Unemployed Hong Kong TV actors move to China for work on drama series – and live-stream selling

Work for actors has dried up in Hong Kong because of the impact of 2019’s street protests and Covid-19, leaving hundreds unemployed and taking handouts

Some have tried their luck in China, and say work is plentiful – but they have to brush up on their Mandarin Chinese and the work practices there

Reading Time:3 minutes

A lack of jobs in Hong Kong is driving entertainers like former TVB actor Evergreen Mak Cheung-ching to China, where professional opportunities are plentiful. Photo: Weibo

Published: 9:00am, 10 Jul 2021Updated: 9:56am, 10 Jul 2021

Evergreen Mak Cheung-ching and four other former actors with Hong Kong broadcaster TVB took part in a reality television show last year, in which they had menial jobs like delivering parcels and working as a service station attendant.

They didn’t do it for laughs, but to make a living.

Mak said openly on the show, Midlife Crisis, screened on Hong Kong television channel ViuTV in June 2020, that the lack of job opportunities in Hong Kong show business had placed a heavy financial burden on him and his family, especially since his children began going to university.

“Before, I thought Hong Kong was a place where you can make ends meet as long as you are hard-working,” he said. “But recently, it’s no longer the case. I haven’t had any work since shooting for C9 Tour wrapped up,” he added, referring to a ViuTV travel show.

Mak was spotted working as a pandemic control volunteer in Guangzhou in March. Photo: Douyin

In March this year, Mak, 52, decided to cross the border. Two months later, he signed with the Chinese entertainment agency Hai Xi Chuan Mei. It was the first time he had worked in mainland China after working with TVB for three decades, Mak tells the Post.

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