairs Department, the former Housing Branch, Housing Department, the former Councils and Administration Branch, the former Government House, the former Administrative Services and Information Branch and the former Trade Department. He was the Information Co-ordinator from April, 1989, to October, 1991; Director of Marine from October, 1991, to March, 1993; Director-General of Trade from March, 1993, to July, 1996, and Director of Housing from July, 1996, to June, 2002. He assumed his present post of Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services) in July, 2002.
- ^ Langfitt, Frank (29 June 1997). "Hong Kong: Great Britain returns the last jewel of its empire to China". The Baltimore Sun.
When Tony Miller, Hong Kong's director of housing, arrived here in 1972, there was only one high-ranking Chinese in the civil service. After 1984, though, the law required that Chinese fill all top 27 spots. Today, nearly all of Hong Kong's 186,000 civil servants are ethnic Chinese. "In some ways, the expatriate civil servant is a dinosaur," says Miller, 47, who plans to continue in his job after the handover.
- ^ The London Gazette (14 June 1997). "SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE". p. 25.
OBE: John Anthony MILLER, J.P., Director of Housing, Hong Kong
- ^ HKSAR Government (1 July 2008). "2008 Honours List". Press Release.
Mr John Anthony Miller ... is awarded the SBS in recognition of his loyal and distinguished service to the Government and the Hong Kong community, particularly his valuable contribution in the areas of trade, financial services and housing development. Mr Miller retired as the Permanent Representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China to the World Trade Organisation after serving 35 years with the Government.
- ^ Mann, Jim (16 March 1993). "Chinese Refugees Take to High Seas". Los Angeles Times.
In 1991, some 129,300 oceangoing ships and river-trade vessels called at Hong Kong, where authorities are empowered to board ships. Tony Miller, director of the Hong Kong marine department, admits: "With so many ships coming into Hong Kong every year, it is impossible for us to check all of them."
- ^ "Pacific Rim Ministers Express Optimism on Free Trade". The New York Times (paywall). 13 November 1994. p. Section 1, Page 10.
"We have to have an unqualified goal," said Tony Miller, Hong Kong's Director General of Trade.
- ^ Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKSAR Government) (19 February 1997). "Becoming Stakeholders of Hong Kong : Home Ownership (speech by Director of Housing, Tony Miller)". Hong Kong Housing Authority.
- ^ Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKSAR Government) (28 May 1997). "Towards a Better Tomorrow (speech by Director of Housing Tony Miller)". Hong Kong Housing Authority.
- ^ Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKSAR Government) (18 November 1997). "Major Issues of the Enhancement Programme of the Housing Department (speech by Director of Housing, Tony Miller)". Hong Kong Housing Authority.
- ^ Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKSAR Government) (22 February 1999). "Public Sector Reform: The Housing Authority Example (speech by Director of Housing, Tony Miller)". Hong Kong Housing Authority.
- ^ Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKSAR Government) (15 June 1999). "Unclogging the Housing Pump: a Progress Report (speech by Director of Housing, Tony Miller)". Hong Kong Housing Authority.
- ^ Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKSAR Government) (26 November 1999). "Address to the Construction Industry Training Authority Seminar on Construction Law and Regulations (speech by Director of Housing, Tony Miller)". Hong Kong Housing Authority.
- ^ Asia Today (1 June 2004). "Hong Kong's Tony Miller: Why China is swelling the Hong Kong bourse (Headline story)" (PDF). Asia Today. p. 19 following.
- ^ HKSAR Government (Press Release) (20 September 2002). ""Where is Hong Kong?" – a speech by Permanent Secretary Financial Services Tony Miller".
- ^ HKSAR Government (14 May 2004). "Senior appointments announced (Press release)".
Mr Tony Miller, Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services) will replace Mr Joshua Law as Permanent Representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China to the World Trade Organisation;
- ^ Leung, Kirque (6 August 2004). "HKSAR Ambassador Tony Miller visits CityU's WTODR Centre". City University of Hong Kong.
- ^ Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington D.C. (1 January 2007). "Appointment of Hong Kong SAR Representative to World Trade Organization". Hong Kong Circle (HKSAR Government Newsletter).
- ^ World Trade Organisation (29 March 2006). "Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation". WTO.
- ^ Matsudaira, Toni (2006). "World Customs Organisation Mission report". World Customs Organisation. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ HKSAR Government (19 January 2007). "Appointment of HKSAR representative to World Trade Organization". Press Release.
Mr Miller had rendered 34 years of loyal and dedicated service to the community and had made exemplary contributions to the development of Hong Kong in various spheres... particular mention should be made of his contribution to the success of the sixth World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong in 2005.
- ^ Transport International Holdings (1 July 2016). "Annual Report of Transport International Holdings (2016) (Director profiles)" (PDF). Hong Kong Exchange News. p. 112.
Non-executive Director, aged 66. Mr Miller has been a Director of Transport International Holdings Limited and The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited since 1 March 2008, a Director of Long Win Bus Company Limited since 1 April 2008, and a Director of RoadShow Holdings Limited since 20 March 2008. … Mr Miller is also a Non-executive Director of SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings Limited and was a Non-executive Director of SUNeVision Holdings Ltd. until 31 December 2013 and Chairman of Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre Limited, a partly-owned subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited until April 2016.
- ^ Hong Kong Legislative Council (19 July 2011). "Panel on Economic Development" (PDF). Hong Kong Legislative Council.
- ^ Vision 2047 Foundation. "Members of the Vision 2047 Foundation". Hong Kong Vision 2047.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (13 July 2021). "Reinventing Hong Kong's economy (discussion chaired by Tony Miller, HKGC Economic Committee Chairman)". HKGCC.
- ^ Szeto, Sandy (10 January 2006). "Brush with history (Author profile feature)". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Miller, Tony (2006). Elegance in Relief: Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to Early 20th Centuries (Catalogue). Hong Kong: The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- ^ Bonhams (6 November 2014). "A VERY RARE BISCUIT PORCELAIN RELIEF-CARVED BRUSHPOT, BITONG". Bonhams (Auctioneers).
- ^ BidSquare (Auctions) (26 March 2014). "Chinese Molded Ceramic Incense Holders". BidSquare.
- ^ Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong (1 January 2018). "About Us". Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong.
Past Presidents: Tony Miller (2013–2015)
- ^ Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong. "Oriental Ceramics (Lecturer profile)".
Tony Miller is a past President of the Oriental Ceramic Society and a member of the Min Chiu Society. He has previously addressed members of the OCS on Chinoiserie and carved porcelain, and has recently published research essays on reticulated porcelain of the late Ming dynasty and the rise of the Dutch to dominance of the porcelain trade in the seventeenth century. He is a keen collector of carved Chinese porcelain whose research of the genre was published in the catalogue for the ground-breaking exhibition "Elegance in Relief: Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries" at the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2005–06.
- ^ "Filling in the Holes - Historical Survey of Pierced Porcelain and its Derivatives". YouTube.
Lecture to the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong on 14 December 2022
- ^ "Tracing the development of kilns at Jingdezhen and their interactions with the wider world through the history of pierced porcelain". YouTube.
Lecture to the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong on 14 December 2022
- ^ Asia Society. "Min Chiu Society (Asian Collectors series)".
Founded in 1960 by a group of Chinese collectors from Shanghai and Hong Kong, ... The Society is a private group of gentlemen devoted to enhancing appreciation for Chinese art through showcasing its internationally acclaimed private collections.
- ^ Lam, Peter (2020). "Honouring Tradition and Heritage: Min Chiu Society at Sixty (Essay)". Hong Kong Museum of Art. pp. 43–97.
Essay by Peter Lam as part of Society's 60th Anniversary Catalogue.
- ^ Royal Asiatic Society of Hong Kong (1 March 2017). "Newsletter". Royal Asiatic Society of Hong Kong.
Long interested in Chinese art and antiquities, and an avid collector of jade, Tony Miller's chance encounter with a set of four biscuit carved tiles led him into a previously unresearched area. Subsequently an exhibition organized by him and his wife, Nga-ching, with the assistance of the Art Museum Chinese University Hong Kong in 2005, broke new ground. The catalogue associated with it, Elegance in Relief: Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to early 20th Century, which included a research essay by Tony, has since become the standard reference work on this genre. More recently Tony has spoken and written on porcelain of the late Ming and early Qing period. A reticulated bowl of the Wanli reign, which he loaned for the Min Chiu Society's 20015-16 Ming exhibition, was the focal point for one such talk and shone new light on another group of objects that had not previously been properly studied.
- ^ Sezto, Sandy (10 January 2006). "Brush with history (Author profile feature)". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Morales, Juan José (24 July 2021). "The Missing Buddhas: The mystery of the Chinese Buddhist statues that stunned the Western art world (Book review and author profile)". Asian Review of Books.
- ^ Lam, Raymond (21 July 2021). "Tony Miller's "The Missing Buddhas" (Book review and author profile)". Teahouse Buddhist's Door.
The Missing Buddhas' ... stays focused on the human and flawed dimensions of its own story that, when taken together, help readers understand why ten pieces of Chinese sculptures are scattered around the world, all in museums outside of China.
- ^ Asia Society Hong Kong (28 July 2021). "Legend of the Luohans – where the brethren really came from (Online lecture & discussion)". YouTube.
- ^ Miller, Tony (2021). The Missing Buddhas: The mystery of the Chinese Buddhist Statues that stunned the Western art world. Hong Kong: Earnshaw Books. p. 144.
- ^ Lai, Chloe (22 Jan 2000). "Piling up to 13 metres short". South China Morning Post.
Director of Housing Tony Miller said preliminary reports submitted by engineers found there were serious problems with the foundations of the two Home Ownership Scheme blocks in Ngau Pei Sha Street, Yuen Chau Kok. He told a special Legco housing panel meeting: 'We are not yet in the position to take a decision as to whether the two blocks can be saved or whether it would make more sense to demolish them.
- ^ Legislative Council of Hong Kong (28 June 2000). "Legislative proceedings" (PDF). Proceedings of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 9217: 7 – via Hansard.
VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY [ROSANNA WONG] AND THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING [TONY MILLER]
- ^ Wong, Olga (1 September 2018). "(Timeline)". South China Morning Post.
June 14: Democratic Party lawmaker Fred Li Wah-ming proposes a vote of no confidence against Housing Authority chairwoman Rosanna Wong Yick-ming and director of housing Tony Miller
- ^ Thomas, Beale (26 June 2000). "Hong Kong Housing Official Resigns, Further Shaking Confidence in Tung". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Housing duo must stay: Tung". South China Morning Post. 24 June 2000.
[Hong Kong Chief Executive] Tung Chee-hwa vowed yesterday that embattled housing chiefs Rosanna Wong Yick-ming and Tony Miller would remain in their posts, warning of a vacuum if they were to resign.
- ^ Legislative Council of Hong Kong (28 June 2000). "OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS" (PDF). Proceedings of LEgCo. 9217: 9 – via Hansard.
...the opinion poll findings announced by the Apple Daily last Saturday also indicated that 60% of the interviewees favoured the resignation of Ms Rosanna WONG and Mr Tony MILLER. The same day, Ming Pao also announced the findings of its opinion survey, which indicated that 60% of the interviewees considered that Ms Rosanna WONG should resign while 40% considered that Mr Tony MILLER should be subject to penalty.
- ^ Dumbaugh, Kerry (23 March 2001). "Hong Kong's Ongoing Transition: Implications of Chinese Sovereignty in 2001". CRS Report for Congress. United States Congress.
[The Director of Housing, Tony Miller]... "I have no intention of resigning on the basis of political factors or other pressure. As a non-political civil servant, one can resign only on a matter of principle or belief."
- ^ Chiu, Almen (25 July 2019). "Hong Kong's civil servants threaten to strike". Asia Times.
Former chief secretary Anson Chan Fong On-sang, former civil service chief Denise Yue Chung-yee, former secretary for the civil service Joseph Wong Wing-ping, former director of housing Tony Miller and pro-democracy leaders Audrey Eu and Yeung Sum were among the list of signatories.
- ^ "Tony Miller: British man who came to Hong Kong 50 years ago to learn Chinese throughout his life 英國來港50年終身學習中文 (in Chinese)". Master-Insight.
- ^ "Tony Miller: Falling in love with the study of carved porcelain in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China by chance "Zhijian Culture" 一個偶然機會愛上研究清末民初雕瓷 《灼見文化》(2022-09-20) (in Chinese)". YouTube.
- ^ "Tony Miller: How do I solve the mystery of the origin of the mysterious three-color Arhat? The Buddhist art and culture of the Liao Dynasty reached its peak "Zhujian Culture" (2022-10-04) 我如何解開神祕三彩羅漢來歷之謎?遼代佛教藝術文化登峰造極《灼見文化》(2022-10-04)(in Chinese)". YouTube.