Watching Hong Kong diva, actress and MC Liza Wang Ming-chun (汪明荃) hosting the Grand Variety Show in Celebration of 25th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Return to the Motherland (慶祝香港回歸祖國二十五周年文藝晚會) on TVB last Friday brought back pleasant memories of her show in Macau that I attended at The Venetian Theatre on June 2, and they also inspired me to write this article about her life-long contributions not just to Hong Kong society but the whole nation.
Wang is a living legend who has been working tirelessly over five decades. She is well-known for her perseverance as well as great attitude towards her profession and work.
She has earnt huge respect from the people she works with. Wang has been nicknamed the “Big Sister” (阿姐) in the Hong Kong entertainment field. She was a deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC) from 1988 to 1997, and she is now a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Wang was born in Shanghai in 1947. She moved, with her family, to Hong Kong in 1956. In 1967, she started her career as an actress with Rediffusion Television Limited (麗的映聲) (later renamed, the now defunct, Asia Television/ATV) until she joined TVB in 1971.
Wang is passionate about singing in different styles such as Chinese folk songs, Cantopop and Mandopop, particularly theme songs of TV drama series such as Yesterday’s Glitter (京華春夢) and Love and Passion (萬水千山總是情). Wang has received numerous awards for acting as well as singing throughout her long career.
Wang has been continuously looking for new challenges and breakthroughs. In 1983, she set up a Cantonese opera troupe (滿堂紅劇團). In 1988, she met Cantonese opera singer and actor Law Kar-ying (羅家英) who shared his knowledge with and mentored Wang. He collaborated with Wang in opera performances. They married in 2009 in Las Vegas. Wang has chaired the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong (香港八和會館) for many years. The association promotes Cantonese opera’s culture and education.
Wang performed in Macau in June 2018 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her career. Wang told reporters during a press conference on May 30 that she planned to be in Macau again to perform with The Macao Chinese Orchestra as the closing concert of The Macao Arts Festival (MAF) in 2020. Unfortunately, the concert was postponed due the COVID-19 pandemic. As she did not want to wait any longer, she decided to come to Macau even though she was required to undergo 14-day quarantine plus seven days of self-health management, Wang pointed out.
The concert, titled “Liza Wang and The Macao Chinese Orchestra” of the “32nd Macao Arts Festival (MAF)”, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), was finally held on Thursday, June 2 at The Venetian Theatre. However, the response was overwhelming and the tickets had quickly sold out, therefore, an additional concert was held on June 1.
Flowers to Liza from Shanghai fans.
Hu Yongyan (胡咏言) was the concert’s conductor. Hu is a Chinese American who was born into a musical family in Shanghai. He graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music (中央音樂學院) in 1983, and went on to Yale University and the Juilliard School to study under German-born US conductor Otto-Werner Mueller, and graduated in 1989. His conducting career has seen him cross the world and he has collaborated with world-class orchestras as well as artists such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Lang Lang. In 2020, he was appointed professor at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and artistic director of the Orchestra Academy.
Wang performed at the closing concerts with over 50 musicians from The Macao Chinese Orchestra under conductor Hu. The Macau Post Daily was lucky to obtain a ticket. Wang told the audience that Ms. Bao Bei-li (鮑蓓莉), who passed away in February 2020, was her first singing teacher. She learnt a lot from Bao singing Mandarin art and folk songs. Wang performed Bao’s popular song called “Send Me a Rose” (送我一支玫瑰花) at the concert. Wang also sang some of her classic TV theme hit songs such as Young’s Female Warrior (楊門女將) and Limelight Years (華麗轉身) composed by her long-time music partners Joseph Koo Kar-fai (顧嘉煇) and Anthony Lun Wing-leung (倫永亮) respectively.
Wang thanked all her fans for their tremendous support all throughout her career. Besides local fans, some had travelled from different parts of the mainland to Macau.
Wang said she hoped everyone enjoyed the concert and would keep it as a warm and beautiful memory. She shared with the audience she was happy that she made the decision to come to Macau. She encouraged everyone to treasure every moment in their life. “No one knows what would happen the next day, not sure if I could sing anymore”, she added.
Photos taken on June 2 at The Venetian Theatre by Camy Tam and a Liza Wang fan who prefers to remain anonymous.
Wang underlined that she was happy to see her local friends who had shown her around. She thanked them for their hospitability during her stay, adding that she was able to enjoy a wide range of different cuisines in Macau. Besides sharing her music, Wang said that she was also acting like an ambassador for Macau, promoting the local culture as well as tourism, for which she has published photos, videos and information on her social media apps.
Wang is not only an entertainment icon but also an exemplary person.
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