Husband Can’t Find Enough Work? Sonija Kwok: “I Only Want a Modest Life”
Having won the 1999 Miss Hong Kong Pageant and the 2000 Miss Chinese International Pageant, former TVB fadan Sonija Kwok (郭羨妮) was one of Hong Kong’s most promising actresses when she made her grand debut in the 2001 TVB anniversary drama, A Step Into the Past <尋秦記>. But after her low-profile marriage to Mainland Chinese action director Zhu Shaojie (朱少杰) in 2011, Sonija’s presence in the media declined.
Matters turned for the worst when a recent gossip report alleged that Sonija’s husband has been struggling to find jobs, thus putting Sonija as the sole breadwinner for their family. The rumor said Sonija ended up firing their family’s domestic worker to save more money, and also worked as her husband’s assistant and manager when she’s not filming series.
On March 3, Sonija uploaded a status on Weibo. In her positive message, Sonija hinted that she had read the gossip reports and rumors. She wrote in response, “I’ve always said that happiness stems from understanding what it means to be content and grateful. My profession may be an actor, but I am still a regular person who wants a simple and low-profile life. All I want is for my family to be healthy and happy. Those who understand me, will understand me. I’m not interested in explaining trivial matters.”
Source: Eastweek
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
Very nice message.
I’m surprised even Sonija chose to marry a mainland Chinese guy.
@genxx11 What’s so surprising? Ember Swift & many others did too.
@pocky she seems westernized to me, I am referring to thinking and lifestyle differences.
@genxx11
there probably isn’t much of a gap in their thinking and values.
Choy Siufun is also happily married to a mainlander. And Christy Chung is dating a younger mainland actor.
@genxx11 I see…but Ember Swift was born & lived in Canada all her life. Surely her thinking & lifestyle must be 100% different than her husband’s? It doesn’t matter, as long as both parties loves each other.
@genxx11 Short of intimately knowing both of them, how does one know they would be incompatible in terms of thinking and lifestyle?
There are many non Mainland celeb marrying their Mainland counterparts. The most recent one is Angelababy and Chinese American actor Archie Gao (Power Rangers). the list goes on and on.
@aiya @pocky I don’t know ember swift, I think generally westerners who married easterners must have had some exposure to the eastern culture or take a special liking to it. I wasn’t surprised when Ada choi and Nadia Chan married mainland Chinese men. Angelababy’s case as well, I’m not surprised, she doesn’t come across as westernized to me. I would be equally surprised if Linda Chung or Eliza Sam married a mainland Chinese guy. Even more so if grace Wong or Jason Chan were to marry a Chinese who isn’t westernized in thinking and lifestyle, get my point?
@genxx11 Don’t think it’s that surprising, since Chinese (mainland) nationals have more in common with HK residents (e.g Sonija Kwok) or other overseas ethnic Chinese (Singaporeans, Malaysians, Thais, Taiwanese, Chinese-Americans, etc) than with Westerners (e.g. Ember Swift). They’re both ethnically Chinese & practice similar traditional customs/culture (e.g. Chinese New Year, Confucian values, etc).
@pocky It’s sort of weird that HK and Taiwan are considered “overseas” territories. I guess it’s just a product of the geo-political time under which we are living.
@pocky your point is more convincing to me, Sonija grew up and moved back to hk after graduating thus she may not be as westernized as I thought, point taken.
@genxx11 Now I am really confused by your point. It appears your definition of “being westernized” applies only to those foreign nationals of Chinese ancestry and they are deemed to be incompatible with Mainland Chinese all of whom are assumed to be “easternized”. Well, Sonija Kwok is not a foreign national so I guess that’s why she has no problems marrying a Mainlander then.
The most confusing thing you said is that you think non-Chinese foreigners who marry Mainlanders must have exposure to and take a liking to eastern culture. By inference, you must think that Chinese foreingers (Linda Chung, Grace Wong etc) must not have exposure to or take a liking to eastern culture and therefore you would be surprise if they ended up with a Chinese spouse.
Is my summarization of what you said accurate?
@aiya nope, I didn’t say nor infer that Chinese foreingers (Linda Chung, Grace Wong etc) “must” not have exposure to or take a liking to eastern culture and therefore you would be surprise if they ended up with a Chinese spouse, I said “generally”. From my observation of my German colleagues in Malaysia, Singapore, China and Japan, those who took eastern spouses are generally not those who are averse to the culture. Isn’t it a fair and logical statement? There are exceptions of course but statistically less common.
As to how westernized Sonija is, neither of us can say for sure. I formed the impression that she is quite westernized coz she has British parentage, immigrated and studied in Canada. I may be wrong but that’s my impression of her and surprised was how I felt about her marriage to a Chinese martial art director. It’s my personal feeling. You are not surprised, fine, you are entitled to your own feeling, hope I am entitled to mine.
@genxx11
I was reading your posts and kind of see what you are saying but when a couple falls in love,must they be the same ethnicity/ nationality? You marry who you love and are compatible with and I do not feel your nationality/ ethnicity necessarily shows that.
@hetieshou I can see your point too. The experience of love is not the same for everyone..
https://www.truthaboutdeception.com/relationship-issues/love-styles.htm
I am the pragma/practical type.
https://www.truthaboutdeception.com/relationship-issues/love-styles.html
@genxx11 I totally agree with you on the point that in any mixed relationship, be in inter-racial or inter-ethnic, at least on of the party must have exposure and take a liking to the other’s culture and background. The notion of falling in love is independent of all these external factors would be characterized at best as naive.
My confusion on the matter stems from your statement that you would be surprised if Chinese Canadians like Linda Chung or Elisa Sum end up with chinese spouses.
Of course, everyone is entitled to his/her opinions but what makes this forum fun is that we get to test our opinions with one another in a non-combative manner.
@aiya sure, jaynestar forumers are cool.
HURRAY! for her. Being simple and content with self/life is really key to happiness.
And what a graceful dignified answer to a materialistic society and to those bzbodies who aren’t interested in ever helping (when they find out abt anything) … but always prying and judging as to how other pple lead their lives. Or have to materialistically price-tag each and every single thing/action/event to be deemed ‘happy’.
@nomad822
Very well said! It is rare to find a girl that is content with just a simple life,especially in the circle. Money and material objects do not necessarily equate to happiness. Sonjia and her husband are lucky to have each other.
@nomad822 Well said! Reporters need to leave them alone. Love her message on weibo!
I love Sonija! Hope to see her more on TVB.
I too love e way she wrote her message too. I personally find her a very nice lady. She seems to be a modest lady. Is nice to see a pretty lady like her to be contented and grateful for what she has in her life, salute to her gracious attitude.
I like her more and more. She looks like she live a very simple life with her family, just like us.
Wish her and her family healthy and happy always.
Who is he? lol
@vodka
haha lol…I was wondering the same exact thing. her – I remember from TVB but I never like her anyway but since he’s a mainland actor or whatever no clue.
@vodka
The article says he an action director.
@msxie0714
Yes,he is a Kung fu/action director. I heard he is one of the students of the famous action director Cheng Siu Tong. He mainly works behind the scenes so many may not know him.
Her hubby isn’t as prominent compared to Ada’s hubby. But I like this actress. In fact, I miss the good old TVB…the newbies are far behind.
@janet72 Actually, at the time when Ada married him, Max Zhang was not all that prominent. For years, he had suffered the indignity of being scrutinized as a “soft-rice king”. It was until in recent years when his career began to take off.
@aiya hope Sonija can see her “moon” as well after the clouds cleared.
@janet72
Ada’s husband also acts so you can see him on the screen but Sonjia’s husband only works behind the scenes. Ada and her husband met while they were making the series Shui Yue Dong Tian in 2003. He was actually kind of known before since he knows real martial arts and already won some awards in China. He was the stunt double for Zhang Zi Yi in Crouching Tiger.
why can’t she married someone rich 🙁 lol..
She could, but that was not her biggest wish I guess?
@skyking
Her life is rich with a husband and family she truly loves.
Sonija Kwok is a very pretty actress, but she did not seem to have much luck in her love life. She was the 3rd party having affairs with two actors at two different times, Deric Wan, and Michael Tao. She fell in love too easily, not for money but for love. Michael Tao’s wife divorced Michael after some 20+ years of marriage. Sonija’s image was badly damaged as a result. TVB froze her by sending her to Mainland China to film some local drama series. She then met her current husband who was very attentive and kind to her. Again, Sonja fell in love easily. I believe that she got pregnant and had a shot-gun marriage.
With her pretty face, image and status, she could easily marry someone better (more qualified in education and financial status). I guess that is her fate. I fell sorry for her when I heard of her shot-gun marriage. Her mother was totally against it. Now I just wish her the best.
@orchid123 So it’s all about education/financial status? Actual love doesn’t count then.