Vincent Fang Kang, GBS, JP (born 7 May 1943 in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

) is the leader of the Liberal Party of Hong Kong. He is a Hong Kong entrepreneur in the garment industry and a former member of the

Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's " one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kon ...

, representing the Wholesale and Retail

functional constituency A functional constituency is an electoral device (a non-geographical constituency) used within the political systems of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China: * Functional constituency (Hong Kong) * Functional cons ...

Early life, education and business career

Fang was born in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

on 7 May 1943 during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific T ...

. He moved to Hong Kong and attended Wah Yan College, an eminent

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

all-boys secondary school in Hong Kong, graduating in 1962. He later obtained both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Science of Textiles Engineering from the

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The univers ...

in 1967 and 1969 respectively. After he returned to Hong Kong, he became the Chief Executive of the Toppy Company (Hong Kong) Ltd, a garment company located in

Kwai Chung Kwai Chung is an urban area within Tsuen Wan New Town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District District of Hong Kong. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a p ...

and also Managing Director of Fantastic Garments Limited. Fang has been an Independent Non Executive Director of

The Wharf (Holdings) Limited The Wharf (Holdings) Limited (), or Wharf (九倉) in short, is a company founded in 1886 in Hong Kong. As its name suggests, the company's original business was in running wharfage and dockside warehousing, and it was originally known as Th ...

since July 1993. He also served as honorary advisor of Hong Kong Retail Management Association, chairman of the Association of Better Business & Tourism Services and the Director of The Federation of Hong Kong Garment Manufacturers.

Legislative Councillor

Fang is a core member of the pro-business Liberal Party. In the 2004 Legislative Council election, he succeeded

Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee (; born 25 January 1945) is a former Hong Kong television executive and politician. She was a member of the Legislative Council for nearly three decades, and was also a member of the Executive Council. She is honorar ...

to serve as member of the

through Wholesale and Retail

when Chow contested in the

geographical constituency In Hong Kong, geographical constituencies, as opposed to functional constituencies, are elected by all eligible voters according to geographically demarcated constituencies. There are currently 5 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong, return ...

direct election in

New Territories West New Territories West (NTW) is the western part of Hong Kong's New Territories, covering Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing and the Islands District. History Settlements in the area, except the Islands District, have been connected by the ...

. In 2008 after Chairman

James Tien Pei-chun James Tien Pei-chun, GBS, OBE, JP (; born 8 January 1947) is the former Chairman and Leader of the Liberal Party (LP) and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco). Coming from the background of an entrepreneur, he was ...

and Vice-Chairwoman Selina Chow both resigned from the posts after their defeat in the Legislative Council election, he became the Vice-Chairman with

Tommy Cheung Yu-yan Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, GBS, JP (, born 30 September 1949 in Hong Kong) is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo), representing the Catering functional constituencies seats. He is a non-official member of the Executive Counc ...

. He acted as Chairman when Miriam Lau Kin-yee resigned as Chairwoman after she failed to bid for a seat in

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km2, . The island had a population of a ...

in the 2012 Legislative Council election. He became the Leader of the Liberal Party in 2014, when James Tien was stripped from the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

after calling for

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

CY Leung Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Mar ...

to resign during the

2014 Hong Kong protests A series of sit-in street protests, often called the Umbrella Revolution and sometimes used interchangeably with Umbrella Movement, or Occupy Movement, occurred in Hong Kong from 26 September to 15 December 2014. The protests began after t ...

. In April 2010, Fang's suggestion that the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. B ...

should be set at HK$20 per hour drew fire both from the public and from his own party.Albert Wong, "Young critics heckle Liberal lawmaker", ''South China Morning Post'', 5 April 2010 His statement made a case for those in the community who criticise functional constituency lawmakers as disconnected from the worries and realities of the public at large. He also had the lowest attendance and voting record among lawmakers in the 2008–2012 Legislative Council. Fang has been appointed member of the

Hong Kong Hospital Authority The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Government. ...

(2000–2006),

Hong Kong Tourism Board The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a Government-subvented body founded in 2001. The Board replaced the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) established in 1957. It has 15 branch offices and representative offices in 6 markets around the w ...

(2003–2009) and

Hong Kong Housing Authority The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) is the main provider of public housing in Hong Kong. It was established in April 1973 under the Housing Ordinance and is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong. In the same year, the Resettlement Departm ...

(2009–2015). He is also a member of the Operations Review Committee of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and a board member of the

Hong Kong Airport Authority The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA or AAHK) is the statutory body (governed by the Airport Authority Ordinance (Cap. 483)) of the government of Hong Kong that is responsible for the operations of the Hong Kong International Airport. History ...

(2005–2011). He was awarded the

Silver Bauhinia Star The Silver Bauhinia Star (, SBS) is the second Bauhinia Star rank in the honours system of Hong Kong, awarded to people who have taken a leading part in public affairs or voluntary work over a long period. The award was created in 1997 to repla ...

(SBS) by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2008.

References

External links

Official Site of Vincent FangToppy Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fang, Vincent 1943 births Living people Hong Kong textiles industry businesspeople Politicians from Shanghai Liberal Party (Hong Kong) politicians Businesspeople from Shanghai North Carolina State University alumni HK LegCo Members 2004–2008 HK LegCo Members 2008–2012 HK LegCo Members 2012–2016 The Wharf (Holdings) Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Recipients of the Silver Bauhinia Star Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2017–2021