Lydia Tin Ha Sum: Google doodle celebrates 77th birthday of Hongkonges comedian

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers. Proceed with caution if you have not watched the show/movie.

Happy Birthday Lydia Sum!

Google doodle on July 21, 2022 to celebrate the 77th birthday of Lydia Tin Ha Sum, one of Hong Kong’s most beloved comedians. Affectionately known as “Fei Fei” (which means “Fat Fat” in Cantonese), as well as “Happy Fruit”, the Shanghai-born actress is a household name in Chinese communities around the world who brought laughter and positive energy through her shows.

Lydia Tin Ha Sum was born on 21 July 1945 in Shanghai to Sung Shen Gee (沈 賢 祺; 1913–1978, with his ancestral home in Shanpei, Ningbo) and Sung Tan Sun (沈 邱 淡 素; 1913–2008).

She began her career as a teen actress working for the Shaw Brothers Studio, the largest production company in Hong Kong at the time. She 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 very different from that of her native Shanghai.

In 1967, she landed her breakout role as the emcee for a popular variety show called “Enjoy Yourself Tonight.” Soon after, she starred in the popular Cantonese film, “The House of 72 Tenants,” which follows the lives of residents in a run-down apartment. Sum’s realistic portrayal of working-class women struck a chord with theater-goers. The film surpassed blockbuster films, topping Hong Kong’s box office in 1973.

Sum went on to play a similar role in “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World,” a four-part blockbuster comedy about an impoverished family in search of wealth. A powerful commentary on social inequality, the classic film series continues to drive the conversation in the media today.

Beyond Hong Kong, Sum also starred in Singapore's English-language sitcom, “Living with Lydia,” which won her Best Comedy Performance at the Asian Television Awards in 2003.

Thank you Lydia Sum! Your films and television show still bring laughter and joy to Chinese communities all over the world.

Source: Google doodles

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