Sir Edward Youde GCMG GCVO MBE (Chinese: 尤德; Cantonese: Yau Tak; 19 June 1924 – 5 December 1986) was a British administrator, diplomat, and Sinologist.

Youde was born in Penarth, South Wales, in the United Kingdom and from 1942 attended the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

[1] In 1947, Youde joined the Foreign Office, where he would serve the rest of his life, and was swiftly posted to the British embassy in Nanking, then the capital of the Republic of China.

In 1949, amidst the Chinese Civil War, HMS Amethyst came under attack by People's Liberation Army forces while sailing on the Yangtze River.

The idea of setting up a secondary school to develop students' potential in sport and the visual arts together with a normal academic syllabus was first mooted by Youde.

Youde delivered his first policy address to the Hong Kong Legislative Council in October 1982, in which he stated that he wanted to "create an environment that encourages citizens to develop their energy and enterprising spirit; only under special circumstances, such as disruption of normal operations and workers not being treated fairly , or Hong Kong's reputation is damaged, the government will intervene in the industrial, commercial and financial sectors."

[2][3] Youde was Hong Kong's only Welsh Governor was widely liked for his kindly demeanour[citation needed] and greatly admired for his formidable erudition.

[4] During a visit to Beijing, Youde suffered a fatal heart attack in the British Embassy in the early hours of 5 December 1986, while asleep.

The fund is now administered by the HKSAR Government and offers a number of scholarships and sponsorship schemes aimed at encouraging and promoting the education of and research by Hong Kong people.

To be eligible for the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, candidates must be proficient in English and Chinese and also have a good mastery of the language in which their studies will be undertaken.