Recently, actress Cecilia Cheung spoke about her childhood experience on the variety show 'Blossoms All the Way 2,' and for the first time publicly revealed that both her grandfather and grandmother are deaf and mute. From a young age, she communicated with her elders using sign language, which helped nurture her resilient yet sensitive character.
Cheung stated that she had been adept at using sign language since childhood, and in order to make her elders feel her responses, she would habitually nod frequently during conversations. She laughed and said that this family environment also led the family members to develop a habit of “speaking loudly and using exaggerated gestures” to communicate, a habit she herself has continued. She further disclosed that she has slightly weaker hearing in her left ear, suspecting it might be hereditary, but emphasized that it was not caused by the sign language environment.
Reflecting on her upbringing, Cheung recalled her parents' divorce when she was 9, and how she went to Australia with her mother at 13 to make a living, working part-time to help support the family. From an early age, she had to care for her deaf and mute grandfather, often serving as a “messenger” to assist family communication. She recalled with emotion that once while she was dancing, her grandfather, though unable to hear the music, would mimic her clapping to the beat and dance along. “That is my most profound memory—understanding all the love with just half my hearing.”
Source: United Daily News