Evergreen Mak is a volunteer. Photo: Sina Weibo

An increasing number of entertainers from Hong Kong are settling down in cities of  the Chinese mainland for work, with some in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, volunteering to pitch in on efforts to fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

According to a news report from the Guangdong Radio and Television station (GRT), Evergreen Mak, a popular actor on Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), volunteered in Guangzhou over the recent Dragon Boat Festival to help out at a vaccination site. 

In the GRT segment, Mak, wearing a protective suit and mask, tells people lining up for the jab to scan their health code before entering the site. He also patiently helps guide elderly citizens who are not familiar with how the vaccinations are carried out through the process.

"Some senior citizens did not know how to scan their code or understand why it was needed, so we explained things to them. I hope what we do is worth it and can protect all of them. We are happiest when everyone is healthy," Mak told GRT when asked if the volunteer work was difficult.

Mak's actions earned him many compliments on Chinese social media, with many Sina Weibo users praising him as a "truly good actor."

"What makes a good actor? An excellent actor not only performs well in the film and TV works, but contributes to society through public welfare efforts, just like Mak," one netizen commented on Sina Weibo.

Mak is just one of a number of Hong Kong entertainers who have shifted their career focus to the Chinese mainland.

Another Hong Kong actor Wayne Lai recently bought a house in Zhongshan, South China's Guangdong Province, to settle in the mainland with his wife. In a social media post on Friday, he said he was taking a tour of Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang Province for the Dragon Boat Festival and was enthralled by the beauty of West Lake.

Some entertainers such as singer Yumiko Cheng and actress Cecilia Cheung have moved to Shanghai with their families. The two appeared on a mainland variety show produced by Hunan TV recently to loud applause from the audience.

Many Sina Weibo users have said they welcome more patriotic stars in Hong Kong to come back to the mainland, where there are certainly to be more opportunities for them.

Global Times