32 Facts About Jasper Tsang

Jasper Tsang Yok-sing is a Marxist Hong Kong politician.

Jasper Tsang is the founding member of the largest pro-Beijing party the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong from 1992 to 2003 and the 2nd President of the Legislative Council from 2008 to 2016.

Jasper Tsang was elected in Kowloon West in the first Legislative Council election after the handover of Hong Kong in 1998.

Jasper Tsang was the member of the Executive Council from 2002 to 2008.

Jasper Tsang became the President of the Legislative Council in 2008.

Jasper Tsang expressed interest in running in the 2012 and 2017 Chief Executive elections but did not stand eventually.

Jasper Tsang was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China on 17 May 1947.

Jasper Tsang's father, Jasper Tsang Chiu-kan was a clerk at the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, a pro-Beijing business organisation in the colony.

Jasper Tsang moved to Hong Kong when he was two years old and grew up in Sai Wan's Academic Terrace.

Jasper Tsang received his primary and secondary education at St Paul's College run by the Hong Kong Anglican Church.

Jasper Tsang studied Mathematics at the University of Hong Kong, graduating with first class honours.

Jasper Tsang grew his patriotic sentiments and interest in Marxism by reading the leftist newspaper Wen Wei Po which his father brought home from work everyday and worshipped Qian Xuesen, a renowned scientist who returned to the mainland from the United States in the 1950s.

Jasper Tsang proclaimed himself a Marxist and studied works of Karl Marx and Mao Zedong with like-minded classmates at a time when the majority of the students at the University of Hong Kong supported the colonial rule and had negative views on the communist regime in China.

Jasper Tsang joined several university students in making donations to the leftist unions through Wen Wei Po following the industrial dispute at the Hong Kong Artificial Flower Works in April 1967 which later escalated to large-scale riots.

Jasper Tsang joined the demonstrations in Central and founded a student journal called New HKU to launch a counter-propaganda against The Undergrad, the official publication of the Hong Kong University Students' Union which was critical of the riots.

Jasper Tsang obtained a Graduate Diploma of Education in 1981 and a Master of Education at the University of Hong Kong in 1983.

Jasper Tsang went on to become the principal of the Piu Kiu Middle School in 1986 until he left his position to become a full-time politician.

Jasper Tsang became the supervisor of the school and was the supervisor of a newly established direct-subsidised school, the Pui Kiu College.

Jasper Tsang stepped into the politics in 1976 when he was appointed a member of the Guangdong provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Jasper Tsang later became a member of the CPPCC National Committee in 1993.

Jasper Tsang was appointed to the Preparatory Committee for the establishment of Hong Kong.

Jasper Tsang received around 16,000 votes, 43 per cent of the total vote share.

Jasper Tsang was elected to the Provisional Legislative Council in 1996 by the Beijing-controlled Selection Committee.

Jasper Tsang was first directly elected to the Legislative Council in the first post-handover election in 1998, representing the Kowloon West constituency.

Jasper Tsang gave up his Kowloon West seat and ran in the Hong Kong Island in the 2008 Legislative Council election.

Jasper Tsang was criticised for the manner in which he presided over Legislative Council meetings, which led to walkout protests, though he was generally perceived to be fair and accommodating and enjoyed friendly relations with both pro-Beijing and pan-democratic members.

Jasper Tsang softened his early years' staunch pro-Beijing image during his presidency in the Legislative Council and became increasingly sympathetic with the pro-democracy cause.

Jasper Tsang apologised to the legislators but refused to resign.

On 1 July 2015, Jasper Tsang was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal, the SAR's highest honour, in recognition of his public service, particularly his presidency of the Legislative Council.

In July 2016, after announcing the end of his Legislative Council career, Jasper Tsang announced that he was ready to stand in the 2017 Chief Executive election, just as he had publicly toyed with the idea in the 2012 process.

Jasper Tsang said he would stand against incumbent Leung Chun-ying, expected to seek a second term, in order "to offer a genuine choice".

In February 2017, Jasper Tsang was revealed to have had a critical heart condition and underwent angioplasty surgery.