1. John Tsang Chun-wah, GBM, JP is a Hong Kong former senior civil servant and government official who was the longest-serving Financial Secretary of Hong Kong SAR to date, from 2007 to 2017.
52 Facts About John Tsang
1. 2.
John Tsang returned to Hong Kong and joined the government in 1982.
3.
John Tsang was the private secretary to the last colonial governor Chris Patten.
4.
John Tsang proposed the Scheme $6,000 tax rebate to all Hong Kong residents in his 2011 Budget.
5.
John Tsang continued to serve as Financial Secretary in the Leung Chun-ying administration until January 2017, when he resigned to run in the 2017 Chief Executive election.
6.
John Tsang is currently engaged in a number of diverse activities.
7.
John Tsang is founder of Esperanza, vice chairman of Ion Pacific, senior advisor of Bowtie, host of a weekly music programme on the private Commercial Radio, and fencing coach of the secondary school La Salle College.
8.
John Tsang was born on 21 April 1951 at Maternity home in Dukes Street, Kowloon Tong in Hong Kong, his great-grandfather was from Taishan, Guangdong, who made his fortune beginning as a labourer in San Francisco.
9.
John Tsang, the eldest child, was born as Mui Chun-wah in Hong Kong on 21 April 1951 and lived in Sai Yeung Choi Street in his childhood.
10.
John Tsang was a primary and secondary school student at La Salle Primary School and La Salle College in Hong Kong.
11.
John Tsang first resided on the 8th Street in Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City.
12.
John Tsang enrolled in Stuyvesant High School the following year, from which he graduated in 1969.
13.
John Tsang then studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
14.
John Tsang holds a master's degree in bilingual education from Boston State College and a Master in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
15.
John Tsang started his civil service as an Administrative Officer in 1982, in which his first position was a two-year stint to 1984 as Assistant District Officer for Shatin, serving under Donald Tsang, the District Officer.
16.
John Tsang went on to serve in the former Finance Branch, Monetary Affairs Branch and the former Trade Department.
17.
John Tsang was Assistant Director-General of Trade from 1992 to 1995 and Private Secretary to the Governor, Chris Patten, from March 1995 to June 1997.
18.
In July 1997, John Tsang was appointed Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London.
19.
John Tsang was Secretary for Planning and Lands from 2001 to 2002.
20.
From August 2003, John Tsang served as Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology.
21.
John Tsang then became the director of the Office of the Chief Executive, working directly for his friend Donald John Tsang.
22.
In 2007, John Tsang was appointed Financial Secretary of Hong Kong when Donald John Tsang began his second term.
23.
John Tsang eventually backed down and carried out the Scheme $6,000 to give a HK$6,000 cash handout to all adult holders of a Hong Kong permanent identity card.
24.
John Tsang supported this claim by saying middle-class people are those who drink coffee and enjoy French films.
25.
John Tsang was ridiculed by the public for the remarks, given that he earned a basic monthly salary of HK$302,205 and lived in a luxury government residence.
26.
On 7 December 2013, John Tsang was hit in the head by an egg thrown by a League of Social Democrats protester, Derek Chan Tak-cheung, at a government forum.
27.
John Tsang joked about the incident, saying that a doctor had advised him not to eat too many eggs.
28.
John Tsang wrote in his blog that localism could become a "strong and constructive force" that binds society together.
29.
John Tsang resigned as Financial Secretary on 12 December following months of speculation that he would run in the 2017 Chief Executive election during which he led opinion polls against incumbent Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
30.
John Tsang's resignation was approved by Beijing's central authorities on 16 January 2017, the same day his rival Carrie Lam resigned from her post as Chief Secretary for Administration.
31.
John Tsang refuted such claims, only saying that there were "friends" who supported him and some who did not.
32.
Amid the alleged pressure from the Liaison Office which actively lobbied for Carrie Lam and speculations that he was not Beijing's favoured candidate, John Tsang struggled to seek nominations from the pro-Beijing electors and had to heavily rely on the Democrats.
33.
John Tsang received a few pro-Beijing electors' support, including Liberal Party honorary chairman James Tien who was the most outspoken supporter of Tsang since the early stage of the campaign, as well as the party's honorary chairwoman Selina Chow and leader Felix Chung.
34.
John Tsang received a nomination from Thomas Wu, son of real estate tycoon Gordon Wu of the Hopewell Holdings, the only tycoon to nominate Tsang.
35.
John Tsang was criticised by pro-Beijing media and politicians for taking pro-democrats' support, Tam Yiu-chung said that Tsang now clearly represented the pan-democrats while Ta Kung Pao editorials attacked Tsang for "making deal with the devils".
36.
Former candidate Regina Ip and political scientist Ma Ngok said that John Tsang won the debate.
37.
John Tsang's votes came from 98 percent of the 325-member "Democrats 300+" coalition, who voted as masse for the candidate leading in opinion polls, as well as a few pro-Beijing electors.
38.
John Tsang fought back tears as he implored supporters to carry on the dream for democracy and not to give up on Hong Kong in his concession speech.
39.
In late October 2017, John Tsang again gained media attention when it was reported that a RTHK 10-episode show titled Hong Kong Stories in which John Tsang was a voluntary guest host would be suspended from airing as he had failed to declare this employment after leaving the government.
40.
In March 2018, John Tsang announced plans to establish a fund to help young entrepreneurs in Hong Kong.
41.
John Tsang wants to match his experienced and knowledgeable network of contact with aspiring entrepreneurs.
42.
John Tsang joined a fintech-focused merchant bank Ion Pacific as its vice-chairman and Benefit Vantage Limited as a chairman and investor in June 2018.
43.
In 2020, John Tsang co-founded middle-of-the-road political group "Hope for Hong Kong", signaling his change of political stance from pro-Beijing to centrism.
44.
John Tsang appeared in "In Geek We Trust", a drama of ViuTV in 2022.
45.
John Tsang is married to Lynn John Tsang who he met as a nurse while doing volunteer work in the United States in 1975.
46.
John Tsang is a practicing Roman Catholic and a martial arts and fencing enthusiast.
47.
John Tsang learned Hung Kuen with martial arts master Kwong Tit-fu during his life in the United States and got to know Tai Chi master Bow-sim Mark and her son Donnie Yen.
48.
John Tsang has been voluntarily coaching the fencing team of his alma mater La Salle College since 1985, Sammy Leung was among his students.
49.
John Tsang cameoed as a fencing coach in a government's tourism promotion video.
50.
John Tsang is nicknamed "Mr Potato Chips" and "Uncle Pringles" for a moustache similar to one worn by a character on a potato crisp brand's packaging.
51.
John Tsang has a pet dog Shiba Inu named Oliver, in which he gave to his daughter as a Christmas present in 2008.
52.
In 2009, John Tsang suffered a health scare on his return from a G-20 summit in Pittsburgh.