Cheung Kwok Wing cohabited with a love swindler

Source: City Magazine (1985) Mak Uen Shou

Translated by Daydreamer in January 2006

Cheung Kwok Wing is the new superstar in the song world. His aura and popularity have caught up with Alan Tam “The Most Favoured One”. But before he got to this present status, he has encountered a lot of unpleasantness, leading him to the fear of getting married. He uncovered himself the details about his cohabiting relationship with a love swindler in the past….

● “Cheung Kwok Wing, is that your real name?”
O "Yes."

● "When were you born? "
O "September 12, 1956. My native place was Guangdong Hakkas, but I was born in Hong Kong. "

● "What were the occupations of your parents? "
O "My father was a tailor who made men’s suits. My mother was his assistant as well as his secretary. My family may be considered as middle-upper class."

● "Were your parents fond of you?"
O "They were not."

● "Why?"
O “I did not live with my parents, therefore, there was a generation gap. Our relationship was more like that of friends. In my childhood, I felt very lonely. I lived with my four elder sisters, two elder brothers and my grandmother, but I am the youngest one and since the brother before me got killed after contracting meningitis, therefore, there is a gap of eight years between me and the brother who is closest to me age-wise. As a result, although my brothers all loved and cared about me, we still could hardly communicate.”

Silent revolution

● "So you haven't lived with your parents at all throughout? "
O "Yes, the longest period that I spent with my father was for several days only. Usually it was me who went to look for him at his tailor shop.”

● "Have you ever felt like parentless at all? "
O "Yes, I have, but I am accustomed to loneliness. In my childhood, I extraordinarily liked quietness. I could be considered as a good kid, I therefore had the love of the superiors."

● “When you were at secondary school, did you have any worry? "
O “I was very rebellious and had an inferiority complex, because every time when I visited my friends or schoolmates, they all had the love of their parents, while I was the only one who hadn’t. Gradually I disliked studying, except for English, the subject that I loved most. Most of the time, I spent my time at the tennis court, or chasing after girls.

● “Do you remember your most rebellious occasion?”
O “The way I rebelled really looks like James Dean on the screen. I did not grab someone and then hit him up crazily. Instead, I handled my revolution in a silent way, refusing to speak and to communicate with anyone. I had my own thinking and behaviour, but that did not mean I was weird.”

● "Did your stubbornness mean resenting the world and detesting mundane affairs?"
O "Not to that stage, but I had my own objective and way of living."

● "What was your innermost feeling or dissatisfaction at that time? "
O "Throughout, the issue that bothered me was why I could not live with my parents like any other people did. "

● "Have you ever thought of a way to solve the problem?”
O This matter has been bothering me continuously. Up to this moment, more or less, my fear towards marriage was the result of this. I don’t believe in marriage. I don’t trust that the marriage system can bring happiness or contentment to life. Therefore even though a couple really loves each other very much, I only approve that they cohabit, unless they strongly believe that they can live harmoniously together, but, it is a big challenge to be able to fully understand each other. It would probably take up more than ten years to do so.

● “Usually when someone grew up without any love from his parents, do you think he would need the love of their parents more, or he would feel more desolate towards love?
O “I am longing for other’s love very much, but also treat it very lightly. This is very contradictory. I have attempted to let other people like me, then devoted all my love to her, even though I had to leave my family to do so. But unfortunately I got refused. Other people just hae not had the sincerity like I had. I found it very unfair. But actually what I considered unfair was mainly because of the consequence that the environment had done to me in my childhood. I was neither right nor wrong. Just that everyone’s family background and living environment are different.”

Fatal disaster

● Can we divide your love into the earlier period and the later period? In the earlier period, because of your lack of love, therefore, you very much needed love, but then because you had too many unpleasant lessons, therefore you felt very light towards love. Right?”

O “You may say that. I am now very positive towards love. If I happen to meet a girl that I love, I will devote all my love to her wholeheartedly.”

● "That fervor is temporarily being hidden in your heart. Right? "
O “Yes, as hidden in my songs. I am waiting for it to be exploded one day. I love singing, and through the songs I may convey the messages that I keep in the bottom of my heart. I also love acting because in the movies I may enjoy to be a lucky man who is being loved.”

● “The greater the expectation, the bigger the disappointment. Your need for love must have created a lot of opportunities for you to be refused. Did you have any love affairs when studying?”
O “Yes, but those were PUPPY LOVE and I have not stopped loving at all.”

● “Have you ever got refused badly?”
O “Yes. I had encountered with a swindler, a female “swindler” who has injured me spiritually. I was 22-23 years old then. I met a girl. On the surface, she was very kind to me. She cared for me and even cohabited with me. She had even met with my family. Until one day she had a monetary dispute with my family. She wanted to buy a car and tried to swindle a sum of money from me. Fortunately, this was discovered in good time and there was no great loss, however, our affection could never be mended anymore.”

● “Did you consider being deceived spiritually or monetarily at that time?”
O “I was deceived spiritually. I thought there is a type of person who is most fearful -- not a liar, but someone who after telling a lie still believed that she was telling the truth and was not willing to acknowledge it. She deceived herself as well as others, and thought that what she did was true and right. Today I still hate her. I believe that she only feels that the most lovable person in the world was herself. Therefore no matter how she deceived you, she still thought that it worth her while to do so and was real.”

● “How did you face the spiritual attack?”
O “At that time I had already moved out of my family and stayed in a hotel for some time, waiting for my mood to calm down. I did so because other than the money and family problems, it also involved some “bad guys”. I had to get all those matters settled before I went home as I thought my life was in danger, but fortunately nothing bad happened.”

● “After having encountered with such a love swindler, and getting the family involved and affected, the originally existing big gap between you and your parents, how did your parents treat you after this incident?”
O “They looked at this matter as an outsider. They showed care and support to me and advised me that after learning a lesson from such unpleasant experience, I should be more careful next time. Although they did show care towards me, that did not change our generation gap. Until now, I am still closer to my maid [Luk Cher] than to my parents. I may tell my maid everything but not to my parents. I can only say “Hello” to them. I believe this knot was too tight to be undone.”

Frustration for the first time

● “A friend of mine signed me up for a singing contest organized by a television station. He did not get through the first round, but I went all the way to the final. So eventually I started my career in the entertainment world.”

● “Did your parents object to your decision?”
O “No. They know that I am stubborn. It wouldn’t help even if they objected. From the first day I signed my contract, I left the family and started living on my own.”

● "Why didn't you consider studying? "
O "I thought that it was time for me to go into the society. At that time, I had confidence in doing well in the entertainment circle, but it was not the case."

● "What qualification did you have to make you so confident in the entertainment circle? "
O “I know how to sing. I may also act in soap operas. I thought I had high hope and should have some achievement, but the result was the contrary. I discovered that I was green and needed more practice. It was a gamble.”

● “You were frustrated after entering into the entertainment world. Right?”
O “Yes, initially I felt very “happy” when first joining the entertainment world. Everything was so fresh and curious. The first day I entered the make-up room of the Rediffusion Television Station, I could already feel other people’s unfriendliness. I was considered as an “invader”. People said something bad to me and were most unfriendly. I had to endure it without making any complaint. After joining the entertainment world for several years, I have made a lot of friends, it wasn’t too bad at all.”

● "What was the name of your first phonograph record? "
O “It was an English song record. After getting the second place in the song contest, a recording company signed me up as their contract singer. To try me out, they published a single phonograph record, but the reaction was not very good. The first time getting defeated was at the POP FOLK show in probably 1977. I remember at that show, “Winners” [a group with Alan Tam and Kenny Bee as the vocals] and Sam Hui were the singers rounding up the show. When I first put in my appearance on the stage, I was booed from beginning till end. People kept shouting “Go back home and sleep”. I did not think this kind of treatment was necessary. This was my first time of frustration.”

● "Was this the most frustrated experience? "
O “I do not like to look back. Being too rigid will only affect my own future and my progress. Therefore I will not weigh the unpleasant events. However, that certainly was my first time feeling “let down” and being defeated.

● "After returning to the backstage, how did you feel?"
O “Since I have chosen this as my career, I have to do it anyway. I simply could not give it up after three months. I would not give up simply because I was booed because I didn’t want my honour to be ruined this way. I am a person with principle. Whatever I do I must do it well and perfect and let people feel that I can do it well. They did not accept me then, it was because they did not know me, and had not wholeheartedly listened to me singing, or perhaps I might have sung poorly, but some day I would prepare myself well. I would make them recognize and appreciate me.”

● "Have you ever cried? "
O “No, I had never shed a tear because of the entertainment business. I remember that at one time when I was performing in Shatin, I threw my hat to the audience, however, the hat was thrown back to the stage and the audience clapped their hands to echo. That was the biggest insult I have ever had. I however still had the spirit of “Ah Q” [“Ah Q” is the main character of a famous Chinese classic novel who has a very optimistic character]. I knew how to comfort myself. I thought that everyone should know how to forgive others. I chose to forgive that audience, but I don’t know if that audience has ever forgiven me. At that time, I was a stranger to the audience, but he treated me in that manner. I didn’t have to feel sorry for that person. They didn’t deserve having me shed my tears for them. It simply was a waste of my time.”

● “After being booed, how did you spend your days and what was the reaction of your recording company?”
O “The boss of the recording company told me that it would be very difficult for them to continue working with me anymore, but I felt I still had a bit of luck. From then on, I started acting in soap operas. During that period of time, I even had the chance to travel [on singing tour]. I had practiced a lot of songs. After stage performances, I also made some movies. Furthermore, I sang some theme songs. Then I joined Capital Artists. I must say I had some fortunate opportunities. Besides, I had the chance to drill and discipline myself. I am not afraid of the fate playing dice with me and I do not fear that I did worse than other people. I thought that had enriched my life, and I also felt that my life had not been wasted."

● “This is your theory of real life experience. In the entertainment world, did anyone else give you any advice?”
O “There were some, but it would be difficult for me to mention his/their names here. Say, for example, there is a singer who is really lucky. He has all the potential. But luck will not be with him all the time. No one can attain luck forever. There are only a few chances in one’s life, therefore, it depends very much on whether one knows how to get hold of them, or just let it go. And I thought that that singer should makes= good use of that opportunity, instead he indulges himself, easily satisfies with his present situation, thinking that nobody will go beyond him -- actually there are many people around him who are waiting for those opportunities; eventually, one day someone will be better than him, and will go beyond him. It will be too late for him. Just like a turtle and rabbit race, he can hardly fight back. It is also possible that he will forever be unable to recover after the setback.

● “Do you consider yourself lucky?”
O “Half and half. Very few people will be prosperous or lucky throughout, but when I was frustrated, I would do things positively, and people may not be aware of this. And today, when I have the chance to show off and display my real strength, people just thought that I was lucky. They have obliterated my hardworking and endeavours.”