Profile | How Nancy Sit went from a princess of Cantonese cinema to Hong Kong’s beloved TV matriarch
After leaving the spotlight at the height of her fame, Nancy Sit overcame personal struggles, reinvented herself and returned to superstardom
With her signature forehead mole, infectious laughter and seemingly ageless, indomitable spirit, Nancy Sit Ka-yin has earned her title as the “elder sister” of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry.
To the generations who grew up watching her, she is simply Ka-yin Je (Big Sister Ka-yin), or Ka-yin Mama, a symbol of warmth, resilience and unshakeable joy. Yet, to view her journey solely as one of longevity is to miss the point.
Sit’s story, spanning from the final golden years of black-and-white Cantonese cinema to the digital age of streaming, is one of metamorphosis: a precocious child star who evolved past her ingénue years, a woman who rebuilt her life from shattering personal despair, and an actress who grew into the warm, steadfast matriarch for the city.
Born in Hong Kong to a Fujianese family in 1950, Sit has seen her contributions to the arts and the community recognised with prestigious honours, including the HKSAR Medal of Honour in 2000, making her the first actress to receive it.