HONG KONG — A former Cantopop star and his wife are publicly detailing a cascade of crises—from autism-related parenting struggles to electricity cutoffs—as mounting financial and emotional pressures threaten to unravel their family of six.
Steven Cheung, once a member of the popular Hong Kong boy band Sun Boy’z, and his wife Yan Man, known online as “Man Man,” have been issuing a series of distressing social media posts that paint a stark picture of life on the economic edge. The couple, who have four young sons, revealed this week that their household is grappling with unpaid utility bills, the threat of eviction, and a mother battling severe caregiver burnout.
In a recent post featuring a black-and-white image, Yan Man appealed directly for help, disclosing that her children face special needs. “An autistic child with ADHD has been biting through all his clothes every day. Is there any parent who has been through this? I am completely out of ideas,” she wrote.
The admission underscores the intense daily toll on the family. Yan Man also shared a heartbreaking exchange with her son after the recent death of her grandmother—a relative who had provided crucial emotional support. “Lang Lang suddenly asked, ‘Can Great-Grandma get up?’ He said that Great-Grandma took him to see goldfish last night,” she wrote, accompanying the post with a sighing emoji.
Earlier this month, Yan Man took to social media to reveal that the family’s home had its electricity cut off due to overdue bills. Shortly after, she warned followers that the family was facing imminent forced relocation.
Cheung, who has attempted to stabilize the family’s finances through manual labor jobs delivering furniture, occasional stage performances, and collaborations with online influencers, appeared to acknowledge the weight of the situation. On Wednesday, he shared a video of the song Don’t Push Yourself Too Hard by internet singer Xiao Ya.
The lyrics, which Cheung reposted, mirrored his own reported state: “Don’t push yourself too hard. You’ve been holding on alone for too long. Busy with work and life during the day, pretending to be fine at night. Not every effort will immediately show results. Some roads just need to be endured slowly before you can truly reach the exit.”
The couple’s public unraveling highlights a broader issue: the precarious financial stability of former entertainment figures in Hong Kong’s competitive media landscape, and the acute lack of support systems for families managing both poverty and special-needs care.
Yan Man has repeatedly described feeling isolated. Social services experts note that families in similar situations often struggle without affordable childcare, specialized therapy, or mental health counseling—resources that remain scarce for working-class households in the city.
- Key challenges facing the family: Managing multiple children, including one with autism and ADHD.
- Financial distress: Unpaid electricity bills, risk of eviction, and irregular income.
- Emotional toll: Loss of a primary support figure and reported signs of caregiver depression.
The couple has yet to announce any concrete next steps, but Cheung’s recent social media activity—sharing songs about exhaustion—suggests a search for solidarity rather than immediate solutions.
As the family navigates this precarious moment, child welfare advocates urge families in crisis to reach out to local social welfare departments or nonprofit organizations offering counseling and emergency financial assistance. For Steven Cheung and Yan Man, the road ahead remains uncertain, but their openness has drawn attention to the silent struggles many families endure behind closed doors.
