Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai (; ' Hsu; ''born'' Hsu Ching-li; born 20 September 1945) is a senior Hong Kong politician. She was the first President of the Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council from 1998 to 2008 and a member of the

Standing Committee of the National People's Congress The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) is the permanent body of the National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. It exercises the powers of the NPC when it is not in s ...

(NPCSC). First stepping into politics when she was appointed to the colonial

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

in 1983, she rose to the Executive Council in 1989 until she resigned from the colonial services in 1992. She developed a close relationship with the Beijing authorities subsequently, assuming the office of the President of the Beijing-installed Provisional Legislative Council on the eve of the

transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong The handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony, which began in 1841. Hong Kong was established as a specia ...

. She continued her position as the President of the SAR Legislative Council and first contested in the

geographical constituency In Hong Kong, geographical constituencies, as opposed to Functional constituency (Hong Kong), functional constituencies, are elected by all eligible voters according to geographically demarcated constituency, constituencies. There are currently 5 ...

direct election in

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

in 2004. Shortly before retiring from the Legislative Council in 2008, Fan became the member of the Standing Committee of the

National People's Congress The National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the Sta ...

(NPC) in 2008, where she had been the Hong Kong deputy of the national legislature from 1997. She served in the Standing Committee until her retirement in 2018.

Early life and education

Hsu was born in Shanghai on 20 September 1945 to her father business magnate Hsu Ta Tung. Hsu Ta Tung was a business partner and assistant to

Green Gang The Green Gang ( zh, t=青幫, p=Qīng Bāng) was a Chinese secret society and criminal organization, which was prominent in criminal, social and political activity in Shanghai during the early to mid 20th century. History Origins As a secret s ...

boss Du Yuesheng. The Hsu family followed Du to move to Hong Kong before the fall of Shanghai to the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

during the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

when Rita Fan was only four. Her English name Rita is named after Hollywood star

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...

. She studied at the St. Stephen's Girls' College before she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Physics from the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...

. After her graduation, Hsu worked for the university for seven years and obtained a master's degree in Psychology during that time. She later joined Hong Kong Polytechnic as head of their Student Affairs Unit and, later, as associate director.

Colonial political career

Fan first stepped into politics when she was appointed to the

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Edward Youde Sir Edward Youde (; Cantonese: ''Yau Tak''; 19 June 1924 – 5 December 1986) was a British administrator, diplomat, and Sinologist. He served as Governor of Hong Kong from 20 May 1982 until his death on 5 December 1986. Early years Youde wa ...

in 1983. To avoid any appearance of conflict of interest, she resigned from her post at the Hong Kong Polytechnic. As the convenor of the Security Panel in the Legislative Council, she dealt with the cross-border car smuggling problem at the time. She persuaded the Mainland authorities to require all cars driven on the Mainland to have left hand drives which meant the Hong Kong right hand drive car could no longer be smuggled into the Mainland before the mechanical overhaul. She was appointed chairman of the

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

from 1986 to 1989 and chairman of the Education Commission from 1990 to 1992. Fan strongly espoused the case for mother tongue education and suggested that the government should increase the university graduates ratio of primary teachers. She insisted that the British Hong Kong government repatriate

Vietnamese boat people Vietnamese boat people () were refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its highest in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but continued well into the earl ...

who took refuge in Hong Kong, a major issue at the time, to protect the interests of the Hong Kong residents. She was later appointed to the Executive Council by Governor David Wilson in 1989. After the first Legislative Council direct election which saw the emergence of the populist

pro-democracy camp The pro-democracy camp, also known as the pan-democracy camp, is a political alignment in Hong Kong that supports increased democracy, namely the universal suffrage of the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council as given by the Basic La ...

in the legislature, Fan joined the appointed members led by

Allen Lee Allen Lee Peng-fei, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Justice of the peace, JP (; 24 April 194015 May 2020) was a Hong Kong industrialist, politician and political commentator. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, serving ...

to form the conservative parliamentary group

Co-operative Resources Centre The Co-operative Resources Centre (CRC; ) was a short-lived political group in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo). Led by the Senior Unofficial Member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executive and Legislative Councils Allen Lee, ...

in 1991, which soon transformed into

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. She held the position in the Executive and Legislative Councils, until she was told to resign from the Executive Council by the newly arrived Governor

Chris Patten Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (; born 12 May 1944), is a British politician who was the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992, and the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997. He was made a lif ...

so he could reform the council. Due to Patten's confrontational approach in putting forward the constitutional reform proposal which was strongly opposed by the Beijing authorities, which Fan saw as "a threat to a smooth handover", she decided to resign from both the Executive and the Legislative Councils in 1992.

Legislative Council President

Soon after her retirement from the colonial government, she took a position in the

Emperor Group Emperor Group is a Hong Kong Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded by Albert Yeung. Albert Yeung's father, Mr Yeung Shing, opened a watch shop named "Shing On Kee Watch Shop" in 1942, setting the business foundation.< ...

run by Albert Yeung who had multiple criminal records which sparked controversy. In 1993, she also accepted Beijing's appointment to the

Preliminary Working Committee The Preliminary Working Committee (PWC) was a body set up by the Government of the People's Republic of China government for the preparation of the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong. The first meeting of the PWC was held in July 1995 and ende ...

, and later the Preparatory Committee for the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. She was later elected by the 400-strong Selection Committee to the Provisional Legislative Council, a provisional legislature installed by Beijing which the

deemed as unconstitutional. She was elected the President of the Provisional Legislative Council. She was severely attacked for her switching side and was called "chameleon" and "

Jiang Qing Jiang Qing (March 191414 May 1991), also known as Madame Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary, actress, and political figure. She was the fourth wife of Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, Chairman of the Communis ...

of Hong Kong", wife of Chairman

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

and the head of the

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

. The Provisional Legislative Council transited through the

handover of Hong Kong The handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony, which began in 1841. Hong Kong was established as a specia ...

in 1997. She ran in the

Election Committee The Election Committee is the electoral college in Hong Kong that selects the Chief Executive (CE) and, since 2021, elects 40 of the 90 members of the Legislative Council. Established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong Kong which states ...

electoral college in the first SAR Legislative Council election in 1998. She continued to serve three consecutive terms as elected President of the Legislative Council from 1998. She demonstrated a largely acclaimed and respected firm but fair manner of presiding at meetings, and dealing with the radical members such as

Leung Kwok-hung Leung Kwok-hung ( zh, t=梁國雄; born 27 March 1956), also known by his nickname "Long Hair" (), is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. He was a member of the Legislative Council, representing the New Territories East. A Trotskyist ...

who she ejected from the Legislative Council chamber in November 2004. In the 2004 Legislative Council election, she ran in the

direct election after the Election Committee electoral college seats were abolished. She received more than 65,000 votes, 18.5 per cent of the total vote share. She continued to serve in the Legislative Council for one more term until her retirement in 2008.

National People's Congress Standing Committee

Fan was first elected to the

in 1997. Shortly before her retirement from the Legislative Council in 2008, Fan was promoted to the

Standing Committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

. Among other services, she is also chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Association for Celebration of Reunification of Hong Kong with China Charitable Trust Fund, honorary adviser of the Hong Kong Federation of Women, patron of Hong Kong Kidney Foundation and Hong Kong Transplant Sports Association and Whole Person Education Foundation. In the 2012 Chief Executive election, Fan had expressed her interest in the post. Despite topping in the opinion polls originally, Fan lost a lot of public support and respect by taking six months to consider her candidacy.''South China Morning Post''. Good leader for Hong Kong wanted; political opportunists need not apply. 12 October 2011. After much prevarication-induced speculation, Fan announced that she would not participate because her age and health would become concerns into the Chief Executive term; and she endorsed

Chief Secretary for Administration The chief secretary for administration is the second-highest government official in Hong Kong, right after the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. When the chief executive is on leave, the chief secretary for administration will act on their behalf ...

Henry Tang Henry Tang Ying-yen (; born 6 September 1952) is a Hong Kong politician who served as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong between 2007 and 2011. He held the position of Financial Secretary from 2003 to 2007. In 2012, he lost the Hong Kong Chief ...

instead when Tang showed his intention to run, However, when the extramarital affair of Henry Tang was exposed, Fan withdrew her support for him.. RTHK 1 October 2011. Archived fro
the original
on 2 March 2012Ng, Kang-chung; So, Peter; Lee, Colleen (18 February 2012). "Fan may be back in contention, say analysts". ''South China Morning Post'' After former Convenor of the Executive Council

Leung Chun-ying Leung Chun-ying ( zh, t=梁振英; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Confe ...

won the election, Fan remained critical of the Leung administration. She believed her criticism toward Leung had cost her votes which plunged from 2,896 to 2,790 in her 2013 re-election to the Standing Committee. Fan did not seek for re-election in the 2017 National People's Congress election due to the unofficial 70-year-old age limit.

After NPCSC

In February 2021, Fan said that those who want to run in the Legislative Council should be nominated by the

election committee The Election Committee is the electoral college in Hong Kong that selects the Chief Executive (CE) and, since 2021, elects 40 of the 90 members of the Legislative Council. Established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong Kong which states ...

, and that district councillors should be banned from selecting the Chief Executive. In addition, Fan claimed that "Why have we seen the chaos in Hong Kong? That's because non-patriots with ill-intent and those who want to use foreign powers to destroy Hong Kong's prosperity and stability were elected. They then created trouble in Legco and district councils. That made Hong Kong an unfavourable place to live and work." In March 2021, Fan claimed that electoral changes by the NPCSC to only allow "patriots" to serve in the government might lead to earlier universal suffrage for the Chief Executive position. In August 2022, after John Lee and other government officials criticized Nancy Pelosi over visiting Taiwan, despite Article 13 of the Basic Law stipulating that the local government is not responsible for foreign affairs, Fan said that Lee and the government had not contradicted the Basic Law. In April 2023, Fan said that District Councils should have democratically elected seats limited to 22%, to protect from "Western forces or

Taiwan independence Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of Chi ...

advocates."

Personal life

She married businessman Stephen Fan Sheung-tak in 1974 until his death from

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

in 2004. The couple had a son Andrew and a daughter Stephanie. Their daughter suffered from

renal failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

in 1995, and Fan donated a kidney to save her daughter's life. Fan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and underwent a

mastectomy Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer choose to have ...

. She is Honorary President of the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation.

References

External links

*
范徐麗泰網頁
(Webpage of Rita Fan)
Citation for Honorary Doctor of Social Science
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fan, Rita 1945 births Living people Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong Women members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Alumni of the University of Hong Kong Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Delegates to the 9th National People's Congress from Hong Kong Delegates to the 10th National People's Congress from Hong Kong Delegates to the 11th National People's Congress from Hong Kong Delegates to the 12th National People's Congress from Hong Kong Members of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress Members of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Members of the Provisional Legislative Council People's Republic of China politicians from Shanghai Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal Liberal Party (Hong Kong) politicians HK LegCo Members 1985–1988 HK LegCo Members 1988–1991 HK LegCo Members 1991–1995 HK LegCo Members 1998–2000 HK LegCo Members 2000–2004 HK LegCo Members 2004–2008 20th-century Chinese politicians 21st-century Chinese politicians 21st-century Chinese women politicians Chinese emigrants to Hong Kong 20th-century Hong Kong women politicians 21st-century Hong Kong women politicians Presidents of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong