蔡瀾：香港四大才子的瀟灑人生
——從電影監製到美食哲學家，一位「活過」的傳奇

2025年6月25日，香港四大才子中最後一位——蔡瀾，在養和醫院安詳辭世，享年83歲。他的離世，象徵著一個文化世代的落幕。與金庸的俠義世界、倪匡的科幻想像、黃霑的音樂詞章相比，蔡瀾以「吃喝玩樂」為人生核心，用幽默與灑脫的態度影響幾代華人。他不以崇高為傲，卻以豁達書寫不凡。

蔡瀾1941年出生於新加坡，祖籍廣東潮州。父親蔡文玄曾任邵氏電影公司職員，母親洪芳娉是小學校長。他的童年歷經二戰與經濟困頓，母親曾靠賣醃漬芒果養家。這段苦難歲月反而讓他懂得「在苦中作樂」，也為他日後的生命哲學奠定基礎。

1957年，蔡瀾加入邵氏電影公司，負責日本市場的拓展，其後成為製片人，再跳槽到嘉禾監製成龍主演的《龍兄虎弟》《快餐車》等經典作品。他見證香港電影的黃金年代，也深知電影是「集體創作」，無法完全表達自我。1997年他退出影壇，轉向個人創作的天地。

八十年代開始，他成為專欄作家，在《明報》《東方日報》等報刊撰寫食評與遊記，文風犀利幽默，廣受歡迎。他主持的《蔡瀾嘆世界》與參與策劃的《舌尖上的中國》，進一步鞏固他「美食哲學家」的地位。他主張「吃是一種生活態度」，並以實際行動創立茶飲品牌「暴暴茶」，以及開設連鎖餐廳「蔡瀾越南粉」，將生活品味轉化為事業版圖。

蔡瀾的生活哲學，簡單卻深刻。他常說：「人生的意義就是吃吃喝喝，活著就是對生命的尊重。」在一次飛機遇上氣流時，旁人問他：「你死過嗎？」他笑答：「我活過。」這種面對死亡的瀟灑，也體現在他談論晚年生活時的坦然。他認為學會「如何好好活著」與「如何面對死亡」一樣重要。

2022年書展上，記者問他對年輕人「躺平」的看法，他淡淡一笑說：「本來就該這樣，何必活得那麼辛苦？」他不鼓勵盲目拼搏，而提倡適時放鬆、活得快樂。他自述曾交往過61位女友，卻在婚後對妻子張瓊文始終如一。他語出驚人卻真誠：「梁山伯太蠢，若先讓祝英台懷孕，她父母只好雙手相送。」

2023年，妻子因摔倒意外過世，蔡瀾因急救時摔傷髖骨，從此需輪椅代步。他晚年定居於一間海景酒店，生活由八人團隊照料，仍每日練字寫作，堅持活得有尊嚴。他遺願中明確要求不辦喪禮、不舉行儀式，遺體火化，低調離世。他為友人題寫的最後一幅書法作品是「妙」字，亦被譽為他一生的總結。

在文化界，他被視為香港的「生活哲學家」。金庸曾在序言中讚他：「蔡瀾對人生中的失落處之泰然，一笑置之，是真正的不縈於懷。」他在微博開設的年度問答中深受年輕人喜愛。當有人問「總覺得自己差勁怎麼辦？」他回：「改為覺得自己厲害呀！」他出版的《蔡瀾說》系列，被讀者視為減壓聖經。

自2004年黃霑辭世，2018年金庸離世，2022年倪匡告別人間，2025年蔡瀾離開，「香港四大才子」時代終於落幕。他們各自代表華人世界不同的精神領域，而蔡瀾，以最接地氣的方式提醒人們：「人生應該有趣。」

正如他所說：「平穩的人生一定悶，我受不了悶，我決定活得有趣。」蔡瀾的人生，是一場自由灑脫的演出。他帶走一個年代的灑脫與真誠，留下的，則是每一位讀者與觀眾，對「如何好好活著」的深思。

Chua Lam: The Free-Spirited Life of a Hong Kong Renaissance Man
— From Film Producer to Culinary Philosopher, a Legendary Life “Well Lived”

On June 25, 2025, Chua Lam—the last surviving member of Hong Kong’s “Four Literary Talents”—passed away peacefully at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital at the age of 83. His death marked the end of an era. Unlike Jin Yong's world of martial arts, Ni Kuang's science fiction, or James Wong's poetic lyrics, Chua built his life philosophy on the joy of “eating, drinking, and being merry.” With wit and ease, he influenced generations of Chinese-speaking audiences. He never aspired to greatness, yet he lived a life of profound meaning through open-mindedness and authenticity.

Born in Singapore in 1941, Chua Lam was of Teochew descent from Guangdong province. His father, Chua Wenxuan, worked for Shaw Brothers Studio, while his mother, Hong Fangping, was a primary school principal. His childhood was shaped by war and poverty—his mother once made a living by selling pickled mangoes. These harsh early years instilled in him the spirit of finding joy amid hardship, a foundation for his later philosophy of life.

In 1957, Chua joined Shaw Brothers and was tasked with expanding the Japanese market. He later moved to Golden Harvest and became a producer, overseeing Jackie Chan hits like Wheels on Meals and Armour of God. He witnessed the golden age of Hong Kong cinema but recognized the limitations of film as a medium for personal expression, calling it a “collective creation.” In 1997, he left the film industry and turned to personal creative pursuits.

In the 1980s, Chua began writing columns for newspapers such as Ming Pao and Oriental Daily, offering restaurant reviews and travelogues known for their sharp humor and lively style. His food programs—such as Tasting the World with Chua Lam and his advisory role on A Bite of China—further established him as a "culinary philosopher." He believed that "eating is a way of life" and practiced what he preached by launching his tea brand “Boba Tea” and opening the restaurant chain “Chua Lam’s Vietnamese Pho,” turning his taste for life into a business empire.

Chua’s life philosophy was simple yet profound. He often said, “The meaning of life is to eat and drink; living itself is a form of respect for life.” Once, when a plane he was on hit turbulence, a fellow passenger asked, “Have you died before?” He smiled and replied, “I’ve lived.” His graceful acceptance of death matched his candid outlook on aging. “Learning to live well is important, but learning to face death is equally essential,” he once said.

At the 2022 Hong Kong Book Fair, when asked about the trend of “lying flat” among young people—rejecting hustle culture—he chuckled and said, “That’s exactly how it should be. Why live so hard?” He didn’t encourage blind ambition but advocated for timely relaxation and living happily. He once revealed that he had dated 61 women before marrying his wife, Zhang Qiongwen, to whom he remained loyal ever after. One of his most memorable quips: “Liang Shanbo was a fool. If he had gotten Zhu Yingtai pregnant first, her parents would’ve had no choice but to approve the marriage.”

In 2023, Zhang passed away after a fall. Chua, who injured his hip during the emergency, became wheelchair-bound thereafter. He spent his final years in a seaside hotel, cared for by an eight-person team. Despite his physical decline, he continued writing and practicing calligraphy every day, determined to live with dignity. In his will, he requested no funeral, no ceremony—only cremation, so as not to trouble others. His final calligraphy for a friend featured the character 「妙」 ("marvelous"), a fitting summary of his life.

Within Hong Kong’s cultural landscape, Chua was seen as a “life philosopher.” Jin Yong once praised him in a preface: “Chua Lam accepts life’s losses with serenity and humor—that’s true detachment.” His annual Q&A sessions on Weibo made him beloved among younger audiences. When asked, “What should I do if I always feel like I’m not good enough?” he replied, “Just decide you’re amazing!” His Chua Lam Says book series became a stress-relief bible for many readers.

Following the deaths of James Wong in 2004, Jin Yong in 2018, and Ni Kuang in 2022, Chua’s passing in 2025 formally marked the close of the “Four Literary Talents” era. Each represented a different facet of Chinese creativity, and Chua—most grounded in everyday joys—reminded us all that “life should be interesting.”

As he once said, “A stable life is boring—I can’t stand boring. I’ve decided to live interestingly.”Chua Lam’s life was a free-spirited performance. With his departure, he took with him a generation’s candidness and joy, and left behind a lasting inspiration for how to live well, on one’s own terms.