Joyce Cheng Yan-yee Is Done With Haters
The daughter of late actress and TVB legend Lydia Shum and actor Adam Cheng Siu-chow continues to make her mother proud with her first business, Homie Cookies.
I grew up in Canada. We all grew up with those ooey gooey soft chocolate chip cookies that you make at home. I moved to Hong Kong in 2006. I spent a large chunk of my life going through major dieting. I was seeing a nutritionist; I was taking western as well as Chinese medicine to help me lose weight. My life was to lose weight. I allowed society’s mentality of “you will only fit in” or “you will only shine if you fit this mold” [to get to me]. I was only 16—I don’t think I had found myself yet and I just wanted approval from everyone.
My mom and dad separated when I was eight months old. My mom had always worked in Hong Kong. I pretty much lived by myself. I don’t think I had to grow up extra quick, I just think I did. It’s definitely not normal, not the type of thing I would want my own kids to go through. In the most ideal world, I would like them to have a complete family with mom and dad present. With different circumstances, you never know.
I think my mom did the best that she could. My mom has always been my hero. She was always just such a tough lady. She herself was also a very cheerful, positive person. Her image was the “happy fruit” [one of Lydia Shum’s nicknames]. It made me think: You always had to bring this positive energy to people, but what if you have a bad day? Who’s supposed to make you happy? You don’t really have anyone to do that for you.
If you’re a water jug and you keep pouring out, you have to refill at some point. It’s like she had endless amounts of energy and endless amount of goodness to give to people. That was very admirable. Her work ethic was also just amazing.
There were 300-plus complaints made [about Cheng’s appearance during her performance as Snow White at the opening of Disneyland Hong Kong in 2005]. I thought it was a joke. I was just a kid back then. I was quick to move past it, but it wasn’t quick for my mother. She was really offended. I’d be on the phone with my mom, and I kept on telling her “the sky won’t fall down.”
The thing with tabloids is, the more you fight back, the more material they have. So I always told my mom: Don’t let them win.