Carman Lee turns 55: She loves it when you call her 'auntie'

The ageless Hong Kong actress Carman Lee turns 55 today, and she uploaded a video to her Weibo account yesterday as a short look back at her life and showbiz career.

She's famous for playing Xiaolongnü, or Little Dragon Maiden, in the 1995 martial arts drama The Condor Heroes 95 with actor Louis Koo, and she said she's thankful for having such an iconic role.

"I entered showbiz 30 years ago and you've called me Gu for 26 years — 10 years more than the time Yang Guo waited for me. To be able to have a role that is so deeply entrenched in the audience's mind is a great honour to an actress," Carman said in the video.

'Gu Gu' is Chinese for auntie, which is what Louis' character Yang Guo calls Xiaolongnü.

She continued: "I once left showbiz for a decade, which some of you found a pity and couldn't understand why. When I returned to the screens, there were also some who found it regretful that my youth was gone.

"But it was exactly because of the hurdles I experienced in those 10 years that I learnt how to truly love myself. And because I love myself, I found the courage to make my comeback."

The accumulation of life experiences — good and bad — has created the Carman Lee who is comfortable in her own skin, she added.

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Last year, Carman released her autobiography titled A Good Life, where she talked about her 10-year relationship with wealthy businessman Guo Yingquan. She recounted how she was at the peak of her career when she got together with him, and stepped away from showbiz because he didn't want her to be an actress.

Although he refused to meet her parents and never made any marriage commitments to her, she stuck by him and regarded herself as his wife, taking care of him and his family. He, however, initiated a break-up every year.

They finally parted ways after 10 years, and Carman said she was scarred by their time together.

In her latest video, she added she has never regretted those years away from the limelight.

"I hope you won't be trapped in an unhappy phase of your life. Be brave and take a big step forward! You have to love yourself well," she stressed.

In ending, she told her supporters: "I still love hearing you call me 'Gu Gu'."

kwokkarpeng@asiaone.com