Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

care.' Ho l d i ng to this core of personal integrity meant release f r om excessiv e care about public opinion; f i n d i n g peace w i t h i n herself, not fretting in her conscience about decisions already taken, but being ready to mov e on to the next thing. It meant listening to those she knew w o u l d tell her the truth; and persuading those that disagreed w i t h her rather than prevailing by force. It meant a willingnes s to exercise power, w i t hout wh i c h nothing can be achieved, but exercising it as judiciously and fairly as possible and accepting the responsibility that went w i t h it. Finally it meant freedom f r o m care about the o u t wa rd trappings of power, so that she is n ow just as contented i n retirement as she was in h i gh office. If Mrs. Chan's rise i n the service was not rapid, it reached new heights for a woman and for a Chinese- She became the first w oman to head a governmen t department, the first to head a policy branch and the first female civi l servant to be appointed to th e Legislative Council. I n 1993 she became the first Chinese in 150 years of colonial history to be Chief Secretary and the first woman to do so. Mrs. Chan herself had fough t for equality of opportunity for women. When she first joined the service in 1962, women were paid 75 per cent of a man's salary at th e same l e v el When they married women could be employed onl y on a temporary basis . She fought these inequalities as a f ound i ng member of a un i on for female government officials, wh i ch was to secure parity of pay ill 1975 and parity of conditions i n 1982. Because of her achievements an d her strong advocacy of gender parity, Mrs. Chan is widely regarded as a role model fo r Ho ng Kong women, especially those who pursue careers. Her o wn view is that equality of opportunity should also involv e the freedom t o choose the vital roles o f mother and wife. I n her own case, she has been abl e to balance care for her famil y w i t h her highly demanding positions. While her children were i n primar y school, she refused to employ a tutor and made it a practice to supervis e their h omewo rk herself. Achieving the balance was never easy, but i t w o u l d have been impossible w i t hout a husband who supported her al l the way. Amo ng her many contributions to Ho n g Kong, there are t wo for wh i ch Mrs, Cha n w i l l be long remembered. The first is the steady course she kept at the helm of the civil service before and after the reversion of sovereignty to China . This has done mu ch to make 'one country, t wo systems' a wo r k a b le reality. Th e second is the settin g i n place of a far-sighte d ph y s i c al infrastructure programme that w i l l be on e of the cornerstones of Ho n g Kong's prosperity for years, perhaps generations, to come. This includes the airport core programme, the port extension programme and liberalization of the tele-communications market, wh i ch have helped H o n g Kong enhance its place as a major transport and c ommun i c a t i on h ub and a major centr e of trade, finance, and tourism i n the Asia-Pacific region. Mrs. Chan's confidence i n the future of Ho ng Kong is based on its people, their resilience, their capacity to innovate, t o add creative value, to the products they produce and process. Hong Kong's advantages also li e i n the area of 'soft infrastructure', i n its heritage of the English language, its administrative f r amewo r k, and above all, i n the rule of law. These she sees as assets more durable and precious than surpluses and even physical infrastructure. Mrs. Chan has received man y honours. She was made Commander of the Mos t Excellent Order of the British Empir e i n 1992 and she received the Grand Bauhini a Medal i n 1999. She has received honorary doctorates from Tufts University, USA (1995) , the University of Liverpool, UK (1996), The Universit y of Ho ng Kong (1996), and the Ope n University of Hong Kong (2000). She is also Honorary Director of the Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspectives, USA (1997) and Honorary Professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (1997). I n 2000, she was mad e Honorary Fellow of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK. A recent Britis h Prime Minister said, 'If y o u wa nt anything said, as k a man. If y ou wa nt a n y t h i ng done, ask a w o m a n .' I n Mr s . Chan's case, an account of her ma ny deed s a nd achievements on ly tells par t of the story. Described just before her retirement as one of the twenty most p owe r f ul w omen in the wo r l d, Mrs. Chan is i n h i gh deman d i n many places as a speaker, lecturer, and research consultant. Yet wh e n she is i n H o ng Kong she sets aside half a day a week for Sacred Heart Canossian College, her alma mater, where she shares her experience w i t h the girls. Mrs. Anson Cha n is a t r u ly remarkable woman, and it is m y honour to present her to you , Mr. Vice-Chancellor, for the award of the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. 39