According to Sina, Joey Wong recently agreed to an interview for the first time in 22 years since leaving the entertainment industry. During the interview, the actress opened up about why she abruptly stopped acting. Wong denied claims that she had “withdrawn from the public eye because she was heartbroken,” insisting that the story had been exaggerated and fabricated over the years.
Director Wong Jing previously claimed that Joey Wong decisively left showbiz after suffering severe humiliation from the family of her then-boyfriend. She was reportedly criticized by the mother of billionaire businessman Peter Lam, who allegedly declared that she would never accept Wong as her daughter-in-law, saying, “I’d rather think of it as my son spending HK$2,000 on a prostitute.”
According to Wong Jing, Joey Wong had already begun considering leaving the entertainment industry in the early 2000s as Hong Kong cinema showed signs of decline. At the time, she reportedly hoped to settle down with her businessman boyfriend Peter Lam.
Peter Lam was married to actress Hsieh Ling-ling and had five children. However, the billionaire actively pursued Joey Wong, reportedly buying her a villa and telling her that he and his wife were separated. Wong subsequently entered into a relationship with him, hoping to find stability after her painful romance with singer Chyi Chin.
However, when Joey Wong visited her boyfriend’s family home, Peter Lam’s mother reportedly treated her with contempt. Even if Lam divorced his wife, the family allegedly refused to accept Wong, with his mother reportedly declaring, “I would rather lose this son than lose that daughter-in-law.”
After being deeply humiliated by her boyfriend’s family, Joey Wong was reportedly devastated. She later reconciled with Chyi Chin for a period of time, but that relationship also ended. Wong eventually declared, “In my dictionary, there will never be the word marriage.”
As a result, Hong Kong media outlets and director Wong Jing have long suggested that repeated emotional wounds were behind Joey Wong’s decision to abandon her career while she was still at its peak.
According to Joey Wong herself, however, she had already begun thinking about leaving the entertainment industry at the age of 28, around the time she was filming Green Snake. The actress said she had grown exhausted by the chaotic and demanding schedule of show business.
Wong explained that her life at the time revolved almost entirely around film sets, leaving her with very few opportunities to experience the outside world. Many people recognized Joey Wong, yet she barely knew anyone around her. At one point, she even began questioning who she really was. Gradually, she came to see the spotlight as “vain and hollow.”
Joey Wong’s final film was Shanghai Story, released in 2004. In 2005, she announced her retirement and moved to Canada. What began as a break ultimately lasted more than two decades. Today, the actress reportedly runs a wellness center in Vancouver offering moxibustion therapy, with services costing around CAD 120 per hour.
Having studied Buddhism for many years, Wong is said to have developed an extensive understanding of Buddhist philosophy. She often incorporates this knowledge into conversations with clients, aiming to help them improve their mental well-being.
Joey Wong has said that she owns multiple properties and has more than enough money to support herself for the rest of her life. She therefore explained that she opened the business because it was something she wanted to do, rather than out of financial necessity.
Born in 1967, Joey Wong is an actress and singer who rose to prominence in Hong Kong during the 1980s and 1990s. She was regarded as one of the leading actresses of Hong Kong cinema alongside Maggie Cheung, Rosamund Kwan and Cherie Chung. Wong was also famously dubbed “Asia’s No. 1 Beauty” for her striking, seductive and ethereal appearance, often characterized by a haunting sense of melancholy.
Joey Wong is best known for playing Nie Xiaoqian in the 1987 classic A Chinese Ghost Story opposite Leslie Cheung. She later became closely associated with alluring and mysterious characters through films such as Painted Skin, The East Is Red, Green Snake, An Eternal Combat, Picture of a Nymph and many other works.
Sources: k14