Lydia Shum

Lydia Shum Din-Ha, also known as Lydia Sum , was a popular Hong Kong , , and actress known for her portly figure, signature dark rimmed glasses and bouffant hairstyle. She was affectionately known to peers and fans as Fei-fei . She appeared in numerous s and was an iconic TVB entertainer over forty years.

Early years

Shum was born in 1945 in Shanghai, China, to Sung Shen Gee and Sung Tan Sun . She entered the Hong Kong entertainment industry at the age of 13 in 1958. She returned to films in 2004 with the comedy ''In-Laws Outlaws''.

Asia region

Shum starred in Singapore's sitcom ''Living with Lydia'' and Cantonese series like ''Slim Chances'' . 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 drama.

Personal

Marriage

Shum married actor and singer in January 1985 after 11 years of cohabitation. Prior to the marriage, in December 1984, Shum was asked by her good friend Lee Xiang Qin to fly to San Francisco for the opening ceremony of Lee's shop. Shum, who was in Taiwan 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 with Shum. Believing that marriage would deter any woman from becoming close with Cheng, Shum agreed. On January 5 1985, Cheng and Shum flew to Vancouver, Canada where they got married.

Lydia Shum was the sister of fashion designer Alfred Sung.

Health problems and subsequent death

Shum suffered from several serious chronic ailments: cholangitis,
, and hypertension. In 2002, she was admitted to the in Hong Kong and had 36 gallstones extracted. In September 2006, Shum was diagnosed with a and cancer around the gallbladder. Doctors immediately removed one third of her liver.

Prior to a cholecystectomy done in 2002, she suffered bile duct inflammation in 1978 and again in 1989. On September 22 2006, the inflammation recurred. Four days later, it had complicated her liver and she went into a coma until October 1. Once again, on January 29 2007, she entered the operating room to remove a which weighed 2.7 kg. On March 8 2007, the tumor was found to be growing so she had another cholecystectomy.

On November 1 2006, a 24-year-old Indonesian , Triyuliarti Yuyun, was convicted of violating the Hospital Authority Ordinance and sentenced to four weeks in jail. Yuyun entered a ward at the on October 1 2006 where Shum had been receiving treatment, and attempted to take photographs of Shum. Later, it was confirmed that Yuyun was a domestic helper to one of the employees of the local magazine, ''East Week'', but she had not been authorized to take photographs of Shum. East Week's senior management 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 October 1 2007, Shum collapsed at home with pleural effusion, and was rushed to for emergency treatment. Later that day, Shum was transferred to QMH. Video footage of the funeral was played at a memorial event at the Hong Kong Coliseum on March 2.

On February 26, 2008, the mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, proclaimed June 1, 2008 to be "Fei Fei Day".

Filmography

* ''The Lotus Lamp''
* ''Three Women in a Factory''
* ''Broadcast Queen''
* ''The Iron Lady Against the One-eyed Dragon''
* ''A Girl's Secret''
* ''Every Girl a Romantic Dreamer''
* ''Waste Not Our Youth''
* ''Unforgettable First Love''
* ''Lady Songbird''
* ''Happy Years''
* ''Four Gentlemanly Flowers''
* ''A Blundering Detective and a Foolish Thief''
* ''Won't You Give Me a Kiss?''
* ''Teenage Love''
* ''Wonderful Youth''
* ''We All Enjoy Ourselves Tonight''
* ''Moments of Glorious Beauty''
* ''The Little Warrior''
* ''Teddy Girls''
* ''To Catch a Cat''
* ''A Big Mess''
* ''One Day at a Time''
* ''Happy Times''
* ''The Mad Bar''
* ''The Invincible Eight''
* ''Songs and Romance Forever''
* ''The Private Eye''
* ''Love is a Four Letter Word''
* ''If Tomorrow Comes''
* ''The House of 72 Tenants''
* ''The Country Bumpkin''
* ''Tenants of Talkative Street''
* ''Lovable Mr. Able''
* ''The Crazy Instructor''
* ''The Country Bumpkin in Style''
* ''Kissed by the Wolves''
* ''Pretty Swindler''
* ''Don't Call Me Uncle''
* ''Sup Sap Bup Dup''
* ''You are Wonderful''
* ''Love In Hawaii''
* ''The Great Man''
* ''Cat vs. Rat''
* ''Drunken Tai Chi''
* ''The Millionaire's Express''
* ''It's Mad Mad World''
* ''Mr. Handsome''
* ''Tiger on the Beat''
* ''Double Fattiness''
* ''Mother vs. Mother''
* ''King of Stanley Market''
* ''Faithfully Yours''
* ''The Bachelor's Swan-Song''
* ''City Squeeze''
* ''Eat a Bowl of Tea
* ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World 3''
* ''Lost Souls''
* ''''
* ''The Perfect Match''
* ''It's A Mad Mad Mad World Too!''
* ''The Laughter of Water Margins''
* ''Perfect Couples''
* ''He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father''
* ''Just Married''
* ''Fitness Tour''
* ''Happy Together''
* ''Miss Du Shi Niang''
* ''In-Laws, Out-Laws''
* ''''