Chen Youren's overseas Chinese lawyer

Chen Youren was born in Trinidad, West Indies, in 1875, and his ancestral home is Shunde, Guangdong. My father was originally a local carpenter. He later joined the Taiping Army led by Hong Xiuquan, fled to Hong Kong, and then moved to Trinidad. Chen Youren's mother is originally from Bao'an, Shenzhen. With the unique diligence of the Chinese people, they opened several local retail stores and gradually became rich.

In 1898, he graduated from St. Mary's College, Port of Spain. Smith, a famous local lawyer, took a fancy to him and was willing to accept him as an apprentice. After five years of study, he obtained the qualifications of a junior lawyer, transfer certificate holder and notary. Previously, this qualification was only granted to people with British citizenship. Chen Youren became the first Chinese lawyer in Trinidad.