Riding a wave of success

At age 20, she won Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards. By 30, she took on a groundbreaking cross-gender role as the male lead in the classic TV series New Legend of Madame White Snake, the adaptation of a folklore that became a phenomenon across the Chinese-speaking world.

Over three decades later, Hong Kong actress Cecilia Yip continues to redefine her legendary career.

At 62, she joined the latest season of the music competition show Riding Wind this year, becoming the most senior participant since the program's inception in 2020 and was crowned its champion on June 7.

The show serves as a bold platform for women above 30 in the entertainment industry — a field long fixated on youth and beauty — to shatter age stereotypes and showcase the multifaceted brilliance of women at every stage of life.

Each year, it features 30 domestic and international female celebrities who compete through solo or group song and dance performances, with audiences voting to decide who earns a spot in the final lineup.

This season moved the stage outdoors, blending performances with picturesque backdrops such as Hainan province's tropical coastlines, the sweeping desert vistas of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the vast stretches of green grasslands in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The participants came from diverse professional backgrounds, including TV hosts, travel bloggers, actors, singers, rappers and comedians.

The season airs on Mango TV's domestic platform and its international app, offering nine languages and 17 subtitle options, reaching audiences in 195 countries and regions worldwide.

With Yip's enduring artistry and conscientious dedication, she emerged as one of this year's champions.

Over the years, Yip has established herself as an acclaimed actress through her award-winning roles. She won the best actress trophy at the Hong Kong Film Awards for her performance in the romance comedy Let's Make Laugh in 1984 and the best supporting actress for Beyond the Sunset in 1990. She claimed her second best actress trophy in 1992 for her performance in This Thing Called Love.

Even with such accolades, Yip faced industry ageism.

"I first found myself paired with noticeably older male costars, then progressively typecast in maternal roles. The opportunities kept shrinking — both in quantity and depth," she observes.

"Current industry practices favor commercial returns over substance, resulting in a shortage of nuanced female narratives."

Her breakthrough came in the year 1992 when she was given the opportunity to play the male protagonist Xu Xian in New Legend of Madame White Snake, which became a cultural phenomenon that cemented her stardom and androgynous screen appeal.

"An actress' greatest joy is creating a character beloved by audiences," Yip shares. "Their affection fueled my artistic drive."

This drive propelled her participation in the show Riding Wind 2025.

"I found that today's actors can't limit themselves to just delivering good performances on screen," Yip says. "We must also show versatility and personalities beyond our roles to better engage with audiences."

During the program's run, Yip's striking stage presence — accentuated by her sleek, short gray hair and slender and graceful upright bearing — along with her meticulous preparation for each performance and vibrant personality, earned her even greater audience admiration. "Never let aging diminish your self-worth. Keep a heart that stays curious, unafraid of failure and open to the unknown," Yip shares.

This ethos aligns with the reality show's founding vision. It's the same spirit that inspired Patty Hou, 47, another participant in the show.

As a former renowned news anchor and TV host in Taiwan, Hou is accustomed to exuding elegance under the spotlight and shifting the focus to her interview subjects.

Initially, she declined the show's invitation, fearing the pressure of reality TV's unrelenting cameras and the demands of singing and dancing live.

"I used to obsess over age — rounding down whenever possible. I'd say 'I'm in my 40s' rather than admit I was 47," Hou confesses.

After a long hiatus to raise her children, she faced self-doubt of whether she could immediately catch up with work.

However, participating in the reality show where she saw many women, regardless of their age, displaying such resilience and willingness to strive for improvement, she realized aging was neither a limit nor an excuse.

"What truly matters is the mindset. Middle-aged women often feel trapped by family or other circumstances, but we mustn't abandon our aspirations. When the time is right, start pursuing them — it's never too late," she reflects.

Hou is also among the final 10 winners of the show, along with Yip, actresses Wang Luodan, Li Sheng, Zhang Xiaowan, Zhu Xudan, Guan Yue, Luo Yutong, as well as pop idols-turned-actresses Wu Xuanyi and Cecilia Boey.

Contact the writer at xingwen@chinadaily.com.cn