Steven Ma Studies Traditional Chinese Medicine

The 48-year-old actor decides to pursue studies in TCM in memory of his late mother.

Steven Ma (馬浚偉) has always believed that a person never stops learning. Directing his first movie Till We Meet Again <生約死前>, Steven was also studying for his Master’s degree in Business Management at Peking University. However, the ambitious actor has already set a target for himself to take classes in traditional Chinese medicine after completing his degree.

Wearing Multiple Hats

In recent years, Steven has founded his own tutoring business, formed his own production studio, self-directed his own theatrical play and movie. Other than work, Steven has also been upgrading himself through studying, and is due to graduate with a master’s degree next year. Passionate about coffee, he has also obtained a professional barista diploma.

Not content, Steven hopes to start studies in traditional Chinese medicine after finishing his master’s degree. Sharing a photo of his mother’s newspaper cuttings of healing food recipes she collected while battling cancer, Steven wrote on Instagram, “My mother contracted cancer when I was six year old, but she is such a strong and positive person! During the 22 years she was ill, she kept newspaper cuttings about Chinese medicine and information related to food therapy. The reason was simple – she wanted to take care of herself, but more than that she wanted to take the best care of us. I still remember some prized cuttings in the two thick books, some of which I had helped to trim and save. Full of sentiment and thought, these two books are over 40 years old, and I have kept them until now. I learn medicine not to become a doctor, but to round things up.”

Regretted Asking Mother to Go for Operation

Steven had accompanied his mother in and out of hospitals throughout her 22-year battle with cancer. Due to his poor background, he started working early and rose to fame after joining TVB. Her demise in 1999 caused Steven to blame himself for convincing her to get an operation and causing her to suffer before dying. However, the real reason was that a bacterial infection and the resultant acute pneumonia which took her life.

Trapped in anxiety and depression in the eight years which followed, Steven, who had thoughts of killing himself, was helped by his religious faith.

Despite it being 20 years since his mother’s death, Steven had never stopped missing her, choosing to learn traditional Chinese medicine because of her influence. Earlier this year, Steven had also honored her memory by starring and producing a stage play called Till We Meet Again <生前約死後>, which tells the story of his personal growth after her demise. The play has also been adapted into a film which was released on December 5.

“Till We Meet Again” Movie trailer: