Cai Xitao

Chinese botanist (1911-1981).

Cai Xitao or Tsai Hse-Tao (Chinese: 蔡希陶; pinyin: Cài Xītáo; Wade–Giles: Tsai4 Hsi1-tao2; 10 April 1911 – 9 March 1981) was a Chinese botanist from a village near Dongyang, Zhejiang province, China. In 1928, after studying at various institutions in Hangzhou and Shanghai, though without attaining any formal qualifications, Cai Xitao was able to secure a job at the Jing Sheng Botanic Laboratory in Beijing (北平静生生物调查所) through family connections. In 1932, he was transferred to Yunnan province, where he worked as a botanist in the province's temperate climate. In 1938, he set up the Yunnan Botany