Michael Kwan

Kwan was born in 1949 in British Hong Kong. He attended St. Paul's Co-educational College and graduated in 1969. He was admitted in the University of Hong Kong in the same year and later graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Architecture. Kwan practiced architecture full-time after graduation and founded his practice in 1983. His wife is also an architect.

Due to his amateur status as a singer, he was never eligible to be awarded lifetime achievement awards despite having sung 78 theme songs for Hong Kong television dramas such as Reincarnated (1978). Before the 1970s, he was an English folk song singer for the Swinging Minstrels. He also declined to accept the Golden Needle Award in 1993 due to him being out of the spotlight for so long. The award was not awarded at all that year. He did receive an equivalent of Meritorious Service Medal from the Queen in 1985 for services to Cantopop.

In 1986, Kwan joined EMI (Hong Kong) and his first album was the EP "The Revelation of the Clam". Due to his positive and healthy image, Kwan Ching-kit was invited to sing many charity songs, such as "A Little Candlelight" (the song selected for the 1981 Hong Kong International Year of the Disabled), "A Voice" (the theme song for the 1985 Hong Kong District Council Election), and "Ignite the Fire" (the theme song for the 1985 International Youth Year). The song "Revelation of the Clam" (the theme song of the 1986 International Information Year and the publicity song of the Committee on Civic Education) was sung by Lowell Lo and Albert Au, and is considered by many to be his comeback work and a representative public welfare song written by lyricist Richard Lam for the government: it cleverly uses metaphors to visualize political messages and reduce the sense of preaching.{{Cite book |title=Lin Zhenqiang |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1117274763|location=Xianggang|isbn=978-988-8573-05-9|oclc=1117274763|last1=Yuebashi|last2=月巴氏|date=July 2019 |page=134-138|access-date=20 March 2020|archive-date=23 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823022852/https://www.worldcat.org/title/lin-zhenqiang/oclc/1117274763}} In the same year, Kwan released the album "Revelation", returning to the image and singing style of PolyGram's later years.{{cite news |author1=李謨如 |title=關正傑 |work=大公報 |issue=16 August 1986}} Unfortunately, the album received a lukewarm response from the market, and Kwan remained absent from major music award ceremonies.

After releasing his last album "One Autumn" ({{lang-zh|一個秋天}}) in 1988, Kwan continued to participate in some music activities. In 1989/90, he sang three TV theme songs (not recorded in any album), including the TVB TV series "Sharks in the Sea", the Macau TV series "Policewoman 90" and the Hong Kong and Taiwan children's drama "Berlin Weekly". He officially retired from the music scene on December 31, 1989 after attending the New Year's Eve program "Together for the Creation of 90". Before leaving the music scene, he neither gave any notice nor held a farewell concert.{{cite web|url=http://ent.sina.com.cn/s/h/2014-10-16/doc-iavxeafr4115173.shtml|title=65岁关正杰神隐26年后现身 满头银发|date=16 October 2014|access-date=24 August 2021|archive-date=24 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824094803/http://ent.sina.com.cn/s/h/2014-10-16/doc-iavxeafr4115173.shtml}}

Over the years, many people in the media and music industry, such as Joseph Koo, Simon Ngai Ping-long, Allan Ip Gang-kau, etc., have tried to invite Kwan to make a comeback or be a guest performer, but they were all rejected.

The media took photos of Kwan returning to Hong Kong in the 1990s, and his recent photos circulated online in 2014.{{Cite news|url=https://hk.entertainment.appledaily.com/entertainment/daily/article/20141015/18900075|title=神隱26年　白頭關正傑終現身|author=|date=15 October 2014|work=蘋果日報|publisher=|access-date=|language=|format=}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025}}

In 1982, for his achievements in the entertainment industry and his contributions to community work, Kwan was selected as one of the Top Ten Outstanding Young People of that year.

In 1985, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by the United Kingdom{{Cite book|title=Ming zhou kai cang II|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/147713856|publisher=Ming chuang chu ban she you xian gong si|date=2002|location=Xianggang|isbn=978-988-97987-7-2|oclc=147713856|last=Huang, Liling.|last2=黃麗玲.|page=68}}{{Cite news |url=|title=英王元旦日 关正杰 获荣誉奖章|author=|date=1985-01-02|work=新明日報|publisher=|access-date=|language=|format=}} (also call Medal of Honor{{Cite news|url=|title=关正杰获颁 荣誉勋章|author=|date=1985-04-21|work=新明日報|publisher=|access-date=|language=|format=}}).

Writer Eunice Lam Yin-nei (1980): " Michael Kwan Ching-kit's voice is noble and elegant... his handling of the emotions in the lyrics is... delicate and gentle."; "He appeared like a shy college student. The audience wanted to protect him and did not expect to see any tricks, but just wanted to appreciate his beautiful voice."{{Cite news |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/nysp19801221-1.2.28.4.1|title=藝人的心|author=林燕妮|date=21 December 1980|work=南洋商报|publisher=|access-date=|language=|format=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320085216/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/nysp19801221-1.2.28.4.1|archive-date=20 March 2020}}

Music blogger Muzikland said: "Michael Kwan Ching-kit's voice is not a strong one. His interpretation often includes soft and empty voices. His style is unique and full of charm."

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Category:1949 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of the University of Hong Kong

Category:Hong Kong male singers

Category:Hong Kong architects

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:Alumni of St. Paul's Co-educational College

Category:Architects from Seattle

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