Tsai Chin-hua's family was a poor but honest one; Tsai started to work to supplement the family income at the age of fourteen, after he had completed elementary school.
他說：「這是過去當過磚工和水泥工，經常被煙燻及日曬的結果。」蔡錦華幼年在日據時代末期的戰亂中度過，家境清寒，小學一畢業便出外做工謀生。