Return to the Stage (1999-2007) After an absence of more than 25 years, Connie Chan emerged from retirement in 1999 to star in a stage production based on the life of her master Yam Kim-fai. Sentimental Journey won great acclaim and broke records with its 100-performance run; it was brought back for a six-week revival in 2005. After Sentimental Journey, Connie starred alongside Tony Leung Kar-fai and Carina Lau in the stage play Red Boat, which ran for 64 performances. The play is an homage to the Cantonese Opera troupes that traditionally traveled by boat through the Pearl River delta region of China. In 2003 she staged a series of spectacular concerts, delighting fans with her cherished film songs and some Cantonese opera classics; her guest stars included Petrina Fung Bo-bo, Nancy Sit Kar-yin, and Maggie Cheung Ho-yee (who played the character based on Connie in the TVB television series Old Time Buddy and the film Those Were the Days). In 2006 Connie performed a concert with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and starred with Adam Cheng in the stage play Only You, which ran for 70 performances. In January 2007 she was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Hong Kong Drama Awards. The future looks very bright indeed for Hong Kong’s Movie-Fan Princess. Connie playing her master Yam Kim-fai in Sentimental Journey.