Profiles

A rare glimpse into politician's family life

By Zuo Likun (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-06-18 17:27

An undated handout photo shows Hong Kong's chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen (R) being interviewed by a television host in Hong Kong. [Photo/Sina.com]

As if to veer away from the typical sullen politicians who carefully refrain from tender talks about family sentiments, Hong Kong's chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen disclosed recently that he was usually worn out after work and had little time to talk with his "inseparable" wife.

"When I get home, I am like a dead fish. My daily life all depends on my wife. For me, she is inseparable," Tsang said in self-mockery to a TV host recently, according to Friday's HK daily Ming Pao. He added that his wife, Pau Siu-Mei, is attentive enough to make sure he has a proper sleeping pillow, not too bulky it would make his neck sore.

Since Tsang assumed the office of HK chief executive in 2005, no doubt a demanding job that eats into his private time, he tried to squeeze one day or two each week to dine at home, where Pau prepares dishes reminiscent of his mother's cooking.

The couple's romance could be traced to a casual get-together when Tsang, about 12, was visiting his uncle in Macao. Pau was introduced to Tsang on that occasion, and the two started exchanging letters after Tsang went back to HK.

"Although she knows all my weaknesses, she adores my honesty and enterprise," Tsang said. They got married over a decade later when Tsang was 25.

Pau is known supportive of Tsang's political career, if not the driving force in the first place. Tsang was once a salesman after college. Pau encouraged him instead to take the civil servant exam, twice, which eventually landed him a job in government service in 1967.

Early this year when the Chinese Spring Festival reached its climax on February 13, the chief executive was seen at a flower fair, buying a bunch of roses for his wife. As if that were not high-profile enough, the two kissed in public, to a crowd of cheers.

Hong Kong's chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and his wife, Pau Siu-Mei (C), visit a flower fair during the Chinese Spring Festival, in Hong Kong, on Feb 13, 2010. [Photo/CNSphoto]