"Not a Superwoman" - Jada Poon's Exhibition, 10th July 2020

For Jada Poon’s “Not a Superwoman” exhibition, I was asked to share a story that reflects my idea of what strength and power truly is. Here is my story, as told to Jada Poon.

www.jadapoonphotography.com / Make up by www.gabbiemakeup.com

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As an actor, one is trained to make things look “easy.” However, in reality, things are not often as glamorous as they appear.

I won the Best New Performer award at the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards for my role in “Still Human.” Whilst everyone was focusing on how “amazingly life changing” this would be, I did not have time to relish that moment. The socio-political challenges that beset our community in the past year has had a considerable impact on Baumhaus—the education enterprise which I founded to promote arts-in-education and play-based learning in Hong Kong.

My biggest lesson from all the challenges, has been a test of my values. Can you keep being positive when the surrounding is bleak? Can you stay fair, even when circumstances are not? Can you transform hurtful moments into anchors of strength? Are you willing to make tough decisions in order to “do the right thing”? And the obvious question—are you willing to rebuild everything you’ve lost, and do so without a single disclaimer or complaint?

The truth is, when resources become limited, you learn to drop the ego, and instead assess what truly matters to you.

There are weak moments of course, and I am still learning everyday – to always choose my mission over my ego. Selling out on my values and mission would only lead to the loss of my authenticity and, ultimately, joy.

In what seems to have been a then-impossible feat, I am emerging from the past year’s challenges—a bit wiser, and definitely stronger, I believe. When I look back at the past year, and also all the challenging times that I have encountered in my past, I look back with gratitude and a sense of pride. From whatever I had lost, my past has equipped me to rise above difficulties in life and especially during the COVID times to turn Baumhaus around towards a positive direction. I have gained a sense of kindness, empathy and resilience that I would not have experienced otherwise. Most of all, I have been able to see what is essential and true.

I value my role as an educator, and I know that if I hope for kindness, beauty and authenticity in the children I teach, I would have to live a life full of that example as well.

I am not a superwoman, but I am a woman who would keep choosing to pick myself up and start again no matter how many times life shoots me down.