So what is her secret to ageing well? Accepting that it happens.
"Being afraid of getting old is not a good mentality," the award-winning Hong Kong television star tells the Post. "I have not worn make-up (for non-professional occasions) for many years. I want to embrace my real age," she says. Tang is 54.
Exercise such as hiking and spending time with her family help Tang stay young at heart - as does possessing good mental health. Her trick for that is to stay curious and to never dwell on the past.
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| Sheren Tang doesn't wear make-up when she is not acting. |
The former actress with Hong Kong-based broadcaster TVB, who has starred in numerous hugely popular drama series, including Rosy Business (2009), No Regrets (2010), War and Beauty (2004) and Beauty at War (2013), says her life changed when she embraced Christianity in 1998.
A near-brush with monetary ruin during the 1998 Asian financial crisis resulted in Tang having to juggle several jobs, including working as a DJ, to pay the mortgage on the luxurious house she had never lived in thanks to her hectic work schedule.
"I stumbled and was covered with bruises then. I found out I couldn't rely on (purely) myself any more. I turned to God and Jesus. It took a long time for me to have the faith to fully rely on God, as I have led a self-reliant existence for many years."
Tang, who was raised by her grandparents even before her parents divorced when she was five, credits her faith with helping to heal long-term emotional wounds. Thanks to Christian counselling which she started in 2008, she has reconciled with her parents.
"It took a long journey with pain and tears to forgive them. I had never lived with them (before adulthood). My anger (towards them) had accumulated since childhood. So my success was tainted with bitterness. Through therapy, I started to learn to tell them my feelings and let go of emotional baggage."
Tang began acting in the 1980s and says that her approach to working used to be to go all out.
"I did stunts (without using a body double). I learned (how to) drive and smoke for the sake of acting. I just jumped into the sea when shooting (television dramas) even though I didn't know how to swim." Although viewers may have thought she did these things because she was good at them, she wasn't - she was simply doing her best to keep her job.
Her work ethic brought her phenomenal career success - she won the best TVB actress award for two consecutive years for her performances in Rosy Business and No Regrets - but it took a crushing mental and physical toll. After she finished shooting palace intrigue drama Beauty at War, Tang was so exhausted that she took a two-year hiatus from acting.
"I have never thought that I would have the guts to stop working for two years in my whole life. In her last days, my (late) friend (and movie star) Jacqueline Law Wai-guen always reminded me not to have regrets in life. So I did many things on my bucket list, like visiting Greece and Israel, giving Christian testimonial talks, and attending a fun course on acting."
Even now, Tang enjoys a slower pace of life, and can often be seen lining up for church with her fellow parishioners in Hong Kong. She says she enjoys feeling like a nobody and being out and about without wearing make-up.
And, although in Chinese culture unmarried women of a certain age are often looked down upon, Tang says she embraces her single status with gusto and credits God with helping change her views on romance.
"I was a romantic obsessive who entered into relationships easily before. I did that to prove that I am worthy of love, and to fill the void (left by her parents' divorce).
"When women see handsome men, or men treating them well or courting them ferociously, they might see it as romantic love. But it can just be romantic obsession filled with desires. Real love leads to marriage and family with sacrifices and responsibility. I am much more cautious when it comes to romantic pursuits now.
"I believe God will arrange for the right man to appear. So while I won't seek romance actively, I won't close the door on it."
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| Sheren Tang at her Church's activity. |
Having given Christian testimonials in Singapore, the United States, Europe and in China over the years, Tang says her ability to shift all her worldly worries and burdens to God has turned her into a carefree and fearless person, which helps her stay young.
"There's no need to worry for tomorrow, as God will take care of me. I was a workaholic before, striving hard to earn money and get recognition. I was worried that my acting skills would one day be lost and I would be left with no wherewithal to make a living," she says. Her faith has helped her to understand her true value does not come from her work.
"I have to love myself, as my life is precious. The inner peace and sense of security I feel is the greatest gift," Tang says.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
长生不老的秘诀是什么？就是接受一切。
这位屡获无数奖项的香港电视明星告诉《华盛顿邮报》说：“害怕变老不是一种好的心态。” 她说：“我已经在非职业场合没有化妆多年了。我想拥抱自己的真实年龄。” 鄧萃雯现今54岁。
爬山和陪伴家人等有助于鄧萃雯保持年轻的心态-拥有良好的心理健康。她想无时无刻保持好奇心，并且尽量不要沉迷于过去。
1998年接受基督教后，鄧萃雯的生活发生了巨大变化。
在1998年的那场亚洲金融危机中，鄧萃雯的钱财几乎亏尽了，导致她不得不同一时间从事几份工作，包括担任DJ，以偿还她那间从未住过的豪华房子的抵押贷款。
“我跌跌撞撞，然后浑身都是青肿。我发现自己再也不能完全只依靠自己了。我求助于上帝和耶稣。我花了很长时间才有信心完全依靠上帝，因为我多年来一直过着自力更生的生活。”
鄧萃雯在她五岁时父母离婚后就由祖父母抚养长大，她认为自己的信念有助于治愈长期的情感创伤。由于她从2008年开始接受基督教辅导，所以她才可以慢慢的解开心结与父母和解。
“我花了很长的时间去忍受痛苦和悲伤。我从没与他们住过（成年前）。从小就累积了我对他们的愤怒。我的成功背后是充满了许多痛苦。通过治疗，我开始学会告诉他们我的感受，放开情感上的包袱“。”
鄧萃雯于1980年代开始表演，每一份工作她都会全力以赴。
“我做特技表演没有使用替身。我戏里开车和抽烟全都是为了演戏。即使我不知道如何游泳，我也会在拍摄电视剧时跳入海中。 ” 尽管观众可能认为她做这些事情是因为她很擅长于这些动作，但事实并非如此-她只是尽力保持自己的工作而已。
她的职业道德带给她非凡的职业成就-她在《巾幗梟雄》和《巾幗梟雄之義海豪情》中的表演连续两年获得了TVB最佳女演员奖，但是这导致她在精神和身体上都付出了惨重的代价。在完成《金枝慾孽貳》的拍摄后，鄧萃雯筋疲力尽，以至于表演中断了两年。
“我从没想过我会停止工作两年。我的朋友曾提醒我不要对自己的一生后悔或感到遗憾。所以我做了很多积极的事情，例如访问希腊和以色列，进行基督教鉴定演讲以及参加有意义的表演课程。”
即使到了现在，鄧萃雯的生活节奏仍然很慢，而且经常可以看到她经常去香港教会崇拜。她说，她喜欢自己像一个普通人的感觉，并且也不化妆。
而且，尽管在中国文化中，某个年龄的未婚女性经常会被歧视，但鄧萃雯说，她热衷于拥抱自己的单身身份，并赞扬上帝帮助改变了她对爱情的看法。
“我以前很容易进入一段感情。我这样做是为了证明我值得爱，并填补了我心灵的空虚。
“当女人见到英俊的男人时，或者男人好好对待他们或追她们时，她们会把它看作是一段浪漫的爱情。但这可能只是充满欲望的浪漫痴迷。真正的爱情是永恒的婚姻和家庭，这都需要双方牺牲和责任感。
“我相信上帝会安排合适的人出现。因此，尽管我不会主动寻求爱情，但我也不会封锁自己。”
多年来，鄧萃雯在新加坡，美国，欧洲和中国提供基督教见证演说，她将世俗的一切忧虑和重担交托给上帝，这使她成为了一个无忧无虑，无所畏惧的人，这有助于她保持年轻。
“不必担心未来，因为上帝会照顾我。我 以前是个 工作狂，努力挣钱只求获得认可。我担心我的表演技巧有一天会退步，我就会被遗弃。没有任何谋生手段。”她说。她的信念帮助她理解了她的真正价值不只在于她的工作。
鄧萃雯说：“我必须爱自己，因为我的生命是宝贵的。我感到内心的平静和安全感才是最大的礼物。”
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