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Lisa Cam

This is the 39th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades.
Hacken Lee Hak-kan, a prominent figure in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry since the 1980s, is not only a celebrated singer but a multifaceted performer, actor and television host.
His career, however, has not always been smooth sailing.
Born in 1967, Lee grew up in Hong Kong during the golden era of Cantopop. After graduating from secondary school in 1985, he entered Hong Kong broadcaster TVB’s New Talent Singing Awards show – but was unable to make the top 15 finalists.

Taking the advice of singer-songwriter Vivian Chow Wai-man, whom he befriended during the competition, Lee took part in the Second Hong Kong 19 District Singing Contest in 1987, which he won with his rendition of Cantopop icon Alan Tam Wing-lun’s song “Love in the Fog”.
In an interview on TVB show Be My Guest, Lee recalled his hesitation when his family arranged for him to study overseas. “My family was supportive and respected my decision. So I asked them to give me two years, to see if I can make it as an artist.”
His first EP and album – the latter included one of Lee’s most popular songs, “Half Moon Serenade” – did not sell particularly well, and it was not until he appeared in a TVB drama series that he gained recognition.
Lee starred in the youth drama Teenage No More (1988), for which he also performed the theme song; the corresponding record album The Summer Tale achieved platinum sales.
This marked the start of a long relationship between Lee and the television broadcaster.

“This show introduced me to the audience of Hong Kong [so they got] to know this tanned, long-necked young man who happens to sing,” he recalled in the TVB interview.
After this Lee’s popularity took off, and his albums Purple Dream and One Thousand and One Nights achieved platinum sales.
In 1992, Lee released “Red Sun”, a single for which he wrote the Chinese lyrics. It was his first hit as a lyricist and was so popular that the music video for the song launched the career of fellow Cantopop singer Charlie Yeung, who co-starred in it.
At this point, Lee was collecting multiple awards for his songs and albums, and his first solo concert series, held at the Hong Kong Coliseum in 1993, sold out in a few hours.


Although Lee was named the successor to Alan Tam by Tam himself the following year, it was around this time that his popularity took a nosedive.
After his contract with PolyGram Records expired in 1993, Lee signed with the record company Starlight Records. When he held his second concert series in 1995, it was what he would later describe as “the worst-selling one in Hong Kong history”.
“It was strange, because the Reborn album [1995] did quite well. But when there were entire sections that were empty in the [Hong Kong Coliseum], I was crying on the inside,” he told Chan.
What followed is what Lee calls the lowest point of his career.
“I had a bad experience with previous contracts, so I had many terms and conditions for my new one. When things started going downhill, the record company didn’t see a point in committing so much money to producing a new album with me,” he explained.

It did not help that Lee was seen as difficult to work with. “Can you imagine being someone who achieved commercial success in their twenties? I had cars and girls and I was surrounded by people who only praised me; it would get to your head.”
It was an encounter with Cantopop superstar Anita Mui Yim-fong that changed things around.
“We were both at a party,” Lee recalled. “We both had a bit to drink and she just turned to me and said, ‘You know you’re very cocky? I want to slap you upside the head sometimes.’ It really made me reflect: how could someone that I had never collaborated with feel like that about me?”
Lee signed with another label, Music Impact, in 1996, but he continued to struggle.

The singer’s career underwent a revival when he was picked to be a commentator for TVB’s 1998 Fifa World Cup broadcasts in Hong Kong, and the release of “Adventure of Football Fans”, which he composed, led to the issuing of a compilation album.
Incidentally, as a huge Manchester United fan, Lee has long been teased on the internet for an embarrassing incident involving the English football club.
When United visited Hong Kong for a match in 2005, Lee, a spokesperson for the event, gifted them a framed board of his own album covers. The souvenir was left behind in the stadium’s dressing room – news that made headlines in Hong Kong tabloids.
After his contract with Music Impact expired in 1999, Lee began branching out into acting and hosting television programmes, most notably TVB’s Jade Solid Gold music programme.

“People asked if I felt insulted to host a show featuring hits while unable to make any myself, but I felt whether it is hosting football or music shows, there are over 10,000 people who would kill to do these jobs; I felt fortunate,” he said.
In late 1999, Lee signed with Universal Music (previously PolyGram) and released the hit singles “Feet of Fortune”, “I Won’t Sing” and “The Grasp of Love”.
In 2001, Lee performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. The collaboration concert series was very well received, as was a recording released in CD and VCD (video CD) formats.
The singer solidified his position in the Cantopop hall of fame when he won the most popular male singer award at the Jade Solid Gold Awards twice in a row, in 2002 and 2003.

In the early 2000s, Lee increased his collaborations with friends, penning lyrics for them – as he did for the song “Tall Girl”, composed by Gigi Leung Wing-kei.
In 2003, 2004 and 2009, Lee partnered with Alan Tam in a series of concert tours around the world; these proved an immensely popular showcase of the duo’s humour and energy. Lee also performed with singer Joey Yung Cho-yee in a concert series in 2004.
On November 28, 2006, Lee married his long-time girlfriend and former Miss Hong Kong Emily Lo Suk-yi – they had a pre-wedding photo shoot at Old Trafford stadium, the home of Manchester United, in England’s Manchester.
The couple have two sons, Ryan Lee Lap-yan and Rex Lee Lik-sze, born respectively in 2007 and 2010.

Now 57, Lee’s enduring popularity is a testament to the timeless appeal of his rich voice and his interesting character. As the Cantopop landscape continues to evolve, he stands as an example of talent and, perhaps more importantly, resilience.
“I realised that it takes less than a second to say something for someone to hate you,” Lee said, “but it will take over 10 years for you to change that person’s mind about you.”


From Cheng Pei-pei to Michelle Yeoh, Hong Kong cinema’s history of action heroines

‘Rest in eternal peace’: veteran horror actor, filmmaker Simon Loui dies at age 62

How Cantopop lyricist Wyman Wong pushed Hong Kong’s LGBTQ, style and emotional boundaries

Museum brings back Leslie Cheung exhibition to mark late star’s 70th birthday

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

How Hacken Lee, once snubbed by fans and Manchester United, thrives as a Cantopop star

Hacken Lee at an interview with the Post in 2002. Photo: SCMP

Hacken Lee Hak-kan at an interview with the Post in 2005. The singer is a prominent figure in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, but his career has not all been plain sailing. Photo: SCMP

Hacken Lee at an interview with the Post in 1988. Photo: SCMP

Jackie Chan (left), Anita Mui (second from left), Cally Kwong (second from right), and Hacken Lee (right) attending a concert of the Japanese pop singer Saijo Hideki (centre) in 1989. Photo: SCMP

Hacken Lee at an interview with the Post in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Hacken Lee is a huge fan of the English football team Manchester United.

(From left) Cantopop singers Ekin Cheng, Hacken Lee and Leon Lai at the 18th Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award Presentation Concert in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Hacken Lee (left) and Alan Tam, pictured here performing after winning the Top Ten Gold Songs Award in 2003. Photo: AP

Hacken Lee performs at Hong Kong International Races opening ceremony at Sha Tin in 2022. Photo: Kenneth Chan

Why Miriam Yeung, leading Hong Kong singer and actress, ‘lost her whole self’ for a while

Leading Hong Kong singer and actress Miriam Yeung at an interview with the Post in 2017. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Miriam Yeung at an interview with the Post in 1997. Photo: SCMP

Yeung was named the best female singer in the Ultimate Song Chart Awards in 2003. Photo: SCMP

Yeung (centre) alongside Alex Fong in a still from the film Drink-Drank-Drunk (2005).

Yeung and Shawn Yue in a still from Love in a Puff (2010).

Yeung and Tony Leung Ka-fai pose with their best actress and best actor awards backstage at the Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony in April 2013. Photo: SCMP

Yeung and her husband, Real Ting, at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui in April 2016. Photo: SCMP

Yeung greets fans alongside a delegation of mainland Chinese Olympians at gala show at Queen Elizabeth Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo: SCMP/Eugene Lee

How Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung emerged from the shadow of his singer wife Kay Tse

Louis Cheung in an interview with the Post in 2011. At one time , Hong Kong tabloids mocked the singer, songwriter and actor for being less successful than his pop-star wife, Kay Tse. Now he is flying high. Photo: SCMP

Louis Cheung and Kay Tse arrive at the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony in April 2023. Photo: Sam Tsang

Louis Cheung (centre) pictured with fellow musicians Goro Wong (left) and Barry Tam, in 2004. Photo: SCMP

Cheung at an interview with the Post in 2007. That year, he took home the best composer title and a silver award for best singer-songwriter in Commercial Radio Hong Kong’s Ultimate Song Chart Awards. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Peter Chan, Ivana Wong, Dayo Wong and Cheung in a still from Table for Six (2022), currently the fourth-highest grossing Hong Kong film of all time. Photo: Edko Films

Cheung in a still from Keeper of Darkness (2015). He was nominated for best supporting actor in the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards.

Cheung at the gym; this selfie was posted on his Instagram in July 2024. Photo: Instagram/louischeung2013

Tse and Cheung at the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards in 2024. Photo: Sam Tsang

Cheung in a still from The Narrow Road (2022). For the part, he was nominated for best leading actor in the 2022 Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan and the 2023 Hong Kong Film Awards. Photo: Golden Scene

Who is Josephine Siao? How the popular Hong Kong actress went from child star to activist

Josephine Siao at an event in Hong Kong in 2011. Photo: SCMP

Josephine Siao at an interview with the Post in 1996. A child star who turned into one of Hong Kong’s most beloved actresses, she became an activist against child sexual abuse. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Bruce Lee, Wong Cho-san and Josephine Siao in a still from An Orphan’s Tragedy (1955).

Siao at an interview with the Post in 1969. She acted in more than 100 films before ending her screen career in the late 1990s. Photo: SCMP

Siao at a news conference in 1989. She attended Regis University in the US state of Colorado and earned a master’s degree in child psychology in 1990. Photo: SCMP

Film stars Michele Reis (left), Jet Li and Siao at a news conference in 1993. Photo: SCMP

Roy Chiao and Siao in a still from Summer Snow (1995). Photo: Golden Harvest

Siao with her 11 awards for the last time before donating them to the Hong Kong Film Archive in 1997. She retired from acting at the age of 50. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Actresses Deanie Ip, Michelle Yeoh, Cate Blanchett and Siao at an event in 2011. Photo: SCMP

Siao (centre) and Clarence Chang Ching-po (right) at the 15th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1996. Photo: SCMP

1980s Hong Kong pop idol Danny Chan’s bittersweet success story: his talent, fame, the tabloid rumours, his retirement and early death

Singer Danny Chan Pak-keung puts one of his albums in a time capsule in 1991. Photo: SCMP

Danny Chan was one of Hong Hong’s “Three Kings and A Queen of Cantopop” in the 1980s, with fellow idols Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui and Alan Tam. Photo: SCMP

Yvonne Siu, project manager of TVB, presents a souvenir to Danny Chan in 1984. Photo: SCMP

Chan singing at his own birthday party in 1988. Photo: SCMP

Chan (left) and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau at the Top Ten Pop Stars Election in 1987. Photo: SCMP

There were numerous rumours about a relationship between Pansy Ho and Chan. Photo: Weibo

Chan performing at a concert to promote Aids awareness in 1990. Photo: SCMP

Chan was taken to Queen Mary Hospital after collapsing at home on May 19, 1992. Photo: SCMP

Flanked by singer Anita Mui Yim-fong and actor Chow Yun-fat, Danny Chan’s older brother Chan Pak-ling carries his younger brother’s picture at the singer’s funeral in 1993. Photo: SCMP

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Music

Film & TV

Hong Kong’s pop culture icons

How Kelly Chen, Cantopop star and beloved Hong Kong actress, has captured the hearts of music and movie fans for three decades

Kelly Chen pictured in 1997. The secret to the Cantopop star and actress’s success? “I’ve just tried my best to grab any opportunity.” Photo: Dickson Lee

Chen (right) is presented with a prize at the Ultimate Song Chart Awards ceremony in January 1996 by Taiwanese singer Wu Chien-lien. Photo: SCMP

Chen (left) and Yutaka Takenouchi in a still from “Calmi Cuori Appassionati” (2001).

Chen (right) and Donnie Yen in a still from “An Empress and the Warriors” (2008).

Chen and her husband, Alex Lau Kin-ho, pose during their wedding ceremony at the InterContinental Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui in October, 2008. Photo: SCMP

Chen performs in the Grand Variety Show in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on June 30, 2007. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Ekin Cheng, Chen and Tony Leung Ka-fai in a still from “Horseplay” (2014).

Chen (left) and Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a still from “Infernal Affairs III” (2003).

A charity sale of Chen’s clothes, shoes and handbags took place in April 2023. Photo: Facebook/@kellychenwailam

How Hong Kong boy band Grasshopper, protégés of Cantopop legend Anita Mui, blazed a trail with their intoxicating dance pop music

(From left) Edmond So Chi-wai, Remus Choy Yat-kit and Calvin Choy Yat-chi of the Cantopop group Grasshopper at an interview with the Post in 2006. The boy band, formed in 1985, are still performing today. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Calvin Choy Yat-chi, Edmond So Chi-wai and Remus Choy Yat-kit, pictured in 1988. Photo: SCMP

Cantopop diva Anita Mui with Grasshopper at the Chinese Gold Songs award presentation ceremony at the Hong Kong Coliseum in January 1989. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Edmond So, Calvin Choy and Remus Choy at the opening of the Aiwa Music Expo at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in August 1991. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Calvin Choy, Roman Tam, Edmond So and Remus Choy backstage at a concert in Shanghai in July 1993. Photo: SCMP

(From second left) Edmond So, Remus Choy and Calvin Choy at the Ultimate Song Chart Awards presentation ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in January 1996. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Remus Choy, Calvin Choy and Edmond So at an interview with the Post in 2010. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Calvin Choy, Remus Choy and Edmond So on stage during TVB 55th Anniversary Gala on November 19, 2021. Photo: Getty Images

Takeshi Kaneshiro, one of the ‘most good-looking’ actors in Hong Kong cinema and star of some of Wong Kar-wai and Peter Chan’s best movies, is a man of mystery

Takeshi Kaneshiro at an interview with the Post in July 2004. Kaneshiro, who debuted as a singer in Taiwan in 1992, has not been seen on the big screen since 2017 – but remains as popular as ever. Photo: SCMP

Takeshi Kaneshiro and Zhou Dongyu in a still from “This Is Not What I Expected” (2017).

Takeshi Kaneshiro and Brigitte Lin in a still from “Chungking Express” (1994). 

Takeshi Kaneshiro and Kyoko Fukada in a still from the drama series “God, Please Give Me More Time” (1998).

(From left) Xu Jinglei, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Jet Li, Jacky Heung and director Peter Chan promote “The Warlords” at an event in December 2007. Photo: SCMP

Takeshi Kaneshiro in a still from “Perhaps Love” (2005).

Takeshi Kaneshiro and Michele Reis in “Fallen Angels” (1995). Photo: Block 2 Pictures and Jet Tone Contents

Takeshi Kaneshiro in an interview with the Post in December 2006. Photo: SCMP

Acting with Michelle Yeoh, modelling at 12: the Cinderella story of Isabella Leong, who passed up Hollywood to have children with Richard Li, younger son of Li Ka-shing

Isabella Leong Lok-sze promotes her 2014 appearance in a stage play. Photo: Felix Wong 

Isabella Leong in an interview with the Post in 2005. The Macanese actress put a halt to her acting career when she began dating Richard Li, the younger son of Li Ka-shing. Photo: SCMP

Leong (left) and Chapman To in a still from “Isabella” (2006).

Leong (left), Jaycee Chan and Charlene Choi at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards in April 2007. Photo: SCMP

Luke Ford (left) and Leong in a still from “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (2008).

Leong, Richard Li and their son, Ethan Li, in April 2009. 

Leong and Jim Chim at an event to promote “Sign of Happiness” in February 2014. Photo: SCMP

Leong in a still from “Murmur of the Hearts” (2015).

(From left) Leong, Paul Chun and Faye Yu in a still from “Love After Love” (2020).

Aaron Kwok, dancer, singer, actor, husband to Moka Fang, and father – how he went from being one of the ‘Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop’ to all-round star

Aaron Kwok with the prize for best actor he received at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2016. Photo: Edward Wong

Aaron Kwok at an interview with the Post in 2009. Kwok started his career as a background dancer nearly four decades ago. Now he is a beloved Cantopop singer and actor – and a smitten husband and proud father of two. Photo: SCMP

Kwok (right) alongside fellow Cantopop singers Andy Lau (left) and Jacky Cheung at an RTHK event in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Aaron Kwok, pictured in 1993. Photo: SCMP

Kwok won the Best Actor prize at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2016. Photo: Edward Wong

Kwok (right) and Charlie Young play a troubled couple in “After This Our Exile” (2006).

Kwok performs at an event organised by RTHK at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in 2001. Photo: SCMP.

Kwok (left) and Chow Yun-fat in a still from “Project Gutenberg” (2018).

Kwok with his wife, Moka Fang Yuan, in Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Photo: Kenneth Chan

How Hong Kong actress Carina Lau rose to stardom from her ‘mainland girl’ roots, overcame topless photos scandal and wed Tony Leung Chiu-wai

Carina Lau Ka-ling. Photo: Instagram/@carinalau1208

Hong Kong actress Carina Lau Ka-ling, pictured in 1993 soon after her career breakthrough in a Wong Kar-wai film. Married since 2008 to fellow actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, she is known for her style and class, and some iconic roles. Photo: SCMP

Cheung Siu-fai and Lau promoting TVB series “The Turbulent Decade” in 1986. Photo: SCMP

(Clockwise from top right) Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, Lau, Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Tony Leung Chiu-wai on the set of Wong Kar-wai’s movie “Days of Being Wild” in 1990. Photo: SCMP

Carina Lau in a still from “Ashes of Time” (1994).

Carina Lau and Nicholas Tse celebrate with their trophies after winning the best actor and best actress awards at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2011. Photo: SCMP

Carina Lau and Tony Leung at the opening night of hit musical “Les Miserables” at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Carina Lau in a still from “In Your Dreams” (2018).

Lau and Leung at the 16th Asian Film Awards in March 2023. Photo: Dickson Lee

The rise of Hong Kong actress Sharla Cheung, star of Stephen Chow and Wong Jing films, and the surprise movie she made after retiring

Sharla Cheung, Stephen Chow SIng-chi (centre) and Ng Man-tat in “All for the Winner”. Photo: Handout

Actress Sharla Cheung Man at the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony in 2005. Discovered in the 1980s by Wong Jing, she starred opposite Stephen Chow, Andy Lau and Chow Yun-fat in a string of 1980s and 1990s box office hits. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Sharla Cheung, Stephen Chow and Ng Man-tat in a still from “All for the Winner” (1990). Photo: Win’s Movie Production

Stephen Chow (left) and Sharla Cheung in a still from “Fight Back to School” (1991). Photo: Win’s Movie Production

Sharla Cheung in a still from “Fist of Fury 1991” (1991).

(From left) Ng Man-tat, Stephen Chow and Sharla Cheung in a still from “Fight Back to School”. Photo: Win’s Movie Production and I/E Co. Ltd

Hong Kong actress Sharla Cheung attends the opening ceremony of the Entertainment Expo in Hong Kong in 2005. Photo: Reuters

How American-born Chinese actor Daniel Wu juggled Hong Kong and Hollywood to become a star in both films and TV on two continents

US-born actor Daniel Wu, star of Westworld, Tomb Raider and Shinjuku Incident, fell into acting while on holiday in Hong Kong, getting cast in an ad. This led to role after role, and 25 years later, Wu has nearly 70 films under his belt. Photo: Harry C

Wu and Alicia Vikander in a still from “Tomb Raider” (2018). Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment

Wu next to Jackie Chan at a promotional event for “Shinjuku Incident” in Malaysia in 2009. Photo: Handout

Wu (left) and Stephen Fung play gay lovers in the film “Bishonen” (1998). Photo: Far-Sun Film

Wu with his award for best supporting actor for the film “New Police Story” at the 41st Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan in 2004. Photo: Reuters

Wu (centre) on the set of “One Nite In Mongkok” in 2004, with director Derek Yee (left) and actress Cecilia Cheung. Photo: Handout

Wu (right) in a still from “The Heavenly Kings”, the 2006 mockumentary film he directed, alongside “bandmates” Conroy Chan (left), Andrew Lin (second from left) and Terence Yin (second from right). Photo: Handout

Wu in a still from “Into the Badlands” season 1. Photo: James Dimmock/AMC

Wu and Michelle Yeoh in a still from “American Born Chinese”. Photo: Disney+

Wu and Lisa Selesner celebrate their marriage in 2010. Photo: Berton Cheng

How Sammi Cheng became a Cantopop superstar, celebrated actress and style icon, but has endured a rocky relationship with husband Andy Hui

Cantopop singer, actress and style icon Sammi Cheng in 2004 ahead of the release of the film “Yesterday Once More”. Her entertainment career spans five decades, and in 2023 she finally won best actress in the Hong Kong Film Awards. Photo: SCMP

Cheng pictured in 1988. Photo: SCMP

Cheng at a performance in 1993. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Cantopop singers Cheng, Priscilla Chan Wai-han and Cass Phang Ling at a press conference in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Cheng (right) in a still from “Lost Love” (2023).

An undated photo of Cheng with Andy Hui. Photo: Weibo

Cheng and Daniel Wu in a still from “Everlasting Regret” (2005). She was nominated for best actress for her part in the following year’s Hong Kong Film Awards.

Cheng alongside Andy Lau in a still from “Blind Detective” (2013), for which she was again nominated for best actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Cheng performs in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Cheng and Hui perform at a concert in 2010.

Cheng with her trophy for best actress for her role in “Lost Love” at the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui on April 16, 2023. Photo: Dickson Lee

How Cantopop singer Ronald Cheng went from troublemaker to Charlene Choi’s secret husband to one of Hong Kong’s best-loved comic actors

Hong Kong singer and actor Ronald Cheng Chung-kei at an interview with the Post in 2006. The Cantopop star is now one of Hong Kong cinema’s most beloved comedy stars, but his rise to the top has been a bumpy one. Photo: SCMP

Cheng pictured in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Cheng after the incident in 2000 on Eva Air Flight BR005 that led to his arrest for assault. 

(From left) Actors Shawn Yu, Sandra Ng, Cheng and Jacky Cheung attend the premiere of “Golden Chicken 2” at the Windsor Theatre in Hong Kong in December 2003. Photo: SCMP

Cheng (front) in a still from “Dragon Reloaded” (2005).

Cheng and Charlene Choi announcing their divorce, and acknowledging their marriage, at a news conference in 2010. Photo: SCMP

Cheng (left) and Chapman To in a still from “Vulgaria” (2012).

Cheng and his wife, Sammie Yu, at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2018. Photo: AP

Cherie Chung a screen goddess, the Marilyn Monroe of Hong Kong, fans said – how she retired from acting at the height of her career and hasn’t looked back

Cherie Chung at an interview with the Post in 2006. Photo: SCMP

Cherie Chung at an interview with the Post in 1995. Once called the Marilyn Monroe of Hong Kong, Chung rose to fame during the 1980s and appeared in almost 50 films – before walking away from it all at the age of 31. Photo: SCMP

Chung modelling a qipao during the semi-finals of the Miss Hong Kong 1979 beauty pageant. Photo: SCMP

Richard Ng and Chung in a still from “Winners and Sinners” (1983). Photo: Eureka Entertainment.

Chung and Chow Yun-fat in a still from “An Autumn’s Tale” (1987).

(From left) Maggie Cheung, Chung and Shingo Tsurumi in a still from “Last Romance” (1988).

Chung and her husband, Mike Chu, in 1992. Photo: SCMP

Chung pursued a long-standing interest in photography. Photo: Handout

Chung at the launch of “Accredited Green Family Scheme” managed by the Friends of the Earth in 1995. Photo: SCMP

Chung at an interview with the Post in 2014. Photo: SCMP

‘The flowers were for me’: when Hong Kong actor Lau Ching-wan found fame, his belief in destiny and his 25 years with wife Amy Kwok

Lau celebrates winning best actor in the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2007. Photo: SCMP

Lau Ching-wan at an interview with the Post in 2009. Often cast to play the tough guy, Lau has shown his talent for romance and comedy too, and is a 14-time best actor winner in various film awards shows. Photo: SCMP

Lau at an interview with the Post in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Lau and Anita Yuen in a still from “C’est la vie, mon cheri” (1993).

Lau at the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards in 2023, where he won best actor for a third time. Photo: Sam Tsang/SCMP

Bowie Lam (left) and Lau in a still from “The Greed of Man” (1992).

Lau at the 18th Hong Kong Film Awards with his wife, Amy Kwok, in 1999. Photo: SCMP

Lau and his wife on the red carpet at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards. Photo: SCMP

Lau at an interview with the Post in 2015. Photo: SCMP

‘The other woman’, difficult: how Yammie Lam’s screen career soared before tabloid gossip and  personal blows brought her low

Hong Kong actress Yammie Lam Kit-ying rose to prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s – but her career was cut short and she was found dead aged 55 in 2018. Photo: Media Asia 

Hong Kong actress Yammie Lam Kit-ying rose to prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s – but her career was cut short and she was found dead at the age of 55. Photo: Apple Daily

ProfileHow Hacken Lee, once snubbed by fans and Manchester United, thrives as a Cantopop star

The singer has made his mark on Cantopop despite once being told by superstar Anita Mui that she wanted to ‘slap you upside the head’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The singer has made his mark on Cantopop despite once being told by superstar Anita Mui that she wanted to ‘slap you upside the head’

The singer has made his mark on Cantopop despite once being told by superstar Anita Mui that she wanted to ‘slap you upside the head’