​Ever since the Tokyo Olympics kicked off last week, a number of Olympians have gone viral for their connections to showbusiness.

Like this Taiwanese gymnast who Dee Hsu has claimed as her son. 

But here's one more athlete who's actually related to one of China's biggest stars. 

​And that's 27-year-old Chinese paddler Chen Meng, who beat Singapore’s Yu Mengyu 4-0 in the women’s singles semi-finals earlier today (Jul 29).  

After Chen Meng, who is the current World No. 1, defeated Hongkong’s Doo Hoi-kem in a thrilling match yesterday, netizens began digging into her background and discovered that she is the cousin of actor Huang Xiaoming. Yes, Angelababy's husband... or is it ex-husband?

Chen Meng will be playing for gold in the final tonight at 9pm Singapore time while Mengyu's bronze medal match is at 7pm on meWATCH.

​Though Chen Meng's relation to Xiaoming is not exactly a new revelation — Chen Meng attracted a lot of attention from the press when she made her debut with the Chinese table tennis national team — this was still news to some netizens, who couldn’t help but get excited about it.

"In future, we will not say she is Huang Xiaoming's cousin, but Huang Xiaoming is Chen Meng's cousin," said one such netizen.

​Her showbiz connections do not end there.

Netizens found out that she is close friends with Chinese actor Ren Jialun and that they used to be partners when they were playing for the Shandong Provincial Team.

Though Jialun, best known for 2019 period drama Under The Power and the recent Never Say Goodbye, has traded in his paddle for life as an actor, the pair still keep in contact.

​This week, Christopher Lee and Jin Yinji celebrated their birthdays, chef JJ Lin and Andre DeCruz tempted us with their mouth-watering meats, and Yvonne Lim whipped up all her fave local dishes for a taste of home. Read on for more.

JJ Lin
What he ate: Juicy steak

Yummy factor: Meals during one’s Stay-Home Notice period need not be limited to mundane bento sets — JJ got fancy and grilled himself a juicy steak instead. A sizzling 90 seconds on each side of the slab and voila — perfectly-seared goodness with a tender pink centre. And it was really juicy, if chef Lin may say so himself.

​Joanne Peh and Qi Yuwu
What they ate: Durian

Yummy factor: Joanne has never been a fan of durian. That is, until she was “coerced” by hubby Yuwu to have her first taste of the Black Gold variety. She’s been hooked ever since, and it’s the only type she eats now. And when she orders, she goes for the most bitter ones. 

Christopher Lee
What he ate: Helmet cake

Yummy factor: For Christopher’s 50th birthday (Jul 23), wife Fann Wong and their son Zed surprised Chris with a most unusual 3D cake. Modelled to look like the hard hat he wore on Workers, the helmet even featured a headlight strapped to the front, as well as Mandarin words that translate to “Working Dad”. His hard work for the fam hasn’t gone unnoticed!

Sharon Au
What she ate: Jeanette Aw’s bakes

Yummy factor: Sharon was just in time to collect her order of blueberry and lemon pound cake and pineapple financiers from Jeanette’s patisserie, Once Upon A Time — the seasonal bakes were about to give way to August’s offerings. And while she enjoyed the pound cake, she particularly loved the financiers, giving a thumbs up and openly declaring that she regrets sharing her stash with her friends.

Jin Yinji
What she ate: Birthday feast

Yummy factor: Not only did Jin jie receive a spanking new massage chair from her son and daughter-in-law for her 76th lunar birthday (Jul 26), she also celebrated the special occasion at home by feasting on lobster noodles, grilled ribs and rich chocolate cake with her loved ones.

Chen Xiuhuan
What she ate: Suckling pig

Yummy factor: Although Xiuhuan isn’t a fan of pork, she had at least eight crisp slices of the suckling pig her mother-in-law got from Wah Gah Catering. And according to her, the best way to have it is to dip each slice in sauce and eating it with a veggie wrap like a hand roll. 

Andrea DeCruz
What she ate: Clean meal

Yummy factor: If you're looking to eat clean, you might want to try Andrea's ginger-scallion chicken breast in parchment. Not only is the chicken dish easy to put together, but it also tastes "absolutely tender and juicy". Head to her Instagram for the recipe. 

Justin Ang and Vernon A
What they ate: Curry chicken

Yummy factor: For Justin, an excellent rendition of curry chicken has to have potatoes — lots and lots of it. And the one from Dong Dong Mixed Vegetable Rice hits all the right spots for him, from the ingredients to the fluffy bread used to soak up the gravy. And clearly, Vernon agrees.

Yvonne Lim
What she ate: Local foods

Yummy factor: With National Day fast approaching, the homesick Yvonne couldn’t help but reminisce about our mouthwatering local dishes. And so she decided to whip them up from scratch — think min jiang kueh with peanut and black sesame filling, braised duck plus kway chap, oven-baked sambal fish, and her all-time fave kueh pie tee. Is she talented or what?

Thomas Ong
What he ate: Nasi lemak

Yummy factor: Aside from a generous plate of nasi lemak topped with plenty of ingredients including ikan kuning, omelette and otah, Thomas also had additional sides like freshly-fried goreng pisang, tofu and more to go with his meal. And for dessert, he had a slice of orh nee tart from home-based bakery Rachelrax. Talk about a huge appetite.

Gini Chang
What she ate: Both sweet and savoury noms

Yummy factor: In the latest episode of #justswipelah, Gini tries out various popular eats from home-based businesses. Think fried goodies from Ah Ma’s Ngoh Hiang, to sweets like caramel cinnamon rolls from Guilt Free Food and burnt cheesecake with pineapple from Ree and Mummy Bakes. One item — the Breakthrough Box — made Gini pretty worked up, though. Watch to find out more. 

Kate Pang
What she ate: Roast meats

Yummy factor: Picnic for one, anyone? Kate decided to spice up her quarantine by enjoying her meal outdoors in her balcony and she treated herself to roast meats like honey-glazed char siew and sio bak from 1988 Marina Roasts, complete with a braised egg and greens on a bed of rice. Accompanying her meal was a bowl of pork rib soup sweetened with corn and, would you believe it, her first cup of soursop juice (she loved it).

Hazelle Teo and Zhu Zeliang
What they ate: Burgers

Yummy factor: Apparently July 28 was National Hamburger Day, so the 933 DJs decided to order burgers for each other. Coincidentally or not, they both ordered the same juicy McDonald’s Buttermilk Crispy Chicken burger for each other, except that Hazelle doesn’t eat hers with the standard slice of pineapple... And Zeliang can’t quite understand why. How do you like your burger?

Hong Ling and Jesseca Liu
What they ate: McDonald’s breakfast

Yummy factor: Although Desmond Tan didn’t have to join his The Take Down co-stars Hong Ling and Jesseca for filming over the weekend, he kept his word and ordered a hearty breakfast for them. And Hong Ling couldn’t be happier with her sausage McMuffin with egg. We bet she’s grinning from ear to ear under her mask. 

Sora Ma
What she ate: Bo lo bao

Yummy factor: No dine-in, no problem. Sora tapowed Joy Luck Teahouse's Hong Kong-style pineapple bun (check out that thick slice of butter!) and a comforting hot drink and enjoyed them in her car. Anyone else doing the same during P2HA?

Ya Hui
What she ate: Nasi lemak

Yummy factor: Ya Hui carries a set of cutlery around with her so she can easily tuck into meals while out, like this pack of comforting nasi lemak that came with simple ingredients like a slice of omelette and fried fish. As simple as her meal was, however, Ya Hui still looked pretty pleased with it.

Huang Biren
What she ate: Weekend indulgences

Yummy factor: From Chan Family Bakery’s fruit tarts, swan-shaped custard cream puffs and chocolate eclairs to tomyam beehoon and fried goodies from Ah Ma’s Ngoh Hiang, Biren certainly didn’t hold back when it came to indulging in delish eats over the weekend.

Bonnie Loo
What she ate: Curry chicken

Yummy factor: To Bonnie, few things beat having homemade curry chicken with plenty of rice and sliced baguette, and making sure there’s an extra portion of poached chicken to refill the pot with. Oh, and ending the night with plenty of creamy durian.

Tracy Lee
What she ate: Xiao long bao

Yummy factor: Tracy steamed more than 20 xiao long baos from online store Wan The Bao to share with her loved ones, and she appreciates how the dumplings are juicy and wrapped in paper-thin skin. The only thing that’s missing is some thinly-sliced ginger with vinegar.

Tay Ying
What she ate: Chilli crab pizza

Yummy factor: Tay Ying ordered Supply & Demand’s new chilli crab pizza, and could not get enough of it. The sourdough pizza is topped with a special housemade sauce, chunks of crab meat, a wobbly egg, edible flowers and more. Anyone else wishing that they could try a slice of that?

Pornsak
What he ate: Plenty of eggs

Yummy factor: From sliced century eggs served with pickled ginger to hard-boiled eggs braised and flavoured with the rich taste of pig trotters in vinegar, Pornsak definitely had his protein fix at celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee’s crib this week.

​Hongkong fencer Cheung Ka Long, 24, made history when he won gold in the men’s individual foil fencing final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Monday (Jul 26).

This makes him Hongkong’s second Olympic gold medallist after windsurfer Lee Lai-shan, who brought home the city’s first ever gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

​Needless to say, his fellow Hongkongers were over the moon, something that TVB reporter Kelly Chan, 25, could barely hide when she spoke to the star athlete after his victory.

However, it seems she may have let her excitement get the better of her, or at least, that’s what a lot of netizens were being disgruntled about.

The former beauty queen was accused of being “disrespectful” by interrupting Ka Long numerous times during their interview.

She was also slammed for making awkward remarks such as “I like you so much! What should I do?”, “I want to call you ‘Kam (Gold) Ka Long’”, and “The people of Hongkong want me to blow you a flying kiss, haha”.

​While Kelly defended herself at first and insisted that she did nothing wrong, netizens were unhappy with her post and left angry comments such as: “She doesn’t have an ounce of politeness”, “I’ve never seen such an unprofessional reporter in my life”, “If you want to be a fangirl, do it after work”, and “No one wants to know how you feel, the audience wants to hear what Ka Long has to say”.

Overwhelmed by the backlash, Kelly eventually deleted the post and issued a handwritten apology on Tuesday (Jul 27).

​“When Hongkong’s Mr. Cheung Ka Long won his historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last night, I was in the same mood as the people of Hongkong and was so excited that I asked inappropriate questions and acted improperly, affecting everyone’s viewing experience,” she wrote.

“I deeply regret my immature and unprofessional behaviour. I would like to express my deepest apologies to all affected parties, viewers, Cheung Ka Long, and TVB.”

Kelly ended her letter by saying that she hopes she can be forgiven and urged everyone to continue supporting the Hongkong athletes.

While she disabled comments on the post, it was noticed that Ka Long left a ‘like’, quietly showing that he has accepted her apology.

​Kevin Cheng, 51, and Grace Chan, 29, marked their younger son Yannick's first birthday on July 27 with a tropical-themed birthday party at home. 

On Instagram, Grace, at the risk of sounding "like a broken record", gushed about how quickly Yannick has grown up.

She also called him her "ultimate ray of sunshine" and thanked him for "teeming [their] lives with overflowing smiles, laughter and happiness". 

​Grace and Kevin tied the knot in 2018 and their older son Rafael is now two. 

​After looking at Grace's pics, netizens commented on how much Yannick looks like his mum, especially his eyes. They also noted that Grace's genes seem to be more dominant in both Rafael and Yannick as they resemble her a lot more than Kevin.

That led to some very unnecessary comments about how it’s a “pity" that the boys won’t grow up to look like their "handsome dad”.

Other netizens quickly set them straight by pointing out that “kids will grow into their features” and that “the boys will look very different once they lose their baby fat”.

​It’s been three months since Chinese stars Zhao Liying, 33, and Feng Shaofeng, 42, announced their divorce, and the internet is still very interested to know the reason for the split.

The former couple, who were married for less than three years and have a two-year-old son together, have maintained that their divorce was "amicable".

​Not that netizens believe any of that.

Chinese media recently published reports claiming that it was Liying who initiated the divorce as she could "no longer stand to be a part of the Feng family".

According to a source, Shaofeng's mum had interfered too much in the couple's lives.

Liying's career as an actress is flourishing

Shaofeng’s mother had allegedly asked Liying to retire from showbiz and have two more kids.

But Liying had no intention of quitting acting. And why should she?

Her career is flourishing — she's been dubbed the 'Queen of TV' — and 14 of her recent dramas, including Princess Agents, The Journey Of Flower and Legend of Fei, have pulled in a whopping 180 billion online streams combined.

Liying also felt that decisions about baby-making should be left up to her and her husband.

However, Mama Feng reportedly kept pushing for more grandchildren, which led to a rift between the two ladies.

Shaofeng, who was described as a “mummy’s boy”, allegedly found it difficult to stand up to his mother, which in turn caused problems between him and Liying. Discontentment festered between the couple and they eventually decided to split up. 

​Chinese singer Li Quan surprised everyone when he announced on Weibo last night (Jul 27) that he has become a father for the first time.

The 52-year-old uploaded two pictures — one of a sleeping baby, and another of him striking the same pose as the child. 

​“The second wave is following [in the footsteps] of the first,” he wrote. 

Though his post was scant of information, netizens quickly deduced that this must be Li Quan’s way of announcing that he’d become a father.

The post took everyone by surprise mainly because James was not known to be in a relationship, at least, to the public.

​Even Li Quan’s celeb friends, like Chinese singer Ding Wei, appeared to have been kept in the dark, with the singer commenting: “Wow, your skill when it comes to keeping a secret [is amazing], congrats.”

Others also scrambled to figure out more information about Li Quan's bundle of joy, writing that the baby appeared to be less than a month old.

​Younger audiences will probably know Li Quan, who made his singing debut in 1995, for his stint on singing competition Singer in 2018, where he competed against singers like Wang Feng, Angela Chang and Jessie J. He has also produced songs for stars like Vicki Zhao, Mavis Fan and Alex To.

He is nominated for Best Mandarin Album and the Best Mandarin Male Singer awards at this year's Golden Melody Awards and the ceremony will take place on August 21. 

​Although he’s been in showbiz for over 20 years, the singer has always kept his love life under wraps. The only relationship he went public with was when he dated Chinese host Ke Lan. The couple were together for seven years before calling it quits in 2007.

​Taiwanese singer Harlem Yu turned the big 6-0 today (Jul 28), but instead of throwing a big party for himself (not that he would’ve been able to anyway, no thanks to the pandemic), he decided to send out presents instead.

​On Monday (Jul 26), the star donated over 15,000 popsicles to police stations in Changhua and Kaohsiung with the help of representatives from Taiwanese frozen snack brand Ki A Peng Sian.

He also shared a message, saying: “Seeing the hardworking handsome men and beautiful women of the police force happily eating popsicles to cool off during a hot summer is the most precious birthday gift to me!”

​Aside from wanting to show his appreciation to frontline heroes, there is another very meaningful reason behind Harlem’s unusual and seemingly random gift.

Back in June, farmers in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County revealed that sales of their famous Aiwen mangoes were badly affected after the country’s first outbreak of the COVID Delta variant was reported in the area.

This led to stigma against the fruit and many orders were cancelled, negatively impacting the livelihoods of small farm workers.

​When Harlem heard about their plight, he and his team sprung into action. They bought 25 tonnes of mangoes from small farmers in Tainan City’s Yujing Market and had them made into the popsicles.

“If you can kill two birds with one stone, then why not!” Harlem said. “Taiwan isn’t called the ‘Kingdom of Fruit’ for nothing. I guarantee that the Aiwen mangoes have absolutely no problem! They are first class!”

Now wasn’t that just so sweet of him?

​Looks like Taiwanese gymnast Hong Yuanxi isn’t the only familiar face at the Tokyo Olympics that is capturing the attention of netizens.

​The latest athlete to become an internet sensation is 21-year-old Hongkong fencer, Lawrence Ng Lok Wang.

Lawrence, however, is no stranger to the limelight.

He made his acting debut at age seven and has appeared in more than 30 TVB dramas in his 10 years in showbiz.

​He mostly played the younger versions of the lead characters, like Kevin Cheng’s Cheung Sing-hei in 2008’s Last One Standing, and Edwin Siu’s Lo Wai-shun in 2015's Brother’s Keeper.

His last drama was 2015’s Raising The Bar, in which he played a teen accused of trafficking drugs.

​Lawrence will be competing in the men’s foil team competition on August 1, alongside the newly-minted Olympic champ Cheung Ka Long, who won the men’s individual foil event on Monday (Jul 26). 

And it seems like both Lawrence and Ka Long stand a chance at a podium finish this Sunday. As there are only eight teams in competition, Hongkong could win a medal if they win two bouts.

​Lawrence took up fencing when he was in primary two. 

He began participating in inter-school competitions a year later and was the individual foil champ in the primary school division for three consecutive years.

During his five years in Diocesan Boys' School, one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Hongkong, he led his team to many fencing championships and won the Outstanding Athlete Award (Fencing) at the 2016 Bank of China (Hong Kong) Bauhinia Bowl Award.

With the support of his parents, he took a break from his studies in secondary five to become a full-time athlete.

The Tokyo Games is his first Olympic outing.

​Hongkong host Maria Leitao has an impressive list of ex-boyfriends. Or should we say list of impressive ex-boyfriends? Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Ekin Cheng, Jordan Chan and Max Cheung have all dated the 55-year-old in the past.

Maria, whose late aunt was casino king Stanley Ho’s first wife, has a career-spanning almost 40 years and is regarded as one of the best hosts in Hongkong.

Her 2012 talk show Telling Maria, where she interviewed past best actor winners from Andy Lau to Donnie Yen and Louis Koo to Anthony Wong was a smash hit.

Two of her guests were her ex-boyfriends Tony and Ekin, and that didn’t go unnoticed by viewers. The media went on to cast a spotlight on Maria’s dating history, with netizens expressing how impressed they were by the calibre of the men she has dated.

​Recently, Maria was a guest on a talk show and the subject of her famous exes was brought up.

Maria, who doesn’t shy away from talking about her past relationships, shared that she has never felt awkward working with her exes after they break up. “Why should it be awkward? Even before Telling Maria, I was an entertainment reporter and I would interview them at events. It was never a problem because we didn’t break up on bad terms and we remained friends,” she said.

The host then mentioned that men who received Maria’s “blessing” — he was referring to her exes — all went on to achieve great fame and have successful careers.

Her response? “This I strongly agree with! I have never openly admitted to dating Jordan but you can say that those who have been with me really became very popular!”

Maria was then asked if she only likes good-looking guys. Upon hearing that, she laughed before saying that she used to be more superficial when she was younger and placed physical appearance before everything else.

​She got to know the actor when she was 16. He was nine years older and her first love. They broke up after dating for more than a year and Maria said it was because of their age difference.

​Maria and Ekin met as co-hosts on the set of kids show 430 Space Shuttle in the late ’80s. They started dated soon after and would break up three years later. Maria later revealed that the two of them would often quarrel over small matters.

​She dated Jordan on the sly when he was still a member of short-lived ’90s boyband Wind Sea Fire. The couple never spoke about their relationship to the media until many years later.

It’s said that it was through Maria’s connections that Jordan got his first movie role. He was cast in the 1994 movie Twenty Something, and was named Best Supporting Actor at the Hongkong Film Awards in 1995.

​She went out with the Hongkong actor for eight years. In 1998, he was almost paralysed in a serious car crash and it’s said that she was the one who nursed him back to health. However, they broke up two years later.

​Her last known relationship was to actor Max Cheung, who is 12 years her junior. They dated for nine years and broke up in 2012.

According to Maria, their age difference had nothing to do with the split. In fact, Max wanted to make it official but Maria does not believe in marriage.

“I didn’t want to hold him back, so breaking up was the right thing to do and it was a nice way to end things,” she said.

​Like many older folks, Lo Hoi Pang, who turns 80 this year, has experienced his share of major health issues, but his physical condition only appears to be getting better and better.

​And it’s all thanks to screen legend Chow Yun Fat aka Fat Gor.

Three years ago, Hoi Pang had to undergo heart surgery due to a blockage in his arteries, and the procedure left him weak and unable to walk properly.

He’s sure made a fantastic recovery, though.

On Sunday (Jul 25), the veteran Hongkong actor attended an event looking leaner and healthier than before.

He was also able to move around freely without the use of a walking stick despite having foot problems in the past.

​Hoi Pang credits his daily exercise routine with Fat Gor for improving his health and taking care of the pain in his feet.

For at least one hour every day, he would go hiking with Fat Gor and a group of their pals. Impressively, Hoi Pang says he hasn’t missed a single day over the past six months.

“I wake up at 5am every morning, Fat Gor comes to pick me up at about 6.30am, and we go jogging in the mountains with about 20 other friends,” he said. “We run for at least an hour a day and cover at least 3km, sometimes 5km.”

​Hoi Pang added that it was Fat Gor who taught them important techniques, such as paying attention to their pace and rhythm of breathing.

“Fat Gor is like the team doctor,” he quipped. “He gives first-rate massages to everyone.”

Hoi Pang also shared his thoughts on that incident where the usually cheery Fat Gor looked less-than-pleased after a starstruck fan snapped a selfie without permission.

“I’m not surprised,” he said. “Everyone was running at that time, and no one likes to be disturbed while they’re running. Should people complain if you refuse to take a photo with them when you’re in the middle of having a meal?”

“Fat Gor loves taking pictures. He always has a camera or phone with him and is our photographer. After he has finished jogging and has time, he would never refuse a request to take a group photo with anyone who asks.”