Sir James Young was the husband of Shang Su Yi, and the late patriarch of the Young family. He is only mentioned briefly throughout the series, as he had died many years before the events of Crazy Rich Asians.
Background[]
James came from a long line of court physicians going back to the Tang Dynasty in China. He devoted his life in service of others through his medical work. James was the first Western-educated neurologist in Singapore, and saved many lives during World War II through an underground medical corps he established. After the war, he started a clinic in an old part of Chinatown to serve the poor and elderly.
James had little wealth of his own, as he often did not charge his patients, however his family had accumulated many generations of wealth, and had a prestigious reputation, which is why Shang Loong Ma chose James to wed his daughter Shang Su Yi.
Personality[]
It is implied that he was a gentle, loving father and husband, with his grandson Nick even describing him as a "saint." He was also a very forgiving and compassionate man, taking back his wife Su Yi even after she became pregnant by Prince Jirasit, and also raising Su Yi and Jirasit's daughter Catherine as his own.