Michael Tse Looking Forward to Lunar New Years

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For many Asians around the world, the Lunar New Year is a time for family reunions, scrumptious feasts, and spiritual enlightenment. It is also the only time of the year when our favorite TVB artists get to go home and rest.

TVB actor Michael Tse (謝天華) has to work 12 months a year and 7 days a week. Barely reaching a minimum of three hours of sleep per day, Michael is always busy, and always tired, but he is grateful. With the upcoming Lunar New Year, Michael will always take some time off of his busy schedule to go shopping in the flower market.

“I think shopping in the flower market is very fun. For convenience, I will go when it’s not during peak hours. Usually, on the days before Lunar New Year, I will shop for some New Year couplets, New Year plants, and red envelopes. I will decorate my house with them.”

Michael joked that the best part of shopping in a flower market is that he gets to practice his bargaining skills. “The prices for the New Year plants float around a lot. Of course I would like to be able to bargain the best price in the least amount of time! That would be so satisfying! However, I have failed to bargain a successful price in the last few years. I am really not good at this!”

Michael also explained that he will try to cook a New Year’s dish for his family every year, but because New Year’s dishes are tough, he ends up leaving his family in charge for the feast preparations.

“I will always purchase some ginseng, young deer, and dried seafood beforehand, because these are the ingredients we add in our food for Lunar New Year. But Lunar New Year dishes are rather difficult to cook. I have not yet successfully researched on how to cook abalone, fat choy, and dried oysters, because these ingredients need a lot of work and time in order to cook successfully. For a rookie cook like me, [New Year dishes] are really profound dishes! I really need a senior or an elderly person to help me out. I still haven’t learned how to cook them yet!”

Due to Michael’s busy filming schedule, the actor rarely has time to visit his family and relatives. Lunar New Year is the only time of the year when Michael gets to reunite with his family. “I will go visit my brothers and sisters. It’s the only time of the year when I get to see them.”

Every Lunar New Year, Michael has a habit of going to the temple to pray. Michael said, “I pray to the gods for a smooth career in the new year. Of course, I also pray to be safe, and good health to my family and friends!”

Michael Tse Hopes to Perform on Stage

When asked if Michael had any big plans for the upcoming Year of the Golden Snake, Michael joked that he hopes to have a snake’s lifestyle – specifically, hibernation. “I want to live like a snake – work hard in the summer and then rest for a few months in the winter. The best way is to have nine of months of work and three months of vacation.”

Joking aside, Michael explained that he will continue to pursue his career in both television and film. For the next two months, Michael will be filming his new drama, Sniper Attack 2013 <神槍狙擊2013>. At the same time, Michael will also be promoting for his Lunar New Year film, I Love Hong Kong 2013 <2013我愛HK 恭喜發財>.

Michael admitted that he has an interest in performing in a stage production. “I’ve always liked theater, but theater performances take a long time to prepare. If I was to work on one, I would not be able to work on anything else for the next couple of months. In my current work situation, the chances of me performing in one are not high. But I will not give up, because I genuinely like theater.”

As for his career prospects in the film industry, Michael hopes to have the opportunities to try out movies that range in many different subject matters. “Actors can be really greedy. They all want to be able to make different movies to challenge themselves, and I am definitely one of them. I want to work with different producers in the future; I want to see a new breakthrough in my acting.”


Creds: ihktv