Tung Chee-hwa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Tung Chee-hwa GBM
董建華
Tung in 2011
1st Chief Executive of Hong Kong
In office 1 July 1997 – 12 March 2005
President	Jiang Zemin Hu Jintao
Premier	Li Peng Zhu Rongji Wen Jiabao
Preceded by	Office established Chris Patten (as Governor of Hong Kong)
Succeeded by	Donald Tsang
Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In office 12 March 2005 – 10 March 2023
Chairman	Jia Qinglin Yu Zhengsheng Wang Yang
Member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
In office 7 October 1992 – 3 June 1996
Appointed by	Chris Patten
Personal details
Born	(1937-07-06) 6 July 1937 (age 87) Xuhui, Shanghai, China
Spouse	Betty Tung ​ (m. 1961)​
Children	Alan Tung Lieh-sing (son) Andrew Tung Lieh-cheung (son) Audrey Slighton Tung Lieh-yuan (daughter)
Relatives	Audrey Alice King & Yvette Yao (grandniece)
Residences	Grenville House, Mid-Levels
Education	Chung Wah Middle School
Alma mater	University of Liverpool (BS)
Occupation	Politician businessman
Signature
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	董建華
Simplified Chinese	董建华
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dǒng Jiànhuá IPA [tʊ̀ŋ tɕi̯ɛ̂n.xu̯ǎ] Wu Romanization Ton Cie Wa Hakka Romanization Dung3 Gien4 Fa2 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Dúng Gin wàh IPA [tʊ̌ŋ kīːn wȁː] Jyutping Dung2 Gin3 Waa4

Tung Chee-hwa (born 6 July 1937) is a businessman and retired politician from Hong Kong. He made history as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong. He held this important role from 1997 to 2005. This was right after Hong Kong became part of China again on 1 July 1997.

After his time as Chief Executive, he became a vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). This is a top advisory group in China. He served there from 2005 to 2023.

Tung Chee-hwa is the oldest son of Tung Chao Yung, a very successful shipping businessman. His father started a company called Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL). Tung Chee-hwa took over the family business when his father passed away in 1981. A few years later, OOCL faced big financial problems. The government of China helped save the business in 1986.

In 1992, the last British Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, asked Tung to join the Executive Council of Hong Kong. This was a group that advised the government. Many people thought Beijing wanted Tung to be the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong. In 1996, he was chosen for this role by a special committee.

During his time as Chief Executive, his government faced several challenges. These included the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the bird flu. In 2002, he was chosen again without anyone running against him. But in 2003, many people protested. Over 500,000 people marched, asking him to step down. This happened because of a proposed security law and the SARS outbreak. Tung resigned in the middle of his second term in March 2005.

After leaving his top job, he continued to be active. He helped create the China–United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) in 2008. This group works to improve understanding between China and the United States. In 2014, he also started a think tank called Our Hong Kong Foundation. This group includes many important business leaders. He is still a very influential person in Hong Kong politics.

Early Life and Family

Tung Chee-hwa was born in Shanghai, China, on 7 July 1937. He came from a powerful family involved in shipping. His father, Tung Chao Yung, founded the Orient Overseas Container Line. This shipping company had close ties with the government of China at the time. His younger brother, Tung Chee-chen, also became a very wealthy man in Hong Kong.

In 1949, when Tung was 12, his family moved to Hong Kong. His father remained close to the government in Taiwan. Tung went to the Chung Wah Middle School in Hong Kong. Later, he went to Liverpool University in England. He earned a degree in marine engineering in 1960. He loves the Liverpool Football Club because of his time there.

After university, he worked as an engineer in the United States. He worked for General Electric and then for his family's business in New York. He lived in San Francisco before returning to Hong Kong in 1969. All of Tung's children are American citizens.

Business and Political Beginnings

Tung joined his father's business in Hong Kong in 1969. He slowly took over the leadership of the family company. He became the head of the business in 1982 after his father passed away. However, in 1985, his company faced serious financial difficulties. A businessman named Henry Fok, who was close to Beijing, helped Tung's family. This help came with support from the Chinese government.

After this, Tung became very close to the Chinese government in Beijing. He especially connected with Jiang Zemin, who later became a top leader. Tung was from a city near Shanghai, and he had lived and worked in Shanghai. This helped him connect with leaders from that area.

From 1985 to 1990, Tung was part of the committee that wrote the Basic Law of Hong Kong. This law is like Hong Kong's mini-constitution. In 1993, he joined the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. This is a top advisory body in China. He also built good relationships with important American leaders.

In 1992, the British Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, appointed Tung to the Executive Council of Hong Kong. This was the highest advisory group in the government at the time. Tung was not very well known in politics before this. He left this role in 1996 to run for the first Chief Executive election.

Before the election, Jiang Zemin shook Tung's hand in a crowded room. Many saw this as a sign that Beijing wanted Tung to be the next Chief Executive. Tung won the election on 11 December 1996. He received 320 votes from a 400-member committee. He beat two other candidates. He officially became the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong on 1 July 1997.

Time as Chief Executive

First Term (1997-2002)

Tung Chee-hwa became the Chief Executive on 1 July 1997. His government promised to focus on three main areas: housing, care for the elderly, and education. For housing, they aimed to provide 85,000 new homes each year. This was to help with rising property prices.

However, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis hit Hong Kong just months after he took office. This crisis made the housing goal very difficult. Instead, property prices fell sharply. Many people lost their jobs, and the stock market dropped. People in Hong Kong began to question Tung and his government.

During his first term, the government also proposed several big projects. These included a technology park, a science park, and the Disney theme park. Some of his decisions were questioned. For example, he gave the Cyberport Project to the son of a rich businessman without an open bidding process.

His government also faced other problems. There was confusion when the new Hong Kong International Airport opened. They also had trouble handling the avian influenza outbreak. Education reforms caused concerns, and there were disagreements with other top officials. Tung's popularity dropped as the economy struggled.

Second Term (2002-2005)

Tung Chee-hwa ran for a second term in 2002. He was the only candidate and won easily. He received nominations from many members of the election committee.

Changes in Government

To try and solve problems in how the government was run, Tung made big changes in 2002. He created a new system where top government officials were no longer just career civil servants. Instead, they were chosen directly by the Chief Executive. This was meant to help these officials work more closely with Tung. Heads of different government departments became part of the Executive Council. This meant they reported directly to the Chief Executive.

Challenges in 2003

One of Tung's first major actions in his second term was to propose a new security law in September 2002. This law was meant to put Article 23 of the Basic Law into effect. However, many groups opposed it. Lawyers, journalists, religious leaders, and human rights groups worried it would limit their freedoms.

This concern, along with the SARS outbreak in early 2003, led to huge protests. The government was criticized for being slow to respond to SARS. On 1 July 2003, about 500,000 people marched in Hong Kong. This was the biggest protest since Hong Kong became a special region of China. Many people demanded that Tung step down.

Because of the protests, a key political party withdrew its support for the security law. The government had to put the law on hold and later remove it. Two top officials, including the one in charge of the security law, resigned shortly after.

Tung Chee Hwa shaking hands with Paul Martin, the Prime Minister of Canada, in 2005.

Later in 2003, the government tried to attract more visitors to Hong Kong. They sponsored a music festival called Harbour Fest. However, many concerts had very few attendees. This cost taxpayers a lot of money and led to more criticism.

Another official, the Secretary for Health, also resigned in July 2004. This was because of how the government handled the SARS outbreak. The Tung administration also faced problems with a large planned sale of government property. A lawsuit stopped the sale at the last minute.

As the economy improved in 2004, unemployment went down. This helped reduce public unhappiness. However, Tung's own popularity remained low compared to other top officials.

Resignation

Tung's reputation suffered more when China's President, Hu Jintao, publicly criticized his government in December 2004. This led to many rumors that Tung would resign. On 10 March 2005, Tung held a press conference. He announced that he had resigned due to "health problems."

The next day, he flew to Beijing. On 12 March 2005, he was elected Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). His resignation led to discussions about whether his replacement should finish his term or start a new one.

After Being Chief Executive

China-U.S. Relations

After resigning as Chief Executive, Tung was appointed vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in March 2005. In 2008, Tung started the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF). This group aims to help the two countries understand each other better.

In 2017, it was reported that CUSEF has been used by the Chinese Communist Party to increase its influence around the world. For example, it provided funding to a China Studies department at Johns Hopkins University. In 2018, the University of Texas at Austin turned down funding from CUSEF. A U.S. Senator expressed concerns that the foundation was linked to China's efforts to influence foreign policy.

Influence in Hong Kong

Tung Chee-hwa continued to be an important figure in Hong Kong politics. During the 2012 Chief Executive election, it was believed that one of the candidates, Leung Chun-ying, was Tung's choice. Leung, who was not expected to win, eventually became the Chief Executive.

In 2014, Tung started a think tank called Our Hong Kong Foundation. This group has about 80 advisors, including many well-known business leaders and public figures. The foundation actively suggests new public policies, especially about housing. In 2018, some of its ideas, like building artificial islands, were included in the Chief Executive's policy plans.

In the 2017 Chief Executive election, Tung was seen hugging Carrie Lam, who was a potential candidate. This was seen as his support for her to become the next Chief Executive. It was also reported that Tung said Beijing might not choose another candidate, John Tsang, even if he won the election. Tung reportedly asked Carrie Lam to run to avoid an "embarrassing situation." Many people expressed concern about these comments, saying they harmed the fairness of the election. Because of his influence, Tung is sometimes called a "kingmaker" in Hong Kong politics.

In July 2017, Tung sold his family business, Orient Overseas (International) Limited, to a Chinese state-owned company for a large sum of money.

Awards

Tung Chee-hwa received the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2006. This is a very high honor in Hong Kong. He also received an Honorary Doctorate degree from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in the same year.

Images for kids

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  Tung Chee-hwa's signature

See also

• Politics of Hong Kong
• Executive Council of Hong Kong