Profile | Why Miriam Yeung, leading Hong Kong singer and actress, ‘lost her whole self’ for a while

Declaring herself a Chinese patriot at the height of anti-government protests in Hong Kong angered fans, but Yeung is back performing again

Reading Time:4 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Leading Hong Kong singer and actress Miriam Yeung at an interview with the Post in 2017. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Mabel Lui

Published: 7:15am, 22 Nov 2024Updated: 7:27am, 22 Nov 2024

This is the 38th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades.

With a singing and acting career that spans almost three decades, Cantopop star and film actress Miriam Yeung Chin-wah has long been a notable figure in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry.

She has appeared in over 40 films and released more than 40 Cantonese and Mandarin albums.

In 2019, however, Yeung experienced a spectacular fall from grace after declaring herself a Chinese patriot at a time of mass anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Many of her fans condemned her online, prompting Yeung to retreat from the public eye for a few years.

Miriam Yeung at an interview with the Post in 1997. Photo: SCMP

She re-emerged in 2022 through the music programme Infinity and Beyond, and performed her “B minor” concert in Hong Kong at the end of that year. Since then, she has continued to tour all over the world.

Born in 1974, Yeung first garnered fame in 1995 after taking part in Hong Kong broadcaster TVB’s New Talent Singing Awards. She placed third in the competition. Yeung had just finished her final exam for nursing school, and her father was initially hesitant about her pursuing a singing career.

SCMP Series

Hong Kong’s pop culture icons

[ 38 of 40 ]