A botanist of great international renown, Professor Shiu-ying Hu was educated in China before the Second World War. She later attended Harvard University, where she was awarded a doctoral degree in 1949. She established herself as one of the most distinguished research scientists in the field of plant taxonomy for the more than 50 years that she was connected to Harvard's Arnold Arboretum. In 1968, she joined The Chinese University of Hong Kong as a Senior Lecturer in Biology, after which she served as an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the Department of Biology and a Senior College Tutor of Chung Chi College. In 2002, she was conferred honorary fellowship by The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Professor Hu was not only a renowned scholar and a much-loved teacher, but also a mentor of great kindness and compassion to her students, and was well known for the many generous donations she made in aid of scholars in need. In 2001, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region awarded Professor Hu the Bronze Bauhinia Star, awarded to persons who have given outstanding service over a long period of time. In 2008, Prof. Hu became the first recipient of the American Botanical Council's Lifetime Achievement Award.