His father, Charles Henry Maurice Bosman (1839–1892), was of Dutch Jewish ancestry,[3][4][5] while his mother was Sze Tai (施娣),[6] a Chinese woman of Poon (Bao'an) County (present-day Hong Kong and Shenzhen) heritage.

By 1869, Charles Bosman was also the Dutch consul, running his own marine insurance business with important clients that included the British-owned trading conglomerate Jardine, Matheson & Co.[8] He later left for England, where he became naturalised in 1888.

When Robert Ho Tung Bosman travelled, he carried a certificate from the governor of Hong Kong stating that his father was Dutch.

[10] After graduating from Queen's College in 1878, Ho Tung went to Canton, where he worked as a clerk for the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs.

He gave generously to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's campaigns to establish the Republic of China, but saw no contradiction in civic participation in British Hong Kong.

[23] Still childless after three years (Chau Yee-man later gave birth to Mary Hotung 何純姿[24]), Margaret persuaded her maternal cousin Clara Cheung Lin-kok (張靜容 a.k.a.

[26] Robert and Clara's eldest son, Edward Hotung (1902–1957), became a prominent banker and philanthropist in Hong Kong.

[citation needed] Joseph Hotung was a businessman, philanthropist and art collector who received an LLB from the University of London.

He served on the boards of HSBC and Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd, and was chair of the Arts Development Council in Hong Kong and member of the SOAS Governing Body.

Robbie's son Robert Hung-Ngai Ho, a former journalist and publisher in Hong Kong, is the founder of the Tung Lin Kok-yuen Canada Society, a Buddhist charity.

Their son, Lo Tak-shing, was a former lawyer and legislator in Hong Kong who ran against Tung Chee Hwa in the elections for Chief Executive in 1997.

Three other daughters – Irene Cheng, Jean Gittins and Florence Yeo – wrote memoirs chronicling their war-time experiences in colonial Hong Kong.

Irene Cheng (1904–2007) was one of the first female undergraduate students admitted to study English at the University of Hong Kong in 1921.

Also, there is a school named after him called Escola Primária Oficial Luso-Chinesa Sir Robert Ho Tung (何東中葡小學).