Leung Chun-ying facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leung Chun-ying
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梁振英
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Leung in 2017
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| 3rd Chief Executive of Hong Kong | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1 July 2012 – 30 June 2017 |
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| President | Hu Jintao Xi Jinping |
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| Premier | Wen Jiabao Li Keqiang |
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| Preceded by | Donald Tsang | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Carrie Lam | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 13 March 2017 |
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| Chairman | Yu Zhengsheng Wang Yang<br>Wang Huning |
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| Convenor of the Non-Official Members of the Executive Council | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1 July 1999 – 3 October 2011 |
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| Appointed by | Tung Chee-hwa Donald Tsang |
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| Preceded by | Chung Sze-yuen | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ronald Arculli | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 28 February 2017 |
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| In office 16 March 2003 – 21 June 2012 |
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| Member of the Legislative Council | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 21 December 1996 – 30 June 1998 |
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 August 1954 Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong |
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| Political party | Progressive Hong Kong Society (1980s) New Hong Kong Alliance (1990s) |
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| Spouse |
Regina Leung Tong Ching-yee
(m. 1981) |
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| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Residences | 4 Peel Rise, The Peak | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | King's College | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Hong Kong Polytechnic (HD) Bristol Polytechnic (BS) |
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| Origin | Weihaiwei, Shandong | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  |
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| Nickname | CY Leung | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 梁振英 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Leung Chun-ying (born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a politician and surveyor from Hong Kong. He served as the third Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2012 to 2017. After that, he became a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in March 2017.
Leung started his political journey in 1985. He joined the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee. In 1999, he became the leader of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. He held this important role until 2011. He then decided to run for the Chief Executive position.
His time as Chief Executive saw several big protests. These included the anti-Moral and National Education protests and the "Umbrella Revolution" in 2014. This movement gained global attention. His government also faced the 2016 Mong Kok civil unrest. Leung decided not to seek a second term in 2016. He was the first Chief Executive not to do so.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Leung Chun-ying was born in Hong Kong on 12 August 1954. He was born at Queen Mary Hospital. His father was a police officer in Hong Kong.
He received a scholarship to study at King's College. After that, he attended Hong Kong Polytechnic. In 1974, Leung went to the Bristol Polytechnic in England. He studied valuation and estate management there. He graduated in 1977 as the top student in his class.
Business Career
After finishing his studies, Leung became a chartered surveyor. He returned to Hong Kong and joined the real estate company Jones Lang Wootton. He worked there for five years. By the time he was 30, he became the vice-chairman of the company's Hong Kong branch.
Leung also advised Zhu Rongji on real estate. Zhu later became the Premier of China. From 1995 to 1996, Leung was the president of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. He also advised local governments in mainland China on land reform.
From 2002 to 2007, Leung was a board member of DBS Group Holdings Ltd. This is a banking firm owned by the Government of Singapore.
DTZ Holdings
In 1993, Leung started his own surveying company, C. Y. Leung & Co. It quickly opened offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen. In 1995, his company joined an international group. By 2000, his company merged with Singapore's Dai Yuk-coeng Company. They formed DTZ Debenham Tie Leung Limited.
In 2006, Leung became an owner of 4.61% of DTZ Holdings. This was a large property consulting company based in London. In 2007, DTZ Holdings expanded into mainland China.
In October 2011, DTZ faced financial problems. The company was sold to UGL. Leung resigned from the board of DTZ in November 2011. Soon after, he announced his plan to run for Chief Executive.
Early Political Career
In 1985, Leung joined the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee (HKBLCC). This group helped gather opinions from Hong Kong people on the Hong Kong Basic Law. In 1988, Leung became the Secretary-General of this committee.
He was also a founding member of the New Hong Kong Alliance. This group was formed in 1989. They proposed a very conservative way to elect the Chief Executive and Legislative Council.
In 1998, then-Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa appointed Leung. He became the convenor of the Executive Council. In 1999, Leung received the Gold Bauhinia Star award from the Hong Kong Government. He also helped Tung Chee-hwa's re-election campaign in 2002.
Leung was also a member of the National Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He resigned from this role just before becoming Chief Executive in 2012. He is currently the chairman of the pro-Beijing One Country Two Systems Research Institute.
In 1999, Leung became the council chairman of Lingnan University. He held this position for nine years. In 2008, he was appointed chairman of the council of the City University of Hong Kong. He held this position until 2011.
Chief Executive Campaign
On 28 November 2011, Leung officially announced he would run for Chief Executive. The election campaign was very competitive. Henry Tang was initially seen as the favorite. He had support from many business leaders and the Beijing government.
However, both Tang and Leung faced issues during the campaign. There were reports of illegal structures at their homes. Leung had criticized Tang for this issue.
During the campaign, there were rumors that Leung was a secret member of the Chinese Communist Party. Leung always denied these claims. Hong Kong's Chief Executive must publicly state they are not a member of any political party.
On 25 March 2012, Leung was chosen as Hong Kong's new Chief Executive. He received 689 votes from the 1,200-member election committee. Henry Tang received 285 votes.
After his selection, more unauthorized structures were found at Leung's house. This caused further controversy. Leung's team said the structures would be removed.
Chief Executive
Leung took office as Chief Executive on 1 July 2012. His appointment of Chen Ran as a Project Officer in his office caused some discussion. Chen had lived in Hong Kong for less than seven years. This is the usual time needed to apply for permanent residence.
Leung gave his first speech as Chief Executive in Mandarin. This was different from his predecessor, Sir Donald Tsang, who spoke in Cantonese. Cantonese is the main spoken language in Hong Kong.
Public Opinion
Leung's popularity ratings were often low during his time as Chief Executive. In October 2013, only 31% of people supported him. This was partly due to a controversy involving a payment he received from an Australian company, UGL. Leung denied doing anything wrong.
During the 2014 Hong Kong protests, Leung made comments about Hong Kong's electoral system. He suggested that if elections were based purely on numbers, it would lead to policies for lower-income people. These comments were seen as insensitive by many. His popularity dropped further after these events.
Government Structure
Hong Kong operates under the "one country, two systems" principle. This means it has its own government with three branches: administrative, legislative, and judicial. In September 2015, a Chinese official, Zhang Xiaoming, stated that the Chief Executive has a "special legal position" that "overrides" these branches. He also said that the idea of "separation of powers" was "not suitable for Hong Kong." Leung Chun-ying later agreed with this view.
These statements caused a lot of debate in Hong Kong. The Chief Justice, Geoffrey Ma, responded by saying that no one is above the law. The Hong Kong Bar Association also stated that the Chief Executive is not above the law.
Re-election Decision
Many people expected Leung to run for re-election in 2017. However, on 9 December 2016, he announced he would not seek a second term. He said he wanted to focus on his family.
Post Chief Executive
After leaving office, Leung continued to be active in public discussions. In May 2020, he said that HSBC should support the National Security Law. He suggested that Chinese banks could replace HSBC's business if it didn't.
In October 2020, Leung announced a plan to legally challenge the Education Bureau. He wanted them to identify teachers found guilty of issues during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. He also said teachers should follow the national security law. Later that month, he publicly shared details of 18 teachers charged in the protests.
In January 2021, Leung suggested that Hong Kong citizens who gain British citizenship should give up their Hong Kong passports. He also said that Hong Kong's Chief Executive could be chosen by consultations instead of voting.
In March 2021, Leung claimed that efforts to push for more democracy in Hong Kong had made some people act like separatists. He also said that Hong Kong's way of life and capitalist system were designed by the Chinese Communist Party. He suggested that proposed changes to the election system, allowing only "patriots" to serve, could lead to universal suffrage.
In May 2021, Leung brought up an old plan to build housing on the edges of country parks. This was to help with housing in Hong Kong. However, earlier research had found other land available that would not require building on country parks.
In October 2021, Leung's name appeared in the Pandora Papers. These papers exposed secret offshore accounts of various world leaders. He denied any wrongdoing.
In August 2022, Leung criticized Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. He questioned why China could not take Taiwan by military force. In October 2022, he said that overseas companies and leaders misunderstood Hong Kong's situation. He also suggested that high-level civil servants should give up their foreign passports.
In November 2022, Leung criticized the High Court for allowing Jimmy Lai to hire a lawyer from the UK. He called it "ridiculous."
In April 2023, Leung stated that elections for District Councils were not necessary. In May 2023, he urged UK police to investigate an event involving books that he claimed were illegal in Hong Kong.
In March 2024, Leung commented on government spending. He said the Hong Kong government should always tell the public how much money is spent. However, a month later, his successor, John Lee, said the government would not reveal how much it spent to broadcast the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Personal Life
In 1981, Leung married Regina Ching Yee Higgins. Her father was a police officer. She later changed her name to Leung Tong Ching Yee Regina. The couple has two daughters and one son.
One of his daughters, Chai-yan Leung, often attracted media attention. She spoke publicly about her depression and difficult relationship with her parents. In March 2015, police and ambulance services were called to Government House after a dispute between her and her mother.
Leung's younger daughter, Chung-yan, was involved in an incident at Hong Kong International Airport in March 2016. She reportedly left her hand baggage behind after passing security. Her mother argued with airport staff to retrieve the bag. Chung-yan then called her father, who reportedly helped resolve the situation. Leung denied misusing his power. This incident led to protests at the airport and a drop in Leung's popularity.
In December 2022, Leung tested positive for COVID-19 after traveling.
Nicknames
Early in his career, Leung earned the nickname "Working-class emperor." This was because he earned a high salary.
Later, during his Chief Executive campaign, some opponents called him "The Wolf." This was a play on his name and suggested he was cunning. Others called him "Dracula" because of his prominent teeth.
He was also linked to "Lufsig," an IKEA plush wolf toy. An anti-government protester threw one at him in 2013. The toy's Chinese name sounded like a Cantonese swear word, which many people found amusing.
After becoming Chief Executive, Leung was given the nickname "689." This refers to the 689 votes he received to win the election. It is used to symbolize the idea that he did not have widespread support from the public.
See also
- Leung administration
- Politics of Hong Kong
- Carrie Lam
