Tung's soft side bared in father's diary
Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa burst into tears when he phoned his father, shipping magnate Tung Chao-yung, about the sinking of their family's ship, Seawise University, in Victoria Harbour in 1972.
The vessel - originally the luxury liner the Queen Elizabeth - had been bought by Tung Chao-yung (pictured with his new wife in 1936), who spent $30 million refurbishing it as a travelling classroom. The ship was about to embark on sea trials when disaster struck.
More than 300 people, including Tung Chee-hwa, were on board when a fire was discovered in January 1972. Everyone was evacuated.
The chief executive's emotional side is revealed in his father's diary, C.Y. Tung Diary, which is due out on Saturday. The four-volume set, covering 1948 to 1982, is published by the Chinese University Press.
In October 1979, the late shipping magnate suggested to former US president Richard Nixon a plan in which the mainland and Taiwan could form a federation to facilitate the reunification of China.
In a foreword to the diary, Mr Tung said the nation's development was always on his father's mind. 'He would be proud of the prosperity of our country if he was still alive today.'
