Remembering Barbara Yung Mei Ling: A Childhood Memory from 40 Years Ago

 

May 14, 2025, marks 40 years since the passing of Barbara Yung Mei Ling, one of Hong Kong’s brightest television stars. Born on May 7, 1959, Barbara’s life was tragically cut short at just 26 years old, at the peak of her career. For many, her death remains a moment frozen in time—shocking, sudden, and deeply felt.

I still remember that day vividly. I was only seven years old, just a child being picked up from elementary school by my mother. As I came out from school, I overheard schoolmates’ parents talking about someone who had died. “Who died?” I wondered. And then I heard the name—Yung Mei Ling. Although I was too young to fully grasp the weight of the loss, I could sense the shock all around. She was beloved, talented, and so young.

At that time, Barbara was starring in The Rough Ride 挑戰, one of the dramas that showcased her immense talent. Watching the theme song 我與你 他與我 today takes us right back to the ambience of the 1980s—the fashion, the decoration, and the golden era of Hong Kong television.

Barbara had already made a huge name for herself with her unforgettable role in The Legend of the Condor Heroes 射鵰英雄傳 (1983), which catapulted her into stardom. But my first memory of Barbara was actually through a lesser-known series—The Foundation 決戰玄武門, which aired at the beginning of 1984. I was in grade one. I didn’t understand much about the adult world, but I was captivated by the show’s beautiful countryside scenery and its episode songs 不見我淚流. Even now, those melodies linger in my mind.

Being so young and still learning to read Chinese, I didn’t even know her real name in the drama. To me, she was “colour colour,” 曹色色 a name I made up based on the pronunciation I heard. Until I grew up I realized her name in the drama is 秦惜惜 Chun Sik-sik. One of the songs 不見我淚流 began with the line “Hold my heart, hold my hand,” 牽我心 牽你手 but in my ears, it became “Sky my heart, sky my hand” 天我心 天你手 an innocent mishearing that still makes me smile.

(20+) Video | Facebook (Sometimes the song is muted. If this happens, I will open 鮑翠薇 決戰玄武門 不見我淚流 to turn on the music and then keep playing the video. This way both the scenes can be watched and the song can be listened at the same time)

The scene that left the deepest impression on me was when Xixi bid farewell to the male lead, Jiang Feng, on the beautiful grassland—from 1:07 to 2:45 in (20+) Video | Facebook. I'm not sure why I like it so much, but I’ll never forget how Xixi always had an umbrella with her. Although the drama aired more than 40 years ago, some of the scenery, costumes, and props are still very captivating—especially when paired with the perfect soundtrack. To me, it’s a classic among classics.

Barbara Yung Mei Ling may have left us far too soon, but her memory continues to live on through the stories, songs, and screen moments she left behind. For those of us who were children then, she was a star that lit up the screen and our imaginations. Forty years later, that light still shines.

2025年5月14日，是翁美玲逝世40週年的日子。她於1959年5月7日出生，1985年5月14日離世，享年26歲。她是香港電視界最閃亮的演員之一，正值事業巔峰，離世的消息震驚了整個社會。對許多人來說，那是突如其來的消息、難以接受。 那一天，我還只是一個七歲的孩子。放學後，媽媽來接我，路上聽到其他同學的母親在談論誰過世了。 「誰過世了？」我心裡問。然後聽到那個名字——「翁美玲」。雖然當時年紀太小，無法完全理解死亡的意義，但我能感覺到大人們的震驚與惋惜。那時，翁美玲主演電視劇《挑戰》正在熱播中。如今再聽那首主題曲，彷彿時光倒流，回到八十年代的氛圍——那時的時尚、節奏和港劇的黃金時代。

其實她早已因為拍攝1983年的《射雕英雄傳》一炮而紅，黃蓉一角成為經典，也讓她成為家喻戶曉的明星。 不過，我第一次認識翁美玲，是透過另一部不那麼有名的劇——1984年初播出的《決戰玄武門》。那時我才讀一年級。雖然不懂劇情中的成人世界，卻被劇中美麗純樸的鄉間風景和動聽插曲所吸引。那些旋律一直印在我的腦海中，至今仍難忘。

(20+) Video | Facebook

(有時候歌曲會被靜音。如果發生這種情況，我會打開 (72) 鮑翠薇 決戰玄武門 不見我淚流 - YouTube 來播放音樂，然後繼續播放影片。這樣就可以同時觀看畫面和聆聽歌曲了。)

那時候，我中文識字還不多，看不懂她的名字，誤以為她叫 “曹色色”，直到長大後才知道她名字是秦惜惜。劇集插曲的第一句是“牽我心 牽你手”，但我當時聽成了“天我心，天我手”……現在回想起來，真的覺得好好笑。

我印象最深刻是惜惜在美麗草原送別男主角江豐那一幕，在Facebook影片的1:07到2:45。不知為何很喜歡，也不會忘記惜惜常常都有一把雨傘。雖然是40多年前的劇集，但有些景、造型和道具都很吸引，配上完美歌曲，對我來說是經典中的經典。