10 of the Most Famous People from Hong Kong

Hong Kong harbour skyline Photo by Benh Lieu Song – Wikimedia

10 Most Famous People from Hong Kong.

Hong Kong special administrative region of China, located to the east of the Pearl River (Zhu Jiang) estuary on the south coast of China. Hong Kong Island was originally ceded by China to Great Britain in 1842.

 The island remains limited in space and natural resources, and it faces persistent problems of overcrowding, trade fluctuations, and social and political unrest.

Nevertheless, Hong Kong has emerged strong and prosperous manufacturing and financial centre and a vital agent in the trade and modernization of China.

Over the years Hong Kong has become the cradle to some to influential people, whether it is in music or film, science or even architecture.

The city itself is world-class with its unique and incredibly varied cuisine to its enviable skyline.

Hong Kong is a confluence of cultures that prepares its citizenry to take its place in the global arena. Here are just 10 of the most famous people from Hong Kong.

1. Maggie Cheung – Actress

Photo by Roger Wo – Wikimedia

Maggie Cheung Man-yuk born in Hong Kong is a former actress. She broke into acting after placing second in 1983’s Miss Hong Kong Pageant.

The actress achieved critical success in the late 1980s and into the early 2000s. She was cast in over 70 films during her career.

Cheung mostly appeared in action movies.

The prolific actress became the first Asian actress to win a prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Cheung is multilingual she speaks Cantonese, English, Mandarin and French.

She offered a role in the film X2: X-Men United (2003) but turned it down because she did her stunts herself by doing CGI movies would amount to cheating.

A true master of the craft of making films.

2.      Anita Mui- Singer & Actress

Her rags to riches story endear her to Hongkongers who fondly referred to her as “the daughter of Hong Kong. Anita Mui Yim-Fong was a Hong Kong singer and actress.

During her prime years, Mui made major contributions to the Canto-pop music scene while receiving numerous awards and honours.

She died of cervical cancer but is still wildly loved.

In England, she was dubbed the “Madonna of Asia” a title that stayed with her throughout her career.

Her fan base reached far beyond Hong Kong into many parts of Asia, including Taiwan, mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia.

She defied Hong Kong’s tradition in the entertainment industry where stars often rise and fall quickly, Mui stayed in the centre stage for 21 years.

She is remembered not only for her music and film but also for her involvement in charity and humanitarian work.

3. Sammo Hung- Martial Arts

Photo by Gabbo T – Wikimedia

Sammo Hung born Hung Kam Po is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, producer and director, known for his work in many kung fu films and Hong Kong action cinema.

He has been a fight choreographer for, amongst others, Jackie Chan, King Hu, and John Woo.

Hung is one of the important people who spearheaded the Hong Kong New Wave movement that helped reinvent the martial arts film genre He was trained by the famous master Yu Jim-Yuen the ‘Godfather’ of Hong Kong kung fu cinema.

He is credited with lifting many of his compatriots by giving them their starts in the Hong Kong film industry, through casting them in films or employing them as production crew.

4.  Romola Garai- Film Director

Photo by David Seow – Wikimedia

Romola Sadie Garai is a British actress and film director. She was born in Hong Kong, to British parents.

Garai’s great-grandfather, Bernhard “Bert” Garai, founded the Keystone Press Agency a photographic agency and archive, in London, in the early 20th century.

Her bad experience during her debut into acting nearly made her quit the profession.  She was only 17 years and described the movie set as “a cesspit of horrific misogyny”.

Shunning Tinsel town following the bad experience, the BAFTA-nominated star eventually helped take down Harvey Weinstein during the #MeToo campaign.

 Since then she has played roles in Amazing Grace, Atonement, Glorious 39, and in the BBC series Emma.

She has received 2 Golden Globe Award nominations and a BAFTA award one too.

Her directorial work includes Scrubber and the horror film Amulet.

5.      Aron Kwok – Dancer

Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor. The media refer to him, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Canto-pop Four Heavenly Kings.

After he lost his jewellery shop job he applied for a dancer-training course at TVB became a professional dancer and started on a journey that eventually led to acting.

Kwok’s onstage dancing and displays are inspired by Michael Jackson earning the moniker “Hong Kong’s Michael Jackson”.

He is one of Hong Kong and Asia’s most important pop stars.

The guru has won over a hundred music awards and as a solo performer has played in over 200 concerts around the world.

He got a chance, grabbed it and worked hard to get to the top.

6. Bruce Lee- Kung Fu Legend

Photo by National General Pictures – Wikimedia

Perhaps the most iconic of them all, Bruce Lee transcended stardom in his homeland to become an international sensation during the 60s and early 70s.

Bruce Jun Fan Lee (Lee Siu Loong) was born in 1940 in San Francisco, CA while his parents were on tour with the Chinese Opera.

He was raised in Hong Kong and had a stint as a child actor appearing in more than 20 films.

Lee then took up the study of Wing Chun Gung Fu under renowned Wing Chun master, Yip Man.

He is the star of movies like Fist of Fury (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973) and Game of Death (1978), to name just a few.

He created the Jeet Kune Do – the way of the intercepting fist style of combat.

Undoubtedly, Lee is credited as having single-handedly changed the international perceptions of the Asian male.

7.   Andy Lau- Singer/ Actor

Photo by mR Hom – Wikimedia

Andy Lau Tak-wah is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter, presenter, and film producer.

Lau has been one of Hong Kong’s most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s.

He has seamlessly juggled 160 film appearances while maintaining a successful singing career.

Lau holds the Guinness World Records for the “Most Awards Won by a Canto-pop Male Artist”.

By April 2000, he had already won a total unprecedented 292 awards.

In 2005, Lau was “No.1 Box office Actor 1985-2005” of Hong Kong, yielding a total box office of HKD 1,733,275,816 for shooting 108 films in 20 years.

He uses his celebrity status to support several charities.

8.      Kelly Cheng – Singer

Kelly Chen Wai-lam born Vivian Chen Wai-Man is a Hong Kong Canto-pop singer and actress of Taiwanese descent.

She is often referred to as  “Diva of Asia”. Chen has had great success in the East Asian entertainment industry with nearly 20 million record sales from 38 albums. 

With a fan base that spans Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Japan, Chen has established herself as a popular singer across East Asia.

She has won over 300 awards .

 Junior Chamber International awarded her with “The Outstanding Young Persons of the World” in 2004 .

The World Economic Forum recognizes her as “Young Global Leaders”. 

Notably, she established the Kelly Chen Children Education Fund, a non-profit that aims to help children and families in need.

9.  Sir Charles Kao – Engineer

fibre optic cables photo by BigRiz- Wikimedia

Sir Charles Kuen Kao was born in Shanghai but grew up in Hong Kong was an electrical engineer and physicist who pioneered the development and use of fibre optics in telecommunications.

Kao combined glass fibres with lasers to transmit digital data.

He developed fibre optics for telecommunications.

Known as ‘the godfather of broadband’ and ‘the father of fibre optics, his groundbreaking work has made the modern Internet possible.

He won the 2009 Nobel Prize in physics. Further, he has served many years as the Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Hongkongers will always remember him as an educator and a true pioneer.

10.  IM Pei- Architect

Spiral staircase of the Exhibition Hall of the German Historical Museum by Architect: Ieoh Ming Pei photo by Ansar Koreg – Wikimedia

Born in Suzhou, China, I.M. Pei grew up in Hong Kong and Shanghai before moving to the United States to study architecture.

He received his Bachelor’s degree in 1940 but the Second Sino-Japanese War forced him to abandon his plans to return to his home country.

His architectural career took off in America and dazzled the world with his architectural artistry

Pei’s well-known works include the globally recognizable crystalline extension to the Louvre in Paris; other highly influential works include the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and the JFK Presidential Library in Boston. 

Additionally, he has designed buildings in Macau, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Beijing, and Colorado.

Lastly, these stars of Hong Kong have scaled the heights of their industries and will remain perched there to guide others in their path.

Furthermore, the scions of Hong Kong have gone to conquer worldwide and made Hong Kong take its place at the table of famous people.