Charmaine Sheh on Turning 50 and Entering a New Decade

Despite criticism in her early acting career, Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼) reinvented herself and dominated the industry for 28 years. With the success of The Queen of News (新聞女王), her career has reached new heights again.

Charmaine’s earning power in Hong Kong and China is staggering. Owning multiple properties, her net worth has long surpassed the hundred-million mark, and she appeared on the Forbes China Celebrity List in 2011. She has long been regarded as one of the industry’s top “golden bachelorettes.”

But at 50, Charmaine has also faced emotional upheaval. This year, she was devastated by the passing of her beloved godfather, veteran actor Benz Hui (許紹雄). Opening up for the first time, she revealed that witnessing family illness and the loss of seniors profoundly changed her outlook on life and death. Charmaine even prepared her will early, explaining that she worked too hard for her savings to go to waste if something unexpected happened.

Speaking about Benz, Charmaine admitted she grew emotional during the funeral. She longed to return to her thirties, when life was filled with joy and friends were dating, marrying, and having children. Now in a new stage of life marked by inevitable loss, she has learned to “let go” and focus on what brings her fulfillment.

Although all her close friends are now mothers, Charmaine remains confidently single. She said she has “moved past the fantasy” of childbirth, noting the intense time, energy, and strength motherhood requires, which she feels is not something she wants to take on. Instead, she is embracing the single life and remains unaffected by societal pressure to conform and is fully content with her chosen path.