Chan Po Chu Is Coming! by Fervent Fan There used to be an old TV commercial with a man yelling to a big crowd of people—“Our movie-fan princess Chan Po Chu is coming! Everybody please stand back and give way to her!!” It was not an exaggeration: in the mid-60s a big group of fans always gathered wherever Connie appeared. Each venue was packed with loyal fans striving to get closer to her. Of course I was too young to be there, but this was a legend during my childhood. I can still remember those days when she appeared all the time on the radio and in the movies. She was such an important icon influencing our daily life. Her movies broke box office records and her live concerts drove fans crazy. Because she trained as a teenager with the famous Cantonese opera master Ms. Yam Kim Fai, she gave gorgeous and stunning performances in her opera shows and action movies. All of this contributed to her popularity and made her one of the most sparkling stars in the history of Hong Kong movies. I watched lots of Connie’s movies on TV when I grew up. My sisters were her fans and always told me about how popular she was and about how her fans would chase after her on the street and during film shoots. My sisters kept lots of her movie magazines, so I knew this was true. When her movies were shown on TV during the 70s, my neighbours would crouch outside the grill gate of my home to watch them. I heard that some people even charged their neighbours an admission fee to let them in and watch her movies. That was my impression of Connie in my younger days. She retired and got married in the early 70s, so I never had a chance to see her perform live. I could only read the old magazines and newspaper clippings and watch her movies on TV. Connie was such a legend to us and in our minds was just like a goddess. Because she tried to keep her personal life as discreet as possible, we rarely heard about her after she retired. There were occasional rumours that she might return to the entertainment world, but they never proved true. We were so disappointed time after time. Finally, in 1998 we heard that Connie might star in a stage drama called Sentimental Journey, in which she would give a special rendition of her master Ms. Yam Kim Fai. I know I was not the only one excited by this groundbreaking news. Even the Hong Kong Tourist Association promoted Sentimental Journey as one of the major tourist events of 1999. Though she had more experience making movies than performing on stage, Connie’s charisma captured the attention of the entire audience. She played to a full house for more than 100 shows, and in 2005 she returned for another 60 shows. Connie’s performance in Sentimental Journey brought out all of her original fans and made many new fans like myself. Connie is a star that will never fade. She is still so pretty and charming. Although she is such a popular celebrity, she is always friendly and approachable. And she sets a good example for us by respecting and taking good care of her parents and masters. I am so glad that I finally had the chance to see her live on stage, and I believe she will give us many more amazing performances in the future. Chan Po Chu is still coming! Let’s wish her the best and keep her legend forever!! ~ Blessing from one of Po Chu’s fervent fans ~