Cum Wo was one of the first Chinese Export silversmiths active in Hong Kong, beginning with a shop on Queen's Road circa 1860. Throughout his career, Cum Wo pioneered the use of Chinese motifs on traditional Victorian forms, and was one of the most popular silversmiths amongst English customers.
The form of this trophy is based on the Luoxing Pagoda, a seven story granite pagoda built during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) on Pagoda Island in the Min River south of Fuzhou, China, called Foo Chow by Westerners in the 18th and 19th centuries. The pagoda served as a lighthouse for the river, and was a well known landmark for mariners, appearing on the charts of Chinese explorer Zheng He (1371-1435), as well as in watercolors and prints by Western sailors and artists as the country begin opening up in the 1840's. Based on the inscription around the base, this trophy seems to have served as the prize for the "Fair Offer Challenge Cup" during the Foo Chow horse races of 1884.