Peter Tsao

Who was Peter Tsao?

Peter Tsao Kwang-yung, CBE was a career civil servant of Hong Kong. Tsao was Secretary for Administrative Services and Information and Secretary for Home Affairs of colonial Hong Kong Government from 1985 to 1991. He was the first ethnic Chinese person to be in a secretary-level position during colonial administration. He was described as "Bad Boy Tsao" in headlines in 1986 when he was posted to Brussels as representative for Hong Kong trade relations with the European Union.

In 1950 he emigrated to Hong Kong where he was educated at St. Joseph's College, Hong Kong. In 1955 he began working at the Royal Observatory as computing officer. He later worked as hygiene officer and assistant trade officer at the government. In 1991 he retired. In 2005, he died in Thailand, aged 71.