Electric New Paper
By Chang May Choon
SHE was the ultimate self-sacrificing mum whose world revolved around her one and only daughter.
And her biggest wish?
'I hope everyone will like my daughter; that will be the biggest consolation to me.'
Hong Kong comedienne Lydia Sum said this in a New Year's video posted on her daughter Joyce Cheng's blog on popular Chinese portal Sina.com early last year.
Lydia died of liver cancer and other complications on Tuesday, aged 62 (her employer TVB had clarified that she was born in 1945).
However, she leaves behind many unfulfilled dreams about her daughter.
They include seeing Joyce release her debut album.
Seeing her achieve fame.
Seeing her get married one day and have her own children.
After all, the 21-year-old was the love of Lydia's life, the living memory of her three-year marriage to actor Adam Cheng that ended in 1988. He married Taiwanese actress Guan Ching-hua soon after.
On becoming a mother at age 42, Lydia once said: 'I had this thought in my head - I could feel a rift between me and Adam Cheng, so maybe the child in my hands would be the only one I could depend on for life.'
Since young, Joyce lived the pampered life of a princess.
Lydia, who had suffered post-natal depression due to the emotional trauma of undergoing a divorce, gave her daughter everything she wanted.
She even famously fed Joyce abalone for breakfast.
To keep her girl away from the invasive Hong Kong paparazzi, Lydia sent her to Vancouver, Canada, to live with the girl's grandmother.
Never mind if it meant that she herself had to travel long distances in between her busy filming and hosting schedule to see her.
When Joyce was 4, Lydia promised her she would never remarry.
Joyce had burst into tears one day and pleaded with her mum to not find her a stepfather as she was worried he might not like her.
Lydia kept her promise, even though there was talk she had numerous suitors.
One of them was reportedly Samuel Chong, her Singaporean co-star in the Channel 5 sitcom, Living With Lydia.
STRICT FATHER FIGURE
That's not to say Lydia spoilt Joyce silly though.
As a single mum, she also played the role of the strict father figure.
Lydia's good friend, China TV host Cao Kefan, recently told Beijing Times: 'If (Joyce) lied or was being disrespectful to her grandmother, (Lydia) would give her a big slap.'
In 2000, Lydia told the Singapore media that she once made her daughter write a letter of regret for hanging up the phone on her. Joyce was living in Vancouver then.
Lydia said: 'I told (Joyce), 'You're now studying in a good school because mum gave it to you... yet you treat me like that... If I'm really fuming, I can get on a plane and fly over to give you two slaps.'
But when Joyce, who took after her mum's love for good food, ballooned to a hefty 100kg teenager, Lydia was quick to defend her daughter.
She blamed herself for always whipping up the most indulgent dishes for the girl.
The dedicated mother found a slimming salon for Joyce and even tried some of the treatments herself to make sure they were safe.
It was just as well that Joyce shed almost 40kg off her 103kg frame in 2004, since she had always dreamt of venturing into showbiz.
The story Lydia loved to tell was that Joyce showed an amazing talent for singing at the tender age of 2.
Joyce criticised her karaoke-loving grandmother for singing off-key and then grabbed the mike to deliver a pitch-perfect version of the song, Jiao Dao (Rural Road).
But Joyce somehow lacked her mum's endearing persona and affinity with the audience.
Her yoyo-ing weight was under constant media scrutiny. Every public appearance - be it singing Britney Spears' Oops!... I Did It Again at a charity show or dressing up as Snow White during the opening of Disneyland - ended with backlash.
The criticism hurt Lydia.
When asked to comment on the Snow White saga in 2005, she asserted that 'justice is in everyone's heart'.
Not even her health woes, which began in September 2006, could stop Lydia from fighting for more opportunities for Joyce.
In April last year, she sprang a surprise visit on Joyce in Shanghai, where the younger one was taking part in an opera-singing game show.
The host, Lydia's pal Kefan, said that she insisted on showing up even though she was unwell.
CLINCH DEALS
Lydia went on to clinch more appearance deals for Joyce, like her first TV performance with her dad, Adam, on variety show Enjoy Yourself Tonight last November.
Lydia had shot to fame hosting the show years ago.
She also worked with Shanghai artist Suki Guo to create a comic book that chronicles her life with her daughter and her own mother, who died of old age last month.
Entitled Da Mu Nu Xiao Shi Jie (literally Big Mother-Daughter Small World), it will be released around the time of Lydia's memorial service at the Hong Kong Coliseum on 2 Mar.
It will also include Joyce's CD single Connected Hearts, a duet with her mentor, musician Liu Jia-chang.
Joyce first performed it for Lydia during TVB's 40th Anniversary Celebration Show last November, and Lydia said she loved it.
It seems Joyce's showbiz future is mapped out - her manager said she will take on TVB dramas and movies.
Lydia's showbiz friends - such as veterans Eric Tsang, Carol Cheng and Jackie Chan - know that her biggest worry was Joyce. They have said they will help with her showbiz pursuits.
The young woman's future is financially secure as her doting mum left her a huge inheritance that includes a trust fund and two properties worth at least HK$20million ($3.6m).
During a media conference on Wednesday, a teary Joyce said: 'I will try my best to learn to be responsible. I know this is what my mother wanted the most.'
May she continue the legacy left behind by her mum - the eternal happy fruit of Hong Kong.
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