Leung Chun-ying was born on 12 August 1954, with his family roots in Weihaiwei, Shandong; his father was a policeman and he grew up in the police married quarters on Hollywood Road in the Western District, studying at King's College. From 1974 to 1977 he studied surveying and property management at Bristol Polytechnic in Britain, returning in 1977 to join Jones Lang Wootton and becoming a partner in 1983; he was long active in the surveying and property industries and a former president of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors and Asia-Pacific chairman of DTZ. In 1985 he became secretary-general of the Basic Law Consultative Committee, working on the consultations during the drafting of the Basic Law, and later served as a vice-chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong SAR; from 1999 to 2011 he was convenor of the Executive Council's non-official members. He was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2011. On 25 March 2012 he was elected the fourth Chief Executive with 689 votes, defeating Henry Tang and Albert Ho, and took office on 1 July. His term brought measures against 'dual non-local' births, curbs on the parallel export of infant formula and the 'Hong Kong people's land' scheme, along with new commissions on poverty, financial services and the economy and an official poverty line in 2013. It also saw the national education controversy, the 2014 occupation movement and the 2016 Mong Kok disturbance, and the defeat of the 2015 constitutional reform package. He announced in December 2016 that he would not seek a second term and has been a Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since March 2017, a post at national leadership level. Earlier he had been a Hong Kong affairs adviser and a vice-chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong SAR, taking part in handover arrangements, and he resigned from DTZ before standing for office in 2012. In office he sought an interpretation of the Basic Law over dual non-local births and set up the Lantau Development Advisory Committee. In 2014 Australian media reported that he had signed an agreement with the firm UGL, a controversy that drew wide attention. He was re-elected a Vice-Chairman of the CPPCC in 2023 and has three children; before becoming Chief Executive he had long been active in professional and business bodies.
Leung Chun-ying moved from surveying into politics, serving as secretary-general of the Basic Law Consultative Committee and helping plan institutions before the handover. As Chief Executive he introduced measures against 'dual non-local' births and curbs on infant-formula exports, and set an official poverty line, while facing a series of social controversies. After leaving office he became a Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, continuing to take part in affairs at the national level.
Achievements
- 1985 · Became secretary-general of the Basic Law Consultative Committee.
- 2012 · Was elected the fourth Chief Executive with 689 votes and took office on 1 July.
- 2017 · Was elected a Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.