Sunny Chan (陳錦鴻) used to be one of Hong Kong’s most popular television actors, but in order to take care of his autistic son, he willingly stepped down from all those opportunities, opting to stay behind-the-scenes to care for his son. Sunny’s 9-year-old son, Edgar Chan (陳駕樺), is autistic. In recent years, Sunny has nearly retired from the entertainment industry, staying at home, making sure that his son knows that he is with him in every step of the way. Last week, the 49-year-old actor released his latest book What My Son Taught Me <兒子教曉我的事>, sharing his experiences as a parent of an autistic child. In his book, Sunny offered words of encouragements to other autism parents, and also added a little love letter to his future adult son. He said, “This book is actually written for my son in the future. I want him to read it when he gets older. Although he’s doing great now—he is fantastic in table tennis and speaks English better than I do—he still suffers from autism, and that will never go away. People with autism do not know how to read and understand other people’s emotions. If [my son] ends up getting married in the future, there is a worry that he might not be able to fulfill his role as a husband and father. This book is me encouraging my son to start a family.” Earlier, Sunny attended the Hong Kong Book Fair to hold an autographing session for his book, attracting many fans. His close friend Cheung Kam-ching (張錦程) and his family also went to the fair to support him. Sunny said his new book marks the end of Edgar’s childhood. He does not plan on releasing a new book anytime soon. “I have nothing more to write about at the moment,” said Sunny. “I’ve gifted this book to the seniors who were great influences in my life, such as Lau Siu-ming (劉兆銘) and Paw Hee-ching (鮑起靜). As for other friends, they’re going to have to buy it themselves!” Despite all the struggles, Sunny said he would still like to have another child. “My wife and I have talked about having another child for years now, but it never came into fruition. I do want another child, but that would have to depend on fate.” Asking if he plans on returning into acting, Sunny admitted, “I am not struggling financially and I have yet to come across a suitable script. Therefore, I’m going to focus on doing more events in the Mainland at the moment. I still have a contract with HKTV, so I’m going to wait until that ends before I decide to do anything else.” Creds: Oriental Daily
