The Tsai clan has lived in Hsichih for more than 13 generations, but Gordon Tsai's father inherited little of the family's wealth because he was merely an outsider who had married into a branch of the clan that had no male offspring. He only inherited half a hectare of land. Tsai's father not only farmed but also worked as a miner.
蔡家世居汐止超過 13 代，然而被招贅進入蔡家的父親，在分家產時，只承繼到薄薄的 5 分地（1 分地相當於 293 坪），蔡爸爸於是一邊種田，一邊深入地底當礦工。