Choosing to invest and settle in Hong Kong, listen to interesting stories from Hong Kong: In the entertainment industry, which capitalizes on youth, Zha Xiaoxin is an "evergreen myth." She witnessed the golden era of Hong Kong's entertainment industry and also the rapid decline of the entertainment industry in Hong Kong after the Asian financial crisis.
Having been in the industry for 33 years, Zha Xiaoxin maintains a high workload every day, with only four to five hours of sleep. However, in terms of appearance and mentality, she appears much younger than her actual age. This is attributed to champagne, exercise, and painting.
Being healthy is a responsibility to the family.
After 33 years in the industry, Zha Xiaoxin averages only four to five hours of sleep each night. As a result, her family has to hire two Filipino maids. One maid works from 5:30 AM to 7 PM, while the other works from 10 AM to midnight. "Because I come home late, I might still need to eat or drink something."
Zha Xiaoxin herself cannot remember when she started this sleep habit. "Sleeping is not fun; I have so many things to do every day. I remember when I was over 10 years old, I was the one who closed the doors and windows at home every night. I don't sleep because there are too many things to do every day."
A workaholic, loves to drink, loves socializing, sleeps only four hours a day, yet Zha Xiaoxin has not taken medicine for illness in over ten years. This sounds like a paradox. In her 50s, Zha Xiaoxin is someone who takes great care of her body. "I can skip beauty treatments; they waste too much time, but I must exercise every day." Every morning, she runs near her home or at Happy Valley Park for 30 to 50 minutes. She spends six days a week working out. Leslie Cheung's former personal trainer, Chen Xuda, is her coach.
She says, "There are many things in life that can be controlled and achieved through hard work, such as career, money, happiness, and even one's health. The only thing I cannot control is my family's health. My husband does not like to exercise. When I get up to run in the morning, he is still asleep. Sometimes, I really want to nag him, to remind him. But, you know, with family, you can only remind them; you cannot control them; that is his body. If you ask me, the only thing I worry about in life now is this one thing."
The slow life of "Zha Picasso."
The writer Virginia Woolf once said that a woman needs a room of her own. No matter how busy life is, there is always one afternoon each week that Zha Xiaoxin reserves for herself.
At the Ming Pao Industrial Center in Chai Wan, we met Zha Xiaoxin while she was painting. This loft, over 100 square meters, is filled with easels, stools, and various paintings and sculptures collected from different places, with a striking open kitchen.
Since 2009, Zha Xiaoxin has been learning to paint from local Hong Kong artist Xie Yan'an. At that time, this painting class was a sub-venue of the Eight Arts Association. The members of the Eight Arts Association are independent and strong-willed stars and media figures from the entertainment industry, including Liza Wang, Dodo Cheng, Zhu Huishan, Zhong Huibing, Jiang Xinyan, Lin Jianming, Shi Lizhen, and Teresa Cheung, among others.
In 2009, Gu Jiyun, who had been learning to paint for many years, proposed a plan to learn oil painting. Thus, Dodo Cheng became the class leader, responsible for maintaining order for the teacher. The class also had a duty student responsible for cleaning up after class and tidying the space. Teresa Cheung, whose child is already in middle school, said, "I never expected at this age to return to the classroom of my childhood."
Every Monday afternoon, eight Hong Kong sisters from the Eight Arts Association take time off from their work and families to focus on learning to paint. "From painting, you can see everyone's unique little world. Teresa Cheung always paints adorable cartoon boys and girls, full of childlike innocence, just like her, never growing up. Dodo Cheng is very serious; her paintings are meticulous, with every stroke being very deliberate, a typical good student." Zha Xiaoxin discovered that she is more interested in colors. She likes bold and vibrant paints, enjoys abstract art, and admires Picasso. She gave herself a nickname, "Zha Picasso."