Christina Chan
Encyclopedia
Early life
Christina was born in Hong Kong, where she attended the True Light Girls' CollegeTrue Light Girls' College
True Light Girls' College is a Christian girls' secondary school in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1973, to commemorate the centenary of the first True Light Middle School, which was founded in 1872 in Guangzhou by an American missionary, Ms Harriet Noyes...
. She went on to study at Warminster School
Warminster School
Warminster School, originally called Lord Weymouth's Grammar School, is a co-educational independent day and boarding school at Warminster, Wiltshire, for students aged three to eighteen...
and Bromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School, founded in 1553, is a co-educational independent school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England. The school has a long history and many notable former pupils.-History:...
in the United Kingdom for her secondary education. Afterwards, she returned to Hong Kong and obtained an associate degree in social science in Hong Kong Baptist University
Hong Kong Baptist University
Hong Kong Baptist University is a publicly-funded tertiary institution with a Christian education heritage. It is the sole surviving institution of 13 major Christian universities that once operated on the Chinese mainland,...
and the City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong is a comprehensive research university in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1984 as City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and became a fully accredited university in 1994. It has achieved fast growth in recent years and received international recognition for its academic achievements...
before studying English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
and philosophy at the University of Hong Kong, where she was conferred a bachelor degree with first class honour in June 2008. She subsequently received a scholarship to continue her studies at HKU's Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in philosophy.
She was a host on Radio Television Hong Kong
Radio Television Hong Kong
Radio Television Hong Kong is a public broadcasting organisation in Hong Kong that is operated as an independent department in the government under the Broadcasting Authority. RTHK operates seven radio channels, and produces television programmes that are then broadcast through local television...
's TeenPower programme. She also formerly worked as a part-time model, and was once featured in a Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
advertisement.
Political activities
Chan became known by the general public during the Olympics torch relay in Hong Kong where she held the Tibetan snow lion flagFlag of Tibet
The Tibetan flag, also known as the 'snow lion flag' and the 'Free Tibet flag', was a flag of the military of Tibet, introduced by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1912 and used in the same capacity until 1959. Designed with the help of a Japanese, it reflects the design motif of Japanese military's Rising...
, and engaged in a confrontation with the pro-Beijing camp
Pro-Beijing Camp
The Pro-Beijing Camp, pro-Establishment Camp, pan-Establishment Camp is a segment of Hong Kong society that supports the policies and views of the People's Republic of China before and after the handover of Hong Kong in 1997.It is also nicknamed the royalists or loyalists.The term can be used to...
. She was forcibly removed by the Hong Kong Police Force
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force is the largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. It is the world's second, and Asia's first, police agency to operate with a modern policing system. It was formed on 1 May 1844, with a strength of 32 officers...
, who claimed it was
"for her protection".
In April 2009, Ayo Chan Yat-ngok (陳一諤), the president of the Hong Kong University Students' Union, made a speech on the issue of the Tiananmen Massacre, which provoked widespread student opposition; in response, Christina Chan and four other students started a campaign to impeach him. Ayo was deposed after the General Polling.
Chan was arrested on 9 January 2010 over her alleged assault on a policewoman during an anti-Express Rail protest on New Year's Day
2010 Hong Kong new year march
The 2010 Hong Kong New Year March was a protest that took place on the first day of the decade on 1 January 2010 in Hong Kong. Thousands took to the streets demanding universal suffrage as part of the on-going democratic development. They also demanded the release of Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo...
; she was released on HK$500 bail. She claims that while being held at the station, police officers forced her to lift up her shirt so that they could photograph her tattoo. She was acquitted of the assault in September 2010.
Internet and media harassment
Soon after coming to public attention in 2008, Chan became the target of harassment. Paparazzi followed her around her university, her personal photos from her Facebook account were published in Oriental Press Group magazine East WeekEast Week
East Week is a Hong Kong-based weekly Chinese language magazine which was established by Oriental Group on October 29, 1992 and sold to the Emperor Group in September 2001...
, and her dress sense, body measurements
BWH
BWH is an abbreviation of bust, waist, and hip measurement. Also informally called vital statistics, these measurements are a common method of specifying body proportions for the purpose of fitting clothes. It is also often used in women's personal ads or Internet profiles to indicate their...
, and relationship with her boyfriend, 27-year-old Australian musician Nick Brazel, became popular topics of discussion in internet forums. She was interviewed by TVB News
TVB News
TVB News , formally known as the News and Information Division , is the newsgathering arm of Hong Kong's Television Broadcasts Limited...
' The Pearl Report
The Pearl Report
The Pearl Report is a public affairs programme aired on TVB Pearl since April 1, 1988.The show mainly deals with current affairs in Hong Kong, although often stories are produced abroad concerning wider regional issues...
and Sunday Report about her suffering from cyber-bullying
Cyber-bullying
Cyber-bullying is the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner. As it has become more common in society, particularly among young people, legislation and awareness campaigns have arisen to combat it.-Definition:The term...
. The programmes were aired on 21 December 2008 and 22 February 2009 respectively.
Following Chan's arrest in January 2010, an anonymous administrator in an online forum for police officers posted rape threats against her. An Oriental Press Group magazine again published private photos of Chan soon after; this time, it was the Oriental Sunday, who plastered their front cover with paparazzi shots of Chan at home in her underwear brushing her teeth. A variety of social groups publicly criticised the Oriental Press Group in response, including the Hong Kong Women's Coalition on Equal Opportunities and The Society For Truth And Light
The Society For Truth And Light
The Society For Truth And Light is a pressure group with an official mission of "address[ing] social ethics, media behaviour, and sex culture in Hong Kong" from Christian Right point of view "to care the society and service people through research, monitoring, education and publishing."However it...
. The Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority
Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority
Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority or TELA is the entertainment regulatory agency in Hong Kong under the HKSAR government.- Mission :...
received 119 complaints regarding the magazine.