This person is on display in the Contributing Wrap in the People Gallery
(1944- )
Rosa was born in China, the seventh of ten children. The family escaped Communism and settled in Hong Kong. Educated in an Italian convent she became proficient in multiple languages, often acting as an interpreter for her father in his business.
She moved to Bristol to train as a nurse, but the sight of blood quickly put an end to this. Resisting the urge to return home, she went back to studying and found employment as a shorthand typist. Slowly working her way up, she juggled a jet set business career as an International Trade Consultant with family life as a single parent.
During a career break, she agreed to help out with a small project that supported Chinese women in distress and hardship. In time, it became a group in its own right, battling through social taboos and peer pressure, as well as several bouts of pneumonia and a brain haemorrhage.
Rosa initially took on the Chinese women’s project on a temporary basis whilst her own project was delayed due to the Tiananmen Square Protests and has often been quoted that the past 24 years were the longest three months of her life.
She was recognised for her work in the community, when she became a Deputy Lieutenant in 2006 and received an MBE in 2009. Despite her advancing years, she continues to advocate on behalf of the Chinese community and has greatly expanded their exposure on a national basis in recent times.