The Chinese Club was established in 1897 by Tse Tsan-tai (謝纘泰 or 謝贊泰), an Australian-born social and political reformer, merchandiser and reporter, whose stated vow was to overthrow the Qing dynasty by force.
Tse, together with Cheung Tsoi, Luk King-fo and Leung Lan-fan, decided to found a parallel club for Chinese to meet and socialise, and to raise funds from wealthy local businessmen for the revolutionary cause.
At the time, Tse knew many local business leaders who were sympathetic to the cause, such as Robert Ho Tung.
Ho Tung became the club's first chairman, the effect of which was to project a softer, less revolutionary image in the minds of the Hong Kong Police, thereby reducing the likelihood of a raid by authorities.
The Club then built a new 17-storey Clubhouse and sold the basement and first three floors of the building to pay off the construction mortgages.