Distinguished Alumni Talk Series — The Way of Life

Dr. Fan shared her extraordinary personal journey and unique insights with more than 150 guests.

Dr. Rita Fan is one of the most influential female politicians in Hong Kong in the past decade. Righteous yet gentle, she is able to fight with reason despite her mild manner. Involved in politics for over 25 years, she admitted that both her personality and values have changed over the years. Dr. Fan graduated from HKU's Extra-mural Studies Department (now HKU SPACE) with a diploma in human resources management in 1971, and was recently named a Distinguished Alumni Fellow by the school. She shared her extraordinary personal journey and unique insights with more than 150 guests during the Distinguished Alumni Talk Series held on 19 November, 2009.

Dr. Fan described herself as stubborn and self-centred when she was young. Whenever something bad happened, she would put on a stern face and hide from the world. This only began to change when she started working in student counselling, which forced her to open up. While overcoming her own introversion, she realised how important it was and how good it felt to make people happy. "It really doesn’t take much to bring a little joy to other people. When I was working at PolyU, I tried to smile at people, whom I might or might not know. In the end, I made a lot of friends that way," she said.

Believe in yourself

Always with a heart to serve Hong Kong, Dr. Fan has nonetheless received many criticisms for her views. Her husband, Stephen Fan, had offered her a guiding hand in times of strife. "As long as you believe in yourself and have a clear conscience, there is no need to worry about what others say. You have no control over what people say, but you do have control over your own attitude and emotions. This is why some soul searching is always needed," she shared.

Support from the family is paramount in Dr. Fan's political career, but she has had her share of misfortunate in that regard. In 1995, Dr. Fan donated her left kidney to her daughter, and in 2001 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she subsequently recovered from. However, it was her husband who succumbed to cancer in 2003. During the course of his treatment, Dr. Fan continued her role in Legco, constantly jetting back and forth between Hong Kong and Beijing where her husband was being treated. Many have been moved by Dr. Fan’s commitment to her family.

Make people happy

The loss of a loved one has given Dr. Fan a deep understanding of life. "In life, everyone experiences ups and downs. It's natural to feel sad because of the death of loved ones. The important thing is not to let it last too long." She had been depressed for one year after her husband's death, and could not summon any enthusiasm for her work until one day when her passion for life was suddenly re-ignited. She found a way to lessen her pain and calm down, by reading the Buddhist text "Heart Sutra" in front of her husband's picture for 30 minutes everyday. Despite her stricter disposition, Dr. Fan has found her way to happiness, "which is to try and make the people around me happy. Happiness is actually a choice that you make."