Simple and clear

Kan Yee Ching was born in Hong Kong. He was a Hong Kong writer and horse racing commentator.

Biography

Kan Yee Ching’s parents were Chinese expatriates from Vietnam. His father was Kan King Lun. Kan was the eighth of nine siblings, earning him the nickname "Kan No. 8". He grew up during the Second Sino-Japanese War. After graduating from primary school, he continued his education through self-study and learned English from his older brother. He once suffered from tuberculosis but later recovered.

Kan had broad and diverse knowledge and collected over 80,000 books at home. He wrote novels and essays, contributed columns to Ming Pao, and served as a food and film critic. He also researched mahjong and in 1989 appeared on the ATV game show "Open Table" to discuss the history of the game.

Kan had a deep understanding of horse racing. Because of his English proficiency, he began writing horse racing columns for newspapers in 1949. He co-founded a horse racing fan club with his younger brother Kan Yee Wo (Kan No. 9), publishing daily training records for horses.

Kan worked with Commercial Television, acting in drama series and serving as an advisor (such as for the series "Dream of the Red Chamber" in 1977). He also acted in films, including the 1983 film "The Frog Crosses the River" alongside Cherie Chung and Tung Piao. In recent years, he appeared in the DVD "The Book of Changes and the Book of Sex with Kan Yee Ching".

In the mid-1980s, when computer technology for printing Chinese characters was not yet widespread, Kan collaborated with a mainland Chinese manufacturer to develop a portable Chinese word processor that allowed users to draw characters by hand—an important technological breakthrough at the time.

In 1997, Kan married a Filipino housekeeper who was 37 years younger than him. He admitted to having received placenta injections to maintain youthfulness. In July 2000, he returned to Chengdu, Sichuan for another round of placenta therapy, but was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer during the treatment. His condition deteriorated and he died in Chongqing on September 11, 2000.

Kan had a daughter, Kan Yuk Ching (b. 1966), from a previous marriage. She served as the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s chief representative in North and Northeast China and is currently the regional director of marketing and business development at Pacific Coffee.

Filmography

Actor

• Sex Change (1974)
• No Match (1975)
• Everybody Happy (1975)
• Horoscope Fun Collection (1976)
• Bluffing (1977)
• Mahjong Heroes (1981)
• House of 82 Tenants (1982)
• Youth 1000 Days (1982)
• My Name Ain't Suzie (1982) as Tang Yan Fat
• The Frog Crosses the River (1983) as Chung Fat Pak
• The Perfect Match (1984)
• Gentlemen Seek Partners (1984)
• Sentimental Breed (1984)
• Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989) as Cheung Luk
• Cousin, You Play Too Much! (1991)
• Love-Struck Son-in-Law (1992) as Uncle Hong
• 7 Commandos (1994)
• The Amorous Heroes of Water Margin (1999)

Producer

• The Amorous Heroes of Water Margin (1999)

Gambling Advisor

• Mahjong Heroes (1981)
• Night Without End (1987)

Publications

• "Quotable Collection"
• "Greenie Kan's Tasty Jokes"
• "New Tasty Jokes"
• "Rainbow Warrior by Zhai Xun"
• "Neither Here Nor There"
• "Tricky English"
• "Cloud, Violet, Cat"
• "Open Table"
• "Mahjong Court"
• "Mahjong Secrets"
• "Recollections of Hong Kong Horse Racing"
• "Tales of Horse Racing"
• "Comprehensive History of Professional Horse Racing in Hong Kong 1971–1997 (Chinese-English Edition)"

Translations

• "The Story of Jazz"
• "Music of the New World"
• "American Folk Music"

External links

• Kan Yuk Ching: Between Movement and Stillness