Hong Kong veteran actress Mao Shunyun, 65, recently gave an interview to senior media personality Jin Cheng to promote the stage play “Surviving the Day”. She opened up about a past relationship with the late superstar Leslie Cheung and revealed the reason behind their eventual breakup. She shared that they parted ways because she was too young at the time and was overwhelmed by Cheung’s serious proposal of marriage.
Mao recounted that she first met Leslie Cheung when she entered the entertainment industry for filming a TV drama series. The TV station aimed to create a screen couple image by arranging interactions and fostering compatibility between them. However, Cheung genuinely invested in the relationship, not only initiating physical contact but also introducing her to his family, and even seriously discussing marriage.
Regarding the reason for their breakup, Mao explained that primarily due to her young age of 17 at the time, she felt scared when Leslie Cheung asked, “Will we get married one day?” She didn’t know how to handle it, so she chose to distance herself. She believed that if Cheung hadn’t rushed into talk of marriage back then, their relationship might have gone further.
According to Hong Kong media reports, after their breakup, both pursued their own paths. Mao went on to experience her first marriage but their connection was never severed. During the filming of the classic comedy “All’s Well, Ends Well”, they reunited, and Mao learned that Leslie Cheung had insisted privately to the production team that she must play the opposite role.
Looking back on their youth while recording programs together, Mao recalled Leslie Cheung jokingly admitting that it was his eagerness to propose that “scared away” Mao. He expressed regret to her, saying, “If you had agreed to marry me back then, it might have changed my entire life.”
In addition to their personal relationship, Mao highly praised Leslie Cheung’s work ethic. She stated that despite Cheung already being a superstar at that time, he maintained an extremely serious attitude towards every scene and even post-production dubbing work, exhibiting a perfectionist trait that she greatly admired.
Known as “Mo Sister” in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, Mao Shunyun has always carried the label of being the only acknowledged ex-girlfriend of Leslie Cheung. In 2018, with 42 years in the film industry, she won the Best Actress award at the 37th Hong Kong Film Awards for her role as a resilient mother caring for an autistic son in “Golden Flower”.
After going through several relationships, Mao Shunyun eventually married her current husband, Au Ting-ping, with whom she has two daughters. Speaking about their family life now, Mao admitted that marriage inevitably faces challenges and low points, and there were times when she wanted to give up, but they always chose to move forward together. She described their two daughters as the couple’s greatest achievement.