Pan Wenhao, the long-lost nephew of Anita Mui, was thrust into the spotlight after his Facebook post about going to see Anita, the biopic about the late Cantopop diva, was picked up by the media.

Recently, a Hongkong radio station did a long-distance phone interview with the Canada-based Wenhao, whose English name is Royce Poon. The 28-year-old revealed that he has already seen the film three times and that he was moved to tears by the scenes involving his mother, Anita’s older sister Ann Mui, and his aunt.

“I could see their precious sisterhood with my own eyes, which I didn’t get to do when I was a child,” he said.

Wenhao was only seven years old when his mum died of cervical cancer in 2000, three years before Anita succumbed to the same disease.

• 

  1 of 4 Anita and her sister Ann

  After Ann passed away, her estranged husband left Hongkong with Wenhao and his younger brother Jinhao to live overseas. They completely lost touch with Anita and did not know that she had tried very hard to search for them.

  “If we knew, my dad would definitely have taken me and my brother back to see her,” said Wenhao. “I have been in contact with my aunt’s fans over the past two or three years, which is how I found out about the movie and that she was looking for us.”

  Describing Anita as “straightforward”, “strong”, and someone who “loved to joke around and make everyone happy”, Wenhao recalled being rather intimidated by his aunt.

  “She had a very powerful and dignified voice,” he explained. “I can’t remember if she’s ever scolded me, but I really was a little afraid of her.”

• 

  2 of 4 A young Wenhao with his brother and mum

  While one of Anita’s regrets was being unable to take care of her two nephews, it turns out that she actually did manage to do just that.

  According to Wenhao, he and his brother were able to attend university and get good jobs thanks to the funds that Anita set aside for their education expenses before her death.

  Wenhao’s Facebook profile states that he graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2014. During the interview, he shared that he is working in information technology, while his brother does post-production for films.

  His last trip back to Hongkong was in 2017, and he plans to travel there again within the next six months to visit his 98-year-old grandmother.

• 

  3 of 4 Oh, Wenhao’s already got a girlfriend, by the way

• 

  4 of 4 We’re sure Anita would be very proud of her nephew

  Photos: PBE Media, Royce Poon/Facebook, 电影梅艳芳/Weibo