Char Shik-ngor is also known as Stephen and “Cha Xiwo.” The “Xiwo” in his name was taken from the Book of Songs and meant ‘Bless me and bestow with the will of Heaven.’ His father wished Stephen to have good health and be blessed coming into this world and that Heaven would protect him from suffering.
Stephen is currently a practicing Barrister, the former Chief Investigation Director of the Enforcement Division of the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), and a member of the Civic Party. Recently, he accepted an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, in which he discussed his life journey and expressed his views and sentiments regarding Hong Kong.
“I have deep feelings for Hong Kong, even though it is not my place of birth. My family came here a few months after I was born, so I regard Hong Kong as my birthplace. Looking back, I have witnessed Hong Kong develop from a very backward place to a very prosperous place and then fall and rise again. I liken this to life, with its ups and downs,” said Stephen.
Stephen (Cha Xiwo) has had a legendary life and experienced countless big and small hardships. In his later years, he saw and came to understand the essence of suffering. Throughout his life journey, he recalls helping countless people through kindness, encouraging him to become even more enthusiastic about sharing his life experience. Before leaving this world, Stephen wishes to leave his life’s legacy as a guide, enabling suffering people to escape the trough. The media once praised this selfless and kind “Cha Xiwo” as “not cherishing himself, but cherishing the world.”
Resignation from ICAC
In 1976, Stephen was admitted to the Independent Commission Against Corruption and promoted to Chief Investigator nine years later. During this time, he solved many significant cases and fought against corruption countless times. He was later transferred to the Corruption Prevention Department as a Senior Investigator.
In early 2000, he firmly announced his resignation from his position at the ICAC with an annual salary of HKD1.2 million (US$ 153,718). He established the “Hong Kong People’s Livelihood Medical Concern Group.” This group aimed to help patients in need by reviewing their medical and livelihood circumstances so policies could be established to help them acquire the necessary medical treatments. This move was prompted when he sought to help negotiate an issue of a stranger, who was a liver cancer patient, with the Hospital Authority.
Regarding his action, Stephen comments: “When I left the ICAC, many people thought I was a fool to give up my annual salary of almost HKD1.2 million since those patients were not my relatives. I was willing to do it! I have no regrets! I think what I did was right and worthy of my conscience — so I did it!”
Not everyone can comprehend giving up a high-paying job, especially in this modern day and age, as many people would say that he was stupid. What life experience could have prompted him to make this decision is worth considering. The story begins with his family.
Suffering begins in the womb
Stephen recounts his early life: “My ancestral home is in Jiangxi. My great-grandfather was the richest man in Wuyuan County and a famous local philanthropist. He was a major general of the Whampoa Military Academy, and my father was a Lieutenant Colonel of the Kuomintang. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, my father returned to his hometown to farm. Once the Communist Party came into power, my father was identified as a big landlord and was arrested and tortured.”
In 1949, Stephen’s parents fled to Hong Kong, and halfway along the journey, his mother gave birth to him. “I have experienced a lot of hardships in my life. My suffering thus began when I was still in my mother’s womb.”
“After arriving in Hong Kong, I grew up in the ‘Lei Cheng Uk’ Estate. As a child of seven, our family relied on my father’s hard labor to earn money and lived an impoverished life. My elder brother was hospitalized for mental illness due to a broken heart. Being the third child, I had to take on the eldest son’s responsibility. I dropped out of school after graduating from primary school and became an apprentice in a tailor shop at 13. I studied and taught myself English at night and later passed the HKCEE (Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination). After this, I was admitted to Hong Kong Baptist College to study Sociology.”
In 1966, at 16, Stephen organized with his younger brother to race in the Dragon Boat Festival that year. He was delayed from getting off work because of a customer at the tailor shop. Unexpectedly, his younger brother, who arrived earlier at the race, drowned. This caused Stephen to blame himself for many years.
In 1973, Stephen got married. The couple had a daughter and son and lived a happy life. Unexpectedly, five years later, his wife filed for a divorce, which ended his first marriage.
In 1994, before the transfer of Hong Kong’s sovereignty to mainland China, Stephen’s father urged him to immigrate to Australia since he worried that the Chinese Communist Party would tighten Hong Kong’s freedom. After immigrating to Australia in 1994, he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Since Hong Kong had more experience in surgery than Australia, Stephen returned to Hong Kong for liver cancer surgery.
The doctor advised him that he could live for four months; he was only 45 years old at the time. He underwent a major operation to remove two-thirds of his liver, which saved his life. His second wife, who had taken care of him day and night before and after his illness, filed for divorce a few months later. He could not accept this fact and cried every day. He was deeply hurt and depressed because both marriages ended in divorce.
In addition to liver cancer, Stephen was later diagnosed with stomach cancer, lung cancer, throat cancer, and tongue cancer. There may have been a recurrence of the tumor in the liver and the prostate. The right eye was equally suspected to have cancer, while the left eye showed signs of glaucoma. His body was a ticking time bomb.
Having faced such devastating prognoses, I asked myself: “Facing so many hardships in life, how can I go about living happily under these circumstances? A Buddhist thought came to mind: Everything is governed by the mind. Everything is in your mind, and the mind is your thoughts. It’s straightforward — it’s how you think! When you encounter suffering, my experience is that you must accept that suffering is also a part of life. We often feel very bitter toward our difficult times and can’t get ourselves out of those low points. This is because we don’t accept that suffering is a part of life! We think life should always be smooth sailing and filled with happiness. First, life is concise, and second, it is very unpredictable! Many things are beyond our control.”
Stephen believes that worrying cannot change anything and that it is necessary to face these situations directly. He also emphasized that people must first accept that suffering is a part of life.
Helping liver cancer patients
“After my experience of enlightening others about the meaning of suffering, I have become driven never to forget to help others with unconditional kindness. After my liver cancer surgery, I set up a liver cancer team. At the end of 2003, just after SARS, the Hong Kong economy was terrible, and the government wanted to close the liver transplant center at Prince of Wales Hospital due to financial problems.
“After I learned about this decision, I realized that the liver cancer patient Liang Zhiming, who had waited two years to get a liver transplant, would drop to the 22nd place on the central waiting list, causing further delays. This would be terrible news for liver cancer patients in Hong Kong. I realized that if this center closed, the precious lives of 70 to 80 patients and their families would be significantly affected every year.
“Although I found a wealthy businessman, Li Ka-Shing, willing to donate 40 million HKD (US$5.1 million) to keep the liver transplant center going for another ten years, the hospital authorities still refused to accept the offer. The Chief Executive talked to the Commissioner of the ICAC, who then sent someone to talk to me and told me not to participate because it was ‘very embarrassing, as we are all government agencies.’ I never implicated the ICAC nor abused my status as a liver cancer patient and only used the name of the patient’s representative.
“In the end, to avoid embarrassment, I resigned from the ICAC and, at most, earned less money because I thought this was the righteous way to go. If I didn’t stick to my decision, it would violate my principles as a man. I should do what I should do!”
When Stephen resigned from the ICAC in 2004, Hong Kong’s economy was in bad shape. Since it was difficult for him to find a job, he decided to study law again. In 2007, he became a practicing Barrister specializing in criminal cases.
“If I had been given a choice, I wouldn’t have left ICAC since I had served there for 29 years. I felt my service was significant. Of course, later, I realized that being a Barrister also served a meaningful purpose: helping some people fight for justice. Looking back, I don’t think leaving ICAC was wrong because life always moves forward. Even if I didn’t leave at that time, I would have eventually resigned after working for a few more years.”
Life holds both joy and suffering
“I think part of my stamina comes from my father’s exemplary actions and teachings,” said Stephen.
His father fled to Hong Kong empty-handed to escape the persecution of the Communist Party. Although his life had undergone such massive changes, his father never complained about suffering. He stated that this is how life is, with ups and downs, gains and losses, so there is no need to take it too seriously.
Stephen recalled how his father used to tell them daily, during meals: “When you are poor, you should take care of yourself, and when you are rich, you should help the world.” He extolled the principle of “the joy of helping others. “His father’s character and personality greatly influenced Stephen profoundly but subtly.
“From an Apprentice to a Barrister, I have suffered great pain in three areas: family, marriage, and health. I have learned to accept suffering and use these experiences to comfort and inspire others.”
In later years, Stephen enthusiastically shared his life experiences via various media and organizations. Through The Epoch Times, he also created 100 episodes of a program called Cha Xiwo’s Spiritual Space to share his life experiences.
“Finally, I would like to give you a tip: Life is full of joys and sorrows. Remember, when experiencing good and happy times, never forget to help others and try to help others. Equally, when you undergo hardship and adversity, remember that it will not last forever. Both happiness and suffering are transitory states. So when happiness comes, try to cherish and enjoy that moment, and when suffering comes, you don’t need to worry, be resentful or unhappy, because it will eventually go away.”
Translated by Chua BC and edited by Maria
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