It has been 20 years since Hong Kong returned to China, marking the re-unification of the country. It remains one of the most meaningful events in modern Chinese history. Many people played important roles in this process, including female politicians like Rita Fan. The former president of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong is an example of the city's trailblazing women.

Recently, she shared her memories of Hong Kong’s return with CGTN’s Tian Wei.

Rita Fan was the first President of the Hong Kong Legislative Council after the return to its motherland in 1997. Her career in politics is nothing less than legendary. She was a member of Hong Kong Legislative Council from 1983. However, due to a differing political stance from the last governor Chris Patten, she aligned herself with the Communist Party of China, a controversial move at the time. Some even mocked her as a "chameleon."

“I was criticized much stronger than I thought but one thing I was very sure of is that I will respect of the views of the Hong Kong belonger in a frank and open manner,” Fan told Tian Wei. “I went through a soul searching period. I said why is it that people do not understand. I wanted to serve Hong Kong and I am serving Hong Kong.”

She went through a lot in her career, but that did not stop her. The situation soon cooled, and she was even voted the most supported legislator in an opinion poll by the University of Hong Kong.

“Another thing I learned is there is no point getting angry,” Fan said when she recalled her memories of working in the Hong Kong Legislative Council. “Smile when you’re saying things that can cause a lot of reaction.”

The political fights were ferocious. But Rita Fan survived them and even thrived. She had strong support from her husband Fan Sheung-tak and their marriage lasted 30 years, until his death from liver cancer. In the last few months of his life, Fan did all she could to keep his company.

But that was not the only challenge her family went through. In the past 20 years, in fact, one after another. Her daughter suffered from renal failure. Fan donated a kidney to save her life. Later, Fan herself was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo a mastectomy. Despite all of these challenges, she is full of gratitude.

“When I heard that my daughter was unwell, I decided to drop everything and to be by her side. I feel it was so… fate has given her such a raw deal because she doesn’t deserve it. But both of us, in our own ways, are optimists. We accepted what happened and we tried to work from that basis to go forward. Things gradually worked out.”

Even though Rita Fan no longer serves in the Legislative Council, she is still active in politics, serving as a member of the Hong Kong delegation to the 11th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China.