Renowned as the “King of Hong Kong Comedy,” Stephen Chow (also known as Sing Yeh) recently made a rare appearance showing his full face in a photo with a mainland Chinese internet celebrity. Netizens were not only amazed by his aged appearance but also surprised by his expressionless face in the photo.
Having been busy filming movies in mainland China in recent years, Stephen Chow occasionally updates his Instagram, which he opened in 2022, with glimpses of his current life. However, he had been mostly seen showing his back in photos and seldom revealing his front profile. Yet, when he took a photo with the Chinese internet celebrity Zhen Zi recently, he made a rare front-facing appearance. In the leaked image, Stephen Chow appeared with round glasses, a gray hat, and some graying beard, looking quite serious.
Netizens jokingly commented, saying, “Stephen Chow finally shows his face to you,” “It’s actually the real deal,” and “Sing Yeh looks so serious with no smile; was he forced to take the photo?” Some even referenced a classic joke from Stephen Chow’s 1998 Hong Kong Lunar New Year film “The Lucky Guy,” using the line “the look of the fourth day of the year” to describe his appearance, as the film includes a dialogue about the “fourth day of the new year,” humorously reflecting post-festive woes.
In fact, when the mainland Chinese internet celebrity Zhen Zi posted the photo, she also wrote, “Time, please go slowly.” This seems to express a sigh about the passage of time, indicating that Sing Yeh has aged quite a bit.
Lately, what has been bothering Stephen Chow the most is the mainland director Zheng Jifeng, who has been using Stephen Chow’s name to film pseudo-cinema movies like “Legend of Zhu Bajie” and was arrested on February 19 in Hainan for allegedly committing indecent acts towards children during casting. There have been rumors that Zheng Jifeng had invested in Stephen Chow’s film “The Mermaid” in exchange for playing the role of “Director Zheng” in the movie. However, Stephen Chow’s manager, Chen Zhenyu, denied these allegations, distancing from any association with Zheng Jifeng.
Public records show that Zheng Jifeng once portrayed “Director Zheng” in a movie directed by Stephen Chow, “The Mermaid.” Zheng Jifeng is known for his multiple roles as a screenwriter, director, actor, film producer, businessman, and currently serves as the Chairman of a Hong Kong capital management company and a film production company. He also has investments in various entertainment businesses in Hainan.