Lydia Shum Din-ha
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Lydia Shum Din-ha or Lydia Tin Ha Sum (; 21 July 1945 – 19 February 2008) was a Hong Kong comedian, MC, actress and singer. Known for her portly figure, signature dark rimmed glasses and bouffant hairstyle, she was affectionately known to peers and fans as Fei-fei (, lit. "Fat Fat" or "Fatty") or Fei Jie ( lit. "Fat Sister").


Early life

Shum was born on 21 July 1945 in Shanghai to Shum Yin Gee (; 1913–1978, with his ancestral home in Shanpei,
Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
) and Shum Yao Tam Suh (; 1913–2008).


Career

Shum entered the Hong Kong entertainment industry at the age of 13 in 1958. She made her film debut in 1960, joining
Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...
as an actress at the age of 15. Shum debuted in ''When the Peach Blossoms Bloom'', a 1960 Mandarin comedy directed by Griffin Yueh Feng. She took some time to adjust to Hong Kong as she found the local
Cantonese cuisine Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine ( or ) is the cuisine of Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guangzhou, and the surrounding regions in the Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Maca ...
very different from that of her native
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
.


TVB

While she worked at Shaw Brothers, her popularity grew and she became one of the first stakeholders in the up-and-coming television broadcast station TVB. In 1967, Shum's stardom took off with the popular variety show '' Enjoy Yourself Tonight''. She first sang in the Cantopop group, the Four Golden Flowers. Later, she played a Shanghai woman in the 1970s. She also sang as the partner of Roman Tam from 1971 to 1973. By August 1972, she was sufficiently well regarded to be invited to ceremonially ride through the
Cross-Harbour Tunnel The Cross-Harbour Tunnel (abbreviated ''CHT'' or ''XHT'') is the first tunnel in Hong Kong built underwater. It consists of two steel road tunnels each with two lanes constructed using the single shell immersed tube method. It is the earl ...
on its opening day. TVB General Manager Stephen Chan has said that there was no substitute for Lydia Shum, and that every person who worked with her professionally eventually became well known in Hong Kong. Her openness to appearing in sport bikinis and ballet costumes despite her size earned her respect in image-conscious Hong Kong.


Film

Shum has been established mainly as a comic and dramatic actress but is not limited to films in those genres. Kung fu fans will recognize her from her role as Yuen Cheung-Yan's dominating wife in the film ''
Drunken Tai Chi ''Drunken Tai Chi'' is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Yuen Woo-ping. It is notable for being the acting debut of Donnie Yen, who had previously performed as a stuntman. The film showcases Yen's martial arts skills as we ...
''. She also appeared as Richard Ng's wife in the all-star comedy ''
Millionaire's Express Millionaires Express (, also known as ''Shanghai Express''; released in the Philippines as ''China Warriors'') is a 1986 Hong Kong martial arts western comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung. The film stars Hung, Yuen Biao, Rosamund Kwan ...
'', as well as a major role in the successful four movie series ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (富貴逼人) is a 1987 Hong Kong Chinese New Year film, directed by Clifton Ko. It starred Bill Tung and Lydia Sum as parents of the dysfunctional Piu family. The daughters were played by Elsie Chan, Loletta Le ...
''. Her 1997 film ''Fitness Tour'' utilised her weight for its plot. She took a leave from her movie career that same year, and hosted a talk show on Hong Kong, along with numerous telethons and variety shows on TVB. In 1976, Shum co-directed ''You Are Wonderful''. Shum's last film was ''In-Laws Outlaws'', a 2004 Cantonese comedy film directed by Clifton Ko Chi-Sum. Shum is credited with over 175 films.


Asia region

Shum starred in Singapore's Channel 5 sitcom ''
Living with Lydia ''Living With Lydia'' (Chinese: 肥肥一家亲 in Hong Kong, 肥姐驾到 in Singapore) was a Singaporean TV sitcom that aired on MediaCorp Channel 5 from 2001 to 2005. Overview Starring the Chinese-born Hong Kong actress/comedian Lydia Shum ...
'' (while credited as Lydia Sum) and Cantonese series like ''
Slim Chances Slim or SLIM may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slim Goodbody, a fictional character who teaches about anatomy * Slim, one of the alien antagonists of the 1988 film ''Killer Klowns from Outer Space'' * Slim, the Pixl from ...
'' (我要Fit一Fit). Her performance in ''Living with Lydia'' won her the "Best Comedy Performance by an Actress" award at the 2003 Asian Television Awards. It was also the first time she had acted in an English sitcom with a
multi-camera The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, multi-camera or simply multicam is a method of filmmaking and video production. Several cameras—either film or professional video cameras—are employed on the set and simultaneous ...
format, though a laugh track was used.


Personal life

Lydia Shum was the sister of fashion designer
Alfred Sung Alfred Sung (born 14 June 1948) is a Canadian fashion designer and businessman. He is well known for producing apparel, fragrance, accessories and home fashions for women and men. He was born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong. Sung is the brothe ...
. Shum married actor and singer
Adam Cheng Adam Cheng Siu-chow (born 24 February 1947) is a Hong Kong TVB actor and Cantopop singer. Career Cheng started his career in the 1970s, where he gained a reputation for playing the lead roles in TVB ''Wuxia'' drama series based on the works of ...
Siu-chow in January 1985 after 11 years of cohabitation. Prior to the marriage, in December 1984 Shum was asked by her good friend
Lee Heung Kam Lee Heung-kam (13 January 1932 – 4 January 2021) was a Hong Kong Cantonese opera and TVB actress. Career She joined the entertainment industry when she was 14 years old. Since 1960, she became known for being an antagonist in many Cantonese op ...
to fly to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
for the opening ceremony of Lee's shop. Shum, who was in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
with Cheng at the time, was reluctant to do so initially, but three days later, Shum left for San Francisco. When she returned to Taiwan, she heard rumors that Cheng was having an affair. Upon being asked about this, Cheng denied having a relationship with another woman and suggested marriage. Shum believed that a marriage would deter any woman from becoming close to Cheng. On 5 January 1985, Cheng and Shum flew to
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
to get married. Due to the hurried circumstances of their marriage and Shum's proportions being outside standard clothing sizes, there was insufficient time to prepare a wedding gown. Shum wore a Chinese cheongsam instead, and later said in a 2006 interview in Hong Kong that one of her greatest regrets was not wearing a wedding gown for her wedding. On 30 May 1987, Joyce Cheng Yan-Yee was born to Shum and Adam Cheng. Eight months after their daughter was born, Cheng and Shum divorced.


Health problems and subsequent death

Shum had several serious chronic ailments: cholangitis,
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
, and
hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...
. In 2002, she was admitted to the Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) in Hong Kong and had 36 gallstones extracted. In September 2006, Shum was diagnosed with a liver tumor and cancer around the gallbladder. Doctors immediately removed one third of her liver.Nickkita Lau
Media scrum as Fei Fei rushed to intensive care
, 12 October 2007
Prior to a
cholecystectomy Cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. Cholecystectomy is a common treatment of symptomatic gallstones and other gallbladder conditions. In 2011, cholecystectomy was the eighth most common operating room procedure performed i ...
done in 2002, she had
bile duct A bile duct is any of a number of long tube-like structures that carry bile, and is present in most vertebrates. Bile is required for the digestion of food and is secreted by the liver into passages that carry bile toward the hepatic duct. It ...
inflammation Inflammation (from la, wikt:en:inflammatio#Latin, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or Irritation, irritants, and is a protective response involving im ...
in 1978 and again in 1989. On 22 September 2006, the inflammation recurred. Four days later, it had complicated her liver and she went into a coma until 1 October. Once again, on 29 January 2007, she entered the operating room to remove a liver tumor which weighed 2.7 kg. On 8 March 2007, the tumor was found to be growing so she had another surgery. On 1 November 2006, a 24-year-old
Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
domestic helper A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
, Triyuliarti Yuyun, was convicted of violating the Hospital Authority Ordinance and sentenced to four weeks in jail. Yuyun entered a ward at the Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) on 1 October 2006 where Shum had been receiving treatment, and attempted to take photographs of Shum. Later, it was confirmed that Yuyun was working for an employee of the local magazine ''
East Week ''East Week'' (, Jyutping: dung1 zau1 hon1) is a Hong Kong-based weekly Chinese language magazine which was established by Oriental Press Group (the publisher of ''Oriental Daily News'') on 29 October 1992 and sold to the Emperor Group in Septe ...
'', but she had not been authorised to take photographs of Shum. Senior management of ''East Week'' did not approve of the action and offered an apology to Shum. Magistrate Colin Mackintosh determined that Yuyun's actions were premeditated and done for financial gain, and that the serious infringement of the patient's privacy warranted a custodial sentence. On that occasion, Shum was discharged from the hospital in July 2007. On 11 October 2007, Shum collapsed at home with pleural effusion, and was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QE) for emergency treatment. Later that day, Shum was transferred to QMH. She was discharged from that hospital on 16 October 2007. Shum was admitted to the intensive care ward of QMH on 22 January 2008 and checked out four days later. Shum's mother died in Canada while Shum was in hospital. She was once again admitted to the intensive care ward of QMH on 2 February 2008, where her condition worsened. On 19 February, at 3 am, her family decided that Shum's
life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...
should be withdrawn. It was decided that her breathing apparatus would be removed and that her family spend time with her by her bedside. Shum died at 8:38 a.m. local time that day. Prior to her death, she had liver cancer for two years. As part of the treatment for her illness, she underwent
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
and several rounds of
kidney dialysis Kidney dialysis (from Greek , , 'dissolution'; from , , 'through', and , , 'loosening or splitting') is the process of removing excess water, solutes, and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions natura ...
treatment. On 24 February 2008, escorted by her daughter Joyce, Shum's body was flown on a
Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have sc ...
passenger flight from Hong Kong to
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia, Canada. On 27 February, Shum was buried at
Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...
's Forest Lawn Memorial Park in a private ceremony. Video footage of the funeral was played at a memorial event at the
Hong Kong Coliseum Hong Kong Coliseum, commonly known as the Hung Hom Coliseum, is a multi-purpose indoor arena, in Hung Hom Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong near Hung Hom station. It is in Yau Tsim Mong District. It was built by the Urban Council and inaugurated on 27 ...
on 2 March.


Fei-fei Day

Fei-fei Day was proclaimed in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia, Canada, for 1 June 2008 (Shum's
Chinese lunar calendar The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Agricultural Calendar 曆; 农历; ''Nónglì''; 'farming calendar' Former Calendar 曆; 旧历; ''Jiùlì'' Traditional Calendar 曆; 老历; ''Lǎolì'', is a lunisolar calendar ...
birthday). Mayor Sam Sullivan proclaimed this memorial day in Vancouver on 26 February 2008, a week after Shum's death. On 21 July 2022 she is featured as a Google Doodle.


Filmography


Films

This is a partial list of films. * 1965 ''The Lotus Lamp'' * 1967 ''A Girl's Secret'' * 1967 ''Broadcast Queen'' * 1967 ''Every Girl a Romantic Dreamer'' – Sai. * 1967 ''Finding a Wife in a Blind Way'' * 1967 ''The Flying Killer'' (aka Chivalrous Girl in the Air) – Chow Mei-Ha. * 1967 ''Happy Years'' – Cheung Lan. * 1967 ''The Iron Lady Against the One-eyed Dragon'' * 1967 ''Three Women in a Factory'' – Chow Siu-Yuk. * 1967 ''Waste Not Our Youth'' – Fei Fei. * 1967 ''Unforgettable First Love'' * 1968 ''Lady Songbird'' * 1968 ''
Happy Years The Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet that rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with 16 ''Billboard'' hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville (lead), Ted Kowalski (tenor), Phil Levitt (baritone), and Bill Reed (bas ...
'' * 1968 ''Four Gentlemanly Flowers'' * 1968 ''A Blundering Detective and a Foolish Thief'' * 1968 ''Won't You Give Me a Kiss?'' * 1968 ''Teenage Love'' * 1968 ''Wonderful Youth'' * 1968 ''We All Enjoy Ourselves Tonight'' * 1969 ''Moments of Glorious Beauty'' * 1969 ''The Little Warrior'' * 1969 ''Teddy Girls'' – Yeung Siu-Kiu. * 1969 ''To Catch a Cat'' * 1969 ''A Big Mess'' * 1969 ''One Day at a Time'' * 1970 ''Secret Agent No. 1'' * 1970 ''Happy Times'' * 1970 ''The Mad Bar'' * 1971 ''The Invincible Eight'' * 1972 ''Songs and Romance Forever'' * 1973 ''The Private Eye'' * 1973 ''Love Is a Four Letter Word'' * 1973 ''If Tomorrow Comes'' * 1973 ''
The House of 72 Tenants ''The House of 72 Tenants'' (七十二家房客) is a 1973 Hong Kong film directed by Chor Yuen. It is a remake of a 1963 Chinese film of the same name. It was the top box office film of 1973 in Hong Kong, surpassing Bruce Lee's ''Enter the Drag ...
'' – Shanghai Po. * 1974 ''The Country Bumpkin'' * 1974 ''Tenants of Talkative Street'' * 1974 ''Lovable Mr. Able'' * 1974 ''The Crazy Instructor'' * 1974 ''The Country Bumpkin in Style'' * 1974 '' Kissed by the Wolves'' * 1975 ''Pretty Swindler'' * 1975 '' Don't Call Me Uncle'' * 1975 '' Sup Sap Bup Dup'' * 1976 ''
You are Wonderful In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...
'' – also director * 1976 ''
Love in Hawaii Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
'' * 1977 ''The Great Man'' * 1982 ''
Cat vs Rat Cat Vs. Rat is a 1982 Shaw Brothers martial arts-comedy film directed by Lau Kar Leung, starring Alexander Fu, Adam Cheng, Kara Hui and Hsiao Ho. The plot is loosely based on the 19th century wuxia classic novel ''The Seven Heroes and Five Galla ...
'' * 1984 ''
Drunken Tai Chi ''Drunken Tai Chi'' is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Yuen Woo-ping. It is notable for being the acting debut of Donnie Yen, who had previously performed as a stuntman. The film showcases Yen's martial arts skills as we ...
'' * 1986 ''
The Millionaire's Express Millionaires Express (, also known as ''Shanghai Express''; released in the Philippines as ''China Warriors'') is a 1986 Hong Kong martial arts western comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung. The film stars Hung, Yuen Biao, Rosamund Kwan ...
'' * 1987 ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (富貴逼人) is a 1987 Hong Kong Chinese New Year film, directed by Clifton Ko. It starred Bill Tung and Lydia Sum as parents of the dysfunctional Piu family. The daughters were played by Elsie Chan, Loletta Le ...
'' * 1987 ''Mr. Handsome'' (1987) * 1988 ''
Tiger on the Beat ''Tiger on the Beat'' (老虎出更), also known as ''Tiger on Beat'', is a 1988 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Lau Kar-leung. The film stars Chow Yun-fat and Conan Lee as a buddy cop team who originally hate each other, but learn to ...
''
ameo The Volkswagen Polo Mk5 is the fifth generation of the Polo, a supermini-class car manufactured by Volkswagen since 2009. The vehicle unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March 2009, while the three-door version was unveiled at the 2009 Fran ...
* 1988 ''
Double Fattiness ''Double Fattiness'' () is a 1988 Hong Kong comedy film directed by David Chiang and starring Bill Tung, Lydia Shum, Eric Tsang and Maggie Cheung. Plot The movie revolved around a Chinese flatbread restaurant in Hong Kong, where the Mo family ...
'' * 1988 ''Mother vs. Mother'' * 1988 '' King of Stanley Market'' * 1988 ''
Faithfully Yours ''Faithfully Yours'' is a 1988 Hong Kong romantic comedy film, directed by Wong Wa-kei and starring Jacky Cheung, Max Mok, Stephen Chow and Sharla Cheung. Plot Happy, Big Eye and Puddin Lai are good friends, Happy is a hairstylist who opens h ...
'' * 1988 ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (富貴逼人) is a 1987 Hong Kong Chinese New Year film, directed by Clifton Ko. It starred Bill Tung and Lydia Sum as parents of the dysfunctional Piu family. The daughters were played by Elsie Chan, Loletta Le ...
II'' * 1989 '' The Bachelor's Swan-Song'' * 1989 ''City Squeeze'' * 1989 '' Eat a Bowl of Tea * 1989 ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (富貴逼人) is a 1987 Hong Kong Chinese New Year film, directed by Clifton Ko. It starred Bill Tung and Lydia Sum as parents of the dysfunctional Piu family. The daughters were played by Elsie Chan, Loletta Le ...
III'' * 1989 ''Lost Souls'' * 1991 '' The Banquet'' * 1991 '' The Perfect Match'' * 1992 ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (富貴逼人) is a 1987 Hong Kong Chinese New Year film, directed by Clifton Ko. It starred Bill Tung and Lydia Sum as parents of the dysfunctional Piu family. The daughters were played by Elsie Chan, Loletta Le ...
Too'' * 1993 ''The Laughter of Water Margins'' * 1993 '' Perfect Couples'' * 1993 ''
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father ''He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father'', also known as ''He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'' (新難兄難弟), is a 1993 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed by Peter Chan and Lee Chi-ngai and starring Tony Leung Ka-fai, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Carina ...
'' * 1995 ''Just Married'' * 1997 ''
Fitness Tour ''Fitness Tour'' is a Hong Kong comedy-drama produced in 1992. It is directed by Liu Guoquan / ( or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character ...
'' * 1997 '' Happy Together'' * 2001 ''The Stamp of Love'' * 2001–2005 ''
Living with Lydia ''Living With Lydia'' (Chinese: 肥肥一家亲 in Hong Kong, 肥姐驾到 in Singapore) was a Singaporean TV sitcom that aired on MediaCorp Channel 5 from 2001 to 2005. Overview Starring the Chinese-born Hong Kong actress/comedian Lydia Shum ...
'' * 2003 '' Miss Du Shi Niang'' * 2004 ''
In-Laws, Out-Laws '' In-Laws, Out-Laws ''( zh, 我的大嚿父母)is a Lunar New Year comedy film directed by Clifton Ko, and it is also the first Lunar New Year film in the south. Because the film is adapted from the Cantonese TV series " Kang's Family", the f ...
'' * 2006 '' Where Are They Now?''


References


External links

*
Lydia Shum at senscritique.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shum, Lydia 1945 births 2008 deaths Actresses from Shanghai Deaths from cancer in Hong Kong Canadian people of Hong Kong descent Deaths from liver cancer Hong Kong Buddhists 20th-century Hong Kong women singers Hong Kong contraltos Hong Kong film actresses Hong Kong Mandopop singers Hong Kong television actresses Singers from Shanghai Actresses from Vancouver TVB veteran actors 20th-century Hong Kong actresses 21st-century Hong Kong actresses Hong Kong women comedians