The free, open-air concert also marks the sixth anniversary of the first busking gig by the 42-year-old from Liaoning in northeast China.

Despite a major downpour, the two-hour performance continues and the number of spectators has doubled by her third number. Among the crowd is Ms Lee, a housewife from the neighbourhood who has been a fan since long before the singer’s Midlife fame.

She turns to her friend to say that the singer also reminds her of Cantopop and Mandopop diva Faye Wong, who, Lee says, was “born to sing”.

He’s loved to sing since he was 3. Now in his 40s, he’s realising his dreams

The reality for Long is a little different. “I have not always had a good voice and it was not until I was in my 30s when I found my musical direction,” she says. “I had to work and practise very hard.”

As for her Teresa Teng-like sound, Long says she did not appreciate the singer’s music when she was younger. It was not until she started busking on Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, that she began covering her songs.

“Teng was on the song list and the older crowd loved her tunes. I never sang what I like or else I would not be able to make a living.”

She adds later: “It’s funny, before I came to Hong Kong I thought the city was at the forefront of every trend, but it isn’t like that at all – instead, it can be very retro [in its taste].”

Her musical career, like her impressions of Hong Kong, did not pan out the way she had imagined.

Long was born in Shenyang in Liaoning province, the only child in a non-musical family. She was fond of singing and liked to learn the Cantonese lyrics to the theme tunes of Hong Kong television drama series such as The Bund and The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Her love of singing never left her and, after graduating from high school, she would perform in bars and discos as well as at wedding banquets. She has never taken a singing class and is self-taught.

“I worked very hard on the mainland but I felt I wasn’t going anywhere. So I wanted a change of scene,” recalls Long, who came to Hong Kong in 2017 when she was in her mid-30s.

Her search for a venue at which to perform landed her a job in a social dance club in Shun Lee Estate, a public housing complex in Kwun Tong, Kowloon – a world away from the trendy Cantopop scene of which she had aspired to be part.

“I was performing with this band and the average age of the musicians was 65 or above so I was the youngest person on stage. I wasn’t too old for this business after all,” she quips.

“I wondered if these troupes still existed, so I went there and, sure enough, there they were,” recalls Long. “I thought, ‘now that I am here, I might as well make the most of it’, so I sang three songs, the audience clapped and cheered and nothing bad happened … so I went back to perform again.”

After six months, she had mustered a sizeable following and was making enough to bring her parents to Hong Kong.

Her burgeoning career as a street performer was interrupted when busking was banned on Sai Yeung Choi Street South in 2018 after noise complaints from nearby residents and shops. Long moved to Central on Hong Kong Island to perform – but the crowds were smaller.

Clips of her street performances – posted on Weibo, a Twitter-like platform in China – had gone viral and had caught the attention of producers of the national contest.

Long was hesitant at first. “I thought my voice was not strong enough to perform on the big stage,” she explains. “My dad discouraged me, saying the competition probably wouldn’t give me a chance.

“But since I really love singing, it would have been a shame not to accept.”

She should not have worried: the audition went without a hitch. But, to proceed to the next stage, Long needed to showcase another talent and she did not know what that could be.

The show producers suggested lion dancing and she was put through a four-day crash course in Beijing to learn the basic moves.

“In the beginning, I managed. But in lion dancing, you have to use muscles that you normally don’t use,” she says. “On the second day, I couldn’t squat down or even walk down the stairs. I tore a lot of muscles. But I pressed on, because if I didn’t then I’d miss an opportunity.

“My body ached all over and I cried but I really stuck it out.”

Her hard work and pain paid off – Long was eventually crowned the overall champion of the contest, which landed her a performance at the 2020 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, a prestigious televised show aired annually on the eve of the Lunar New Year.

“That should have been the year in which my singing career took off, when there should have been many opportunities for me to perform – but all that evaporated because of the pandemic,” says Long.

“It was like winning the lottery but I didn’t get any prizes.”

Nevertheless, Long persevered and began hosting live-streams; it was a good way to connect with her fans and “to encourage each other” at a difficult time.

When she heard that TVB was holding auditions for its new show Midlife, Sing & Shine last year, she applied. Though she did not make it to the top three, Long says it was a great opportunity to learn from professionals and gave her the exposure she needed.

She is now looking forward to sharing the stage with the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra for a charity concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on May 28. The event will raise funds for the musical education of underprivileged children.

“I treasure each and every opportunity to perform, whether it’s on the street, or in competition or with an orchestra,” Long says.

The orchestra’s founder and director Lam Kai-fai says he has been impressed with Long’s self-confidence, courage and her determination to excel.

“She is very special,” he says. “We’d invited her to be our artist-in-residence because she has such an amazing attitude not only to music-making but to life. We can all learn a lot from her.”

While her fans were devastated that Long did not win the TVB singing contest – “I was so upset I couldn’t sleep for a couple of nights,” says Lee – the singer herself is not bothered by the results. “What more is there to lose after the pandemic?” she says.

Long might release some original music at some point – but only when the opportunity arises. “I’m taking [it] one step at a time. Always be prepared to do my best.”

One thing is for sure, she says. “I will continue to perform.”