When business conditions became difficult in the mainland province of Kwangtung in 1912, the father of Liu Chi-wei moved with his family to Japan.
劉其偉的父親原來經營茶葉出口。第一次世界大戰爆發，生意一落千丈，大批茶葉不得出口，只有擱在倉庫裡任它發霉。在不得已的情況下，他帶著一家大小到日本東京求發展。