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Home>Service> Awardees of Fervent Global Love of Lives Award> 11th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2008> The Career Father─Tsai Hsiao-Wan
Having fatherhood as a career and became a legend in home schooling
      Tsai Hsiao-Wan, born on May 7, 1941 in Rei An City, Zhejiang Province, China. After graduating from junior high, he began studying medicine at the school his father taught. Later, he self-studied and was admitted to the Department of Physic in University of Hangzhou. He was forced to go home because of political reasons and he became a doctor. During the era where the view that "reading is useless", with his foresight he worked diligently and put all 6 of his children through school; all of them achieved greatness. His family was called the "base for launching talents". 

      Tsai Hsiao-Wan has loved reading since his childhood. When he entered high school during the time of "Anti-Right" during 1957, his father was fired by the school he taught because he worked for KMT as a coroner. He began studying on his own and he passed the 3 examinations, and was admitted to the Department of Physic in Hangzhou University. 

       In 1962, his father died and Cai's family was in a financial bind. Tsai Hsiao-Wan, as the oldest son had to forfeit school and take care of his family. Not long after, the "Culture Revolution" began, and the time of turmoil almost took away his hope. After knowing his wife was pregnant, he felt that it was a good idea to have a few more children and help them all become accomplished academically. He was comforted by the coming of his children and he felt hope in his life - he put hope in the next generation. Tsai Hsiao-Wan began the "career" of being a father. He renamed himself “Hsiao-Wan”, because if he could being laughing in happiness when he was young, he wants to laugh joyfully later in his life. 

      Tsai Hsiao-Wan knew the importance of having a financially sound home for studying and he desired to help others. At the end of 2006 he founded the “Tsai Hsiao-Wan Study Grant” to financially help students who passed exams into prestigious universities but were too poor to afford it. 

      Hence, Tsai Hsiao-Wan regarded fatherhood as his career, and passed on his wisdom, knowledge and ambition onto his children, which helped them to develop. As an example, he taught his kids to be ambitious and to learn correctly. After he got his children to do well academically, he remembered to help others by establishing the “Tsai Hsiao-Wan Study Grant” ─to financially help students who passed exams into prestigious universities but were too poor to complete it. Hsiao-Wan wins at the end with laughs. He has been one of the first "career fathers" in the world. He is a great "career father". 

      Tsai Hsiao-Wan calls himself “Confucius the Second”. He calls his boys Mencius, Suntzu, Xuntzu, Yungtzu and his girl Xitzu. Tsai Hsiao-Wan taught his kids early with math, which was different from other people. He said math is better for opening the doors of wisdom. Tsai Hsiao-Wan insisted on letting his kids to go to school before 6, and he encouraged them to skip levels. 

      Tsai Hsiao-Wan's 6 children all are doing well in life. The oldest son Tsai Tian-wen, graduated with a doctor's degree from Cornell University and is now tenor at University of Pennsylvania. His second son Tsai Tian-wu graduated with a doctor's degree from University of Rochester and is now the vice chairman of Goldman & Sachs. His 3rd and 4th sons gave up doctor's degrees at US and are now working in China. His 5th son Tsai Tian-jun graduated with a master's degree from China University of Technology and currently working at Zhejiang Construction Bank. His daughter Tsai Tian-si graduated with a doctor's degree from Harvard University and was hired as a professor at 24. She's one of the youngest professor at Harvard.