[2013.12.31] FANS PAY RESPECT TO ANITA MUI

courtesy of on.cc

Anita Mui super fan Kenix Kwok unveils the costume change

Kenix Kwok (back third left) and Samuel Pang (back third right) remembers Anita Mui with fans

Kenix Kwok brings her daughter and family to remember her idol Anita Mui

Anita Mui's former manager Marianne and friend/fan club president Ms. So pay their respect

In front of Anita Mui's tablet fans present some of her favorite foods
courtesy of mingpao.com

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the Big Sister of Music Anita Mui Yim Fong's passing. Madame Tussauds Hong Kong put a classic pink costume for Ah Mui's 1999 concert and invited Ah Mui's super fan Kenix Kwok Ho Ying and disciple Samuel Pang King Chi to conduct the unveiling ceremony. Over 100 Mui fans attended in support. Kwok Ho Ying's sister and 4 year old daughter attended as well.

Speaking of her memories of Ah Mui, Kwok Ho Ying remembered that when she competed in the 1993 Miss Hong Kong pageant, she received the "Most Popular with the Media Award" from one of the judges Ah Mui. To be able to see her idol in close distance was even more exciting than winning an award. Soon after she got into the business, Ah Mui was able to call her by name at events. She was very willing to help new comers. Kwok Ho Ying said, "Thank you Ah Mui for giving us a lifetime of good performances and meaning to our growth process. I hope she is peacefully and comfortably enjoying her fortune from another angle."

Kwok Ho Ying said that when she saw the statue she was very touched, she had many memories of Ah Mui in her life. Aside from being a fan club member herself, she also affected her family and her 4 year old daughter to like Ah Mui. She said, "I would always remember something that she said. She once said that I was in her top three Miss Hong Kongs. I was very happy to have her recognition, but during the pageant I didn't try to make friends with her. I was shy and embarrassed, but later she learned that I was her fan." She praised Ah Mui for loving her fans, thus she also learned to treat her fans the same way. She regretted that she was not able to work with Ah Mui.

Pang King Chi remembered when he worked with Ah Mui for the first time on her concert in 1999 and praised Ah Mui for taking care of her junior and never getting mad. She would convince them in an alternative way, privately she had fun like a big kid and made people feel comfortable. He said, "I admire Sister Mui's work ethics very much. I will work hard to achieve her expectations of me, I will always remember her."

Working in Beijing for the long haul, Pang King Chi said that he missed Ah Mui very much and also felt that the statue was very convincing. He also did something for Ah Mui. He said, "Ah Mui passed away on my birthday, so starting in 2003 I no longer celebrate it. My birthday isn't special, instead I would think of the memory from the hospital in 2003. I believe she would be very happy now."

Many fans went to present incense sticks to their idol in Kowloon Tong's Shang Sin Chun Tong. The number of fans and offerings were more than usual. Aside from the paper mansion outside with the plaque "Anita Mui Mansion", many paper handbags, sneakers and jewelry filled two tables. In front of Ah Mui's tablet were her favorites, milk tea, egg sandwich and dim sums as well as fresh flowers and cards from fans. Ah Mui's former manager Marianne and friend Ms. So came to pay their respect. After presenting incense sticks they quietly sat to the side and folded offerings with almost 20 fans.

Ms. So said, "We first pay our respect, then we will go to the exhibit and the memorial concert. We didn't participate in the concert too much, but we attended meetings to discuss it. A dozen or so of us fans made over 7,000 flowers for viewers. Everyone spent over ten hours to make them. Each has a butterfly knot and a card with Mui Yim Fong's image, representing a little something from us."

She admitted that being the 10th anniversary this year, large scale memorial events were especially numerous and inevitably brought up their reluctance to part. She said, "When it is quiet I would think of her, especially the last few nights. Everyone would relive her final concert in 2003. I really cried until our eyes were swollen when I missed her. Crying can be considered a type of release."