Mimi Kung Shares Optimistic Views of Relationships After Divorce
Mimi is very close with her daughter; both even share the same birthday.
1980s TVB actress, Mimi Kung (龔慈恩) is a single mother and had an amicable divorce with actor Wei Lin (林煒) last year. Married for 20 years, the pair divorced due to frequent long-distance separations as a result of work. After her divorce, Mimi still possesses optimistic views of love and teaches her children to be self-sufficient.
Raising Her Children as a Single Mother
Moving back to Hong Kong with her 19-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son, Mimi is very involved in raising her children and insists that that she doesn’t play favoritism. Mimi understands that her daughter and son have different personalities and would give them space to develop.
Admitting that she is more protective over her daughter, Mimi said, “When my daughter comes home late, I will call her. If my son says he wants to spend the night and I would answer, ‘Fine.’ My daughter teased me and asked, ‘Why is it fine for little brother?’”
On Women’s Independence
In TVB drama, The Dripping Sauce <大醬園>, Mimi and Hugo Ng (吳岱融) play the owner of a soy sauce company. Set in the 1930’s, the drama portrays women finding their inner strengths to overcome large gender-inequality gaps in society.
Unlike the female characters in The Dripping Sauce, Mimi believes that modern women have more choices in life and are not any less than their male counterparts. Mimi offers her insight, “Women’s independence doesn’t have to revolve around their careers. It could be their inner strengths. It’s how they treat others and how they live their lives. Gender equality has improved and most jobs are not divided by genders. Everyone can play by their strengths.”
Daughter Enters Entertainment Industry
Although Mimi’s daughter Ashley Lin (林愷鈴) officially joined the entertainment industry two years ago, Mimi confesses she is not too worried about her, “I taught her the basic principles when she was young. She has already grown up and is mature. We chat a lot and in turn, I actually learn a lot from her.”
Many people think the entertainment industry is complicated, but Mimi does not agree, “I think it’s a personal matter. I can’t deny that there is a lot of pressure being an artiste. Many people would find ways to relax and maybe they will party crazily. For example, after filming is completed, it is normal to go out to party. You cannot say that someone is complicated just because they interact with many people. It depends on their personality. I never worry about my daughter because she is able to manage her time effectively.”
Sharing Outlook on Romance
As her children mature, Mimi feels it is important to communicate with them and learn about their outlook on love. While Mimi would share her personal experiences with her children, she does not impose her beliefs.
“Although I would share my own experiences, but times have changed. My experience may not be useful for their generation, but I will tell them that all interpersonal relationships should be managed. No matter whether they are male or female friends, it’s not good to be too relaxed or too tight. If you are too accommodating to the other party or the other party is too accommodating to you, there will be problems in the future. Time is very important. It is necessary to be more aware and observe slowly,” the 56-year-old actress said.
Mimi believes there is a big difference in how the different generations approach love. While the previous generation loved blindly, the new generation forms relationship after things feel right, “Don’t you think that in the current generation fewer boys are chasing girls? They would get together if they feel it is right and let go when they don’t match. The past generation didn’t care if the other party likes them back and would blindly do many things for them.”
Nowadays, Mimi is enjoying getting to know her children and is not seeking a companion, “I admit that there is a need to have a companion, but having friends is fine. I have many single friends, and it won’t be hard to find a companion. There was a period of time which felt empty, because I had to take care of children and family and I neglected my friends. I can now build relationships with my friends and keep it natural. It feels comfortable.”
Source: hket
This article is written by Sammi for JayneStars.com.
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Is she a single parent or a divorced parent? Sounds as if the ex husband bad cut off all ties which isnt the case so why is she considered single parent?
@funnlim Wei Lin hooked up with some young actress like very young. And when he was criticised about an affair, he said he has been distant with Mimi for a long time. They just stayed married because of their children. So they eventually divorced after the kids have grown up. Wei Lin was Mimi’s second marriage I think. Her first was quite a brief one. Wei Lin and her used to act together often in Malaysia and Taiwan so that’s how they started dating and eventually got married.
@annebee
I heard that he was already with another woman before their divorce was finalized. It is sad but when someone’s heart is not with you anymore, so it is best to let go. At least she still has her kids.
Yes was married once before Lin Wei but it was very brief. So sad that they did not last but hope she can find happiness again one day.
Does Mimi always deliver her lines with a slight hunchback before? I notice that in The Dripping Sauce. Reminds me whenever Elon Musk makes cameo in US tv series, he always delivers his lines leaning forward with a slight hunch on his back.
@mike
I’ve noticed that too. I’m not sure if Mimi is doing that on purpose or she has grown old overnight. She is isn’t playing a grandma so she doesn’t need to add that. At her peak in the 80s, she definitely stood up straight and was one of the prettiest actresses…
very pretty daughter ar. she must be a proud mom
I’m not sure who she is but 20 years ended just like that? Her face does seem familiar is she in that TVB dramas Journey To The West with Dicky Cheung where she is the lady god in white? I thought she also looks a little like Maggie Chan?
@cutie777 She was in The New Adventures of Chor Lau-heung. Classic series with Michael Miu and Barbara Yung. Blink and you may miss a very young Bobby Au Yeung in there too.
@potatochip
Mimi Kung’s best series is definitely the only female lead in ‘Battle Amongst the Clans’ in Chow Yun Fat and Eddie Kwan love triangle. She was beautiful in that…
@jimmyszeto I agree….Battle Amongst the Clans is the role that comes to mind for me too when I think of Mimi. Her second most memorable role IMO is actually the one in War of the Dragon, which wasn’t a huge role, but she really got to show her acting chops in the tragic role as Bryan Leung’s abused wife….in Chor Lau Heung, she actually didn’t do much but she did look beautiful…
@jimmyszeto Ahh, I missed that and the one @llwy12 mentioned, unfortunately. We had limited access to series at that time due financial constraints. I grew up watching and rewatching Barbara’s and the 5 Tigers series. When I get a chance, I may have to dig up these 2.
@potatochip Battle Amongst the Clans is a must-watch! As much as I loved Chow Yun Fat back then (and continue to love him even now, lol), Eddie Kwan was really the one to watch in that series….loved his character as well as Mimi’s and also loved their chemistry together, which is why I cried so hard during one of the last scenes involving their characters (@jimmyszeto probably knows what I’m talking about)…
War of the Dragon is also a must watch…sure, it’s one of the most tragic and depressing series ever, but also one of TVB’s best classics (the cast alone is already well worth the watch)….
With all that said….re-watching Five Tigers and Barbara Yung’s series is nothing to be ashamed of, lol….though I would also recommend watching however many 80s/early 90s TVB series you can get your hands on nowadays…all the current series are garbage in comparisons….
@llwy12 @potatochip
Agree that Battle amongst the clans is a must watch. One of my favs. Amazing theme song by Kitman Mak. Powerhouse cast. Father/Son,brotherhood , betrayal, villains and love triangle you name it?. Eddie Kwan was absolutely amazing. You won’t believe this type of character performance from him if you have seen him in more aloof roles. It’s one of those performances like Sunny Chan from ‘At the threshold of an Era’ breakthrough performances and you think ‘why hasn’t he done anything like that, again?’
‘War of the Dragon’ has one of my favourite songs o f all time in plus my TVB favourite actor of all time in Deric Wan. It’s one of his more unmemorable roles though as Simon Yam shows why he should be a future movie star. The story is predictable but the cast is top notch and the action is some of the 80’s best…
@jimmyszeto Yea…Eddie actually had a wider range of roles back then that allowed him to truly showcase his talent. I remember I watched Battle Amongst the Clans for the first time after watching Police Cadet ’84 and I was like, wow, is that the same Eddie Kwan, lol? While I did like most of Eddie’s performances from the 80s/90s series he was in, none of those roles were ever able to surpass his Battle Amongst the Clans role! Oh and I’m sure the irony isn’t lost on you or me that Sean Lau (who subsequently became one of HK’s best actors) was also in that series but his role was so “meh” that Eddie absolutely overshadowed him. And I honestly only consider Chow Yun Fat’s role as supporting and one that he could pretty much do in his sleep, lol – in comparisons, his role in Police Cadet ’85 (which also happened to be his very last series with TVB) was a more memorable and worthwhile role….
Agree with everything you said about War of the Dragon…
@llwy12
Yeh how versatile was Chow Yun Fat back then in those 2 series? You would also think 2 different actors. Actually you would think it’s the same actor but one is 20 years older. So good as the simplistic chinaman and then the Godfather of triads. I just don’t get how it suddenly just clicks for an actor and they suddenly become insanely good. Chow Yun Fat started off talentless and was literally given a pass through acting class by the skin of his teeth. After a few years, he comes up with the best performance by a country mile to anything anyone has ever done at TVB prior to The Bund.
@potatochip
Luckily many old series are available on dvd now. I have been rewatching a lot of old tvb series too. I stopped watching tvb years ago. I have been watching Chinese and Korean series lately as TVB is garbage now. I am getting nostalgic again.
@potatochip LOL…actually, Bobby had more than a “blink and you’ll miss him” role….he was in enough scenes to remember his character and story arc…speaking of which, I actually miss Bobby’s dramatic roles…he had so many great performances back then!
@llwy12 True, lol, he had speaking lines and a plot, but his character was part of the tragic couple so screen time was limited compared to the other couple that became royalty. He was so young then that I didn’t recognize him until I went back to watch.
He had so many minor roles in so many series that it is fun spotting him.
@potatochip Haha…true, though granted, Wong Wan Choi and Amy Wu (who played the couple that became royalty) were already established actors by that time, while Bobby and Wong Man Yee (the actress who played his lover) were lesser known (and technically newbies), so makes sense for them to play the tragic couple with less screen time. But they both were excellent though, despite the little screen time they had. And yea, Bobby was actually skinny and had hair (though of course he wore a wig in that series), so probably harder to recognize for most audiences who are used to his current look (which is also the look he’s had for like the past 20 years, lol)…
@potatochip
Yes, love that series. Mimi was so young, beautiful and sweet in there. That is one of my most favorite series ever. Love the stroryline and cast in there. It feels like we are going back in time as Austin, Barbara and other artists in there have passed away or have retired.
@hetieshou Yes, exactly what I was thinking! I’ve been re-watching mostly old TVB series/programs as well, but from an emotional standpoint, it’s been hard given the number of artists who are either no longer with us or have retired into obscurity….it often leaves me feeling sad afterwards. Despite that though, I would still rather re-watch old series/programs than watch any of the garbage TVB churns out nowadays….
@cutie777
She was in many many series back then so I am shocked that you do not know her. Yes, she played Guan Yin in Dicky’s version of Journey to the West.
@hetieshou Lol. Well at least I remember her in that drama. Some actor face does seem familiar I just don’t know their names especially they disappeared for this long time then suddenly announced they’re back to the station so it’s kinda hard to keep up who they are.
Ah, I didn’t know she was acting again. May have to check out this series for her. She brings the nostalgia.
They are one of the most beautiful second celebrity second generation. Her girl looks like Jeannie Chan and her boy looks like Henry Lau.