A Hong Kong kid
I was born in Hong Kong to a Chinese mother and an
American father of German descent. My family lived in
Causeway Bay, overlooking Victoria Park, before moving to
Shouson Hill. My father was one of the founders of Ocean
Park, and I spent many hours playing in the rubble as the
Park was being built, and was able to watch it grow and
develop. Almost every night, I would finish my homework
and sneak down to the Park, sometimes climbing over the
fence to get in. I would spend hours watching the beautiful
birds, animals and ocean life; I guess this is what sparked
my passion for wildlife.
Hong Kong in the ’70s was quite different; I remember
a lot more nature, but also a lot of dust. The city was in the
grip of a construction boom and there were fewer controls
on environmental impact back then.
San Francisco-bound
My parents separated when I was nine, and I left Hong
Kong to live in the States with my mum. We became
involved with the Chinese community and I attended a
school near Chinatown. At school, the only thing I was
really good at was art and drawing, and that led to a
passion for model building. I entered several competitions
with my creations and enjoyed going up against the adults
– you could say I’m quite competitive! In my spare time, I
loved practising martial arts and just hanging out with the
neighbourhood kids; I was a real tomboy. My mum, on the
other hand, was a traditional lady and wanted to enter me
into beauty pageants. To me, a pageant was just another
competition. I won my first pageant at 16, and then went on
to become Miss International Chinatown USA. It was that
title that brought me back to Hong Kong.
Movies and motherhood
I was 18 when I returned, and was offered several movie
roles in local productions. It was during this time that I
met another actor who would become the father of my
February 2015
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