Mary Ma Chung Yun Stavonhagen, of Manchurian origin and a close relative to Pu Yi, the Last Emperor of China, was educated in Japan and Switzerland. She married Helge Stavonhagen in Tokyo in 1965 and became a German national. Both Mary and Helge Stavonhagen have lived in Asia for over 40 years and have settled in Beijing in June of 1994. Their three sons live in Shanghai and London. Mary is advisor to the Soong Qing Ling Foundation and China Guardian Auction Company. She is a member of the Beijing International Society Committee and the Beijing Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Helge Stavonhagen

Helge Stavonhagen is a founding member of the Rotary Club of Beijing, a member of the BierConvent International and a former member of the Châine des Rôtisseurs. He was a member of the Parkview Tower Owners' Committee in Beijing and was its founding chairman. He served as chairman of the Board of Airline Representative in China for four years and was the first chairman of the IATA BSP China Panel.