From YouTube to the big stage, Pomato’s Christy Choi Hiu-tung – also known as Tung Tung – is making her voice heard

“Is there any use telling me this? Tell my boss. You ask me to rest. But I will get scolded once I rest,” she screams in the video, posted in May, a few weeks after the Hong Kong government launched its heat warning system.

Choi’s character passionately expresses the grievances of workers, lamenting the system’s lack of effectiveness as it is only a guide, not a law that employers must abide by.

“There are no consequences if the bosses don’t follow. It has no effectiveness and no supporting measures. Then what can I do?”

The video, which has more than 126,000 views, is part of a series on Pomato, one of the city’s most popular YouTube entertainment channels.

In this series, Choi plays a girl who voices her discontent with a variety of relatable issues, from annoying online advertisements to people who make too much noise while eating. Her spirited tirades have earned her the nickname “Furious Tung”.

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In an interview with Young Post, Choi attributed the success of her character to Pomato’s director, Go Ling, who recognised the need for someone who could give a voice to the everyday complaints and problems of Hongkongers.

“[The director] found that many people in Hong Kong are facing stress and have things on their minds that they don’t dare to raise which is actually a problematic issue,” Choi explained.

“So he thought we needed a role – a very furious role – to appear and to complain about this world ... This is why there is such a furious character.”

The actress also stressed that her on-screen persona did not reflect her true self and hoped her future roles would not be defined by this one.

“Actresses shouldn’t be bound by a specific category of character,” she noted.

Choi’s passion for acting was nurtured during her secondary school years when she took part in interschool drama festivals. She graduated from City University of Hong Kong with a degree in media and communication.

The rising star began her career with Pomato in 2016 while she was still in secondary school and has since made an impact on the small screen – she has more than 287,000 followers on her own Instagram account and has even been a host on a ViuTV show.

Pomato series such as “Plans for Getting Rich” and “Bao Ding Gai Tung” primarily rely on Choi to initiate ideas for content.

While her career as a YouTuber seems to offer independence to create her own content, Choi also shared that this aspect of her work is not as appealing as most people imagine. The freedom to create whatever content she wants requires self-discipline and motivation.

“There’s no [one] ... to monitor what I submit or what I do every day,” she noted. “Most of the time, I am required to be studious and think about what content to cover.”

The YouTuber has learned the importance of having a clear direction and focusing only on the ideas that contribute to her vision.

“There are too many possible ideas, where people will easily get into the trap of thinking about the other [unnecessary] things and lose track,” Choi explained. “This is something that requires my self-discipline.”

Looking ahead, Choi hopes to bring Hong Kong culture to a global audience.

As normal travel has resumed after the Covid-19 pandemic, she envisions collaborations with YouTubers in Taiwan, where cultural similarities and a lack of language barriers would make communication easier.

“Maybe [we can] just meet up and have a chat, get to know each other’s YouTube circle,” she said.

Within the local YouTube community, Choi hopes to collaborate with fellow content creators from a variety of channels. By initiating crossover projects, she hopes to expand her viewers’ horizons and introduce Pomato to those who have yet to discover it.

“I hope by crossing over between different sectors, I can attract my audience [to look at an issue] or bring in those who never heard of Pomato,” she added.

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While YouTube is still a significant part of her life, Choi is also exploring new avenues for acting.

For the past few weekends, the young actress has been taking the stage for Always by Your Side, an interactive horror show that opened on October 20 and will end on November 4. The performance is an offshoot of a popular supernatural radio programme, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

This show has offered Choi the chance to shed her YouTube persona and showcase her acting prowess.

“Stage performance is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m so happy to be able to do a stage play this year,” the actress wrote in an Instagram post.

Reflecting on the past seven years of her career, Tung Tung advises aspiring YouTubers to be brave and take the first step towards their goals.

“The threshold of YouTube is only one button. Once you register a YouTube account and upload a video, you are considered a YouTuber,” she noted.

Her biggest piece of advice is to explore your interests and embrace what makes you unique.

“Many people want to film [on] YouTube. What I tell them every time is try to find your own interest because it is difficult to carry on if you don’t like the things you are currently working on,” she said.

“You will ... [get] in the groove when you are dealing with the things you like.”