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South China Morning Post
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How Wayne Wang's Chinese Box presented the 1997 Hong Kong handover from a unique viewpoint
Inspired by Paul Theroux's 1997 novel Kowloon Tong, Chinese Box stars Jeremy Irons as John, an English writer who has lived in Hong Kong for 15 years and is dying of leukaemia. Wang was born in Hong Kong but is best known for his work in the United States, his adopted home. Being 'one side Chinese and one side American', as he considers himself, put him in a unique position. Perhaps the closest is Chinese Box (1997), an American indie film directed by Wayne Wang The Joy Luck Club ). While there are plenty of Hong Kong films about the city's 1997 handover to China after British rule , there are precious few told from a Western perspective. This is the latest instalment in a feature series reflecting on instances of East meets West in world cinema, including China-US co-productions. In the months leading up to the handover, we see him romancing bartender Vivian ( Gong Li in her first non-Chinese movie), in the process realising he hardly understands her world at all. 'Sometimes you just fall in love with a place, without really knowing why, without really fully understanding it – the way I fell in love with Vivian,' he admits in voice-over. When he is not mooning over Vivian, John takes to the streets with his camcorder, trying to get to know the real Hong Kong before it is too late. This is how he meets Jean ( Maggie Cheung Man-yuk ), a hustler with a scarred face and stories to tell about the city's underworld. 'She's caught between two worlds with a certain amount of denial of her own identity, and yet she's a great survivor, which is what Hong Kong is,' Wang told entertainment news outlet The AV Club. Jeremy Irons and Maggie Cheung in a still from Chinese Box. John is more prosaic. As the author of a book about making money in Asia, he has the slightly unsavoury air of a Western man in love with an exotic idea of the East. Irons is great at playing this type of character, as shown in David Cronenberg's M. Butterfly (1993), where he plays a French diplomat obsessed with John Lone's Chinese opera singer. The women get a predictably rougher ride. Vivian is in love with Chang ( Michael Hui Koon-man ), a businessman who refuses to marry her because of her past working as a prostitute. Throughout the film, Vivian mostly appears beautifully unobtainable behind a bar, but in an unguarded moment she vamps along to Marlene Dietrich's 'Black Market'. Michael Hui and Gong Li in a still from Chinese Box. Jean, meanwhile, describes harrowing memories of familial sexual assault for one of John's interview tapes. And when John helps her reunite with her high school love, William (Jared Harris), she is shocked that he does not remember her. If Vivian and Jean function more as metaphors for how the West has historically idealised, abused and ignored the East, at least Wang captures the clashing energies of the city itself. From the clattering food stalls to the upscale bars, and the fish markets to the Foreign Correspondents' Club, we see it all, often through the lens of a roving handheld camera. For extra verisimilitude, Wang also splices in news footage, clips of fireworks over Victoria Harbour and even a cheeky shot of the South China Morning Post. Michael Hui, Gong Li and Jeremy Irons in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 1997. Photo: Dickson Lee And the director does not shy away from politics. The film opens with the staged suicide of a Chinese protester terrified of the forthcoming regime change. We then see drunk expats playing down such worries, calling Hong Kong 'a bloody casino'. As the film continues, there are bomb threats, protests and civil unrest as John and Vivian's slightly underwhelming love story plays out. 'Every day, I would look at the headlines, cut a news clipping out and have Jeremy Irons read it on his desktop,' Wang said. 'At other times, it would be something more subtle, where maybe the Chinese officials are being non-committal about certain things, and I would try to use that as a subconscious, contextual thing for a scene. 'Let's say I was shooting a scene between Gong Li and her boyfriend, and the boyfriend is non-committal about his relationship to her. There are many different levels of trying to capture the mood, the uncertainty and the changes that were going on in the city.' Michael Hui, Jeremy Irons and Gong Li in a still from Chinese Box. To begin with, John is blasé about the handover. 'This great big department store is just having a change of management, that's all,' he says. But by the film's close, once he has loved, lost and come to understand Hong Kong better, he sees things more philosophically. 'Everything in this city has always been changing,' he tells us, and the handover is just another stage in its life cycle. There is a lot to unpack – perhaps too much for a 99-minute movie. What Wang shows so beautifully is that Hong Kong is a city of many sides – no matter who it belongs to. Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook Advertisement
Tatler Asia
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
Cannes Film Festival: Most memorable fashion moments of all time
2021: Bella Hadid in Schiaparelli Above Bella Hadid at Cannes Film Festival 2021 () Bella Hadid broke the internet by wearing a pair of golden lungs to the Tre Piani premiere in 2021. The eye-catching brass necklace was designed by haute couturier Schiaparelli and is part of the brand's fall 2021 collection. Hadid matched it with a simple black dress designed by Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry and stilettos. Classic and iconic! 2002: Aishwarya Rai in Neeta Lulla Above Aishwarya Rai at Cannes Film Festival 2002 () The Bollywood star, who has since become a Cannes veteran, made her debut at the famous film festival in 2002 to attend the premiere of her film Devdas , alongside co-actor Shah Rukh Khan and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. At a time when diversity and representation were not yet the buzzwords, Rai made a bold statement in representing her Indian heritage in a yellow sari by Indian designer Neeta Lulla, traditional gold jewellery and even a matching bindi (forehead accessory worn by women in South Asia). 1993: Leslie Chueng and Gong Li in matching outfits Above Leslie Cheung and Gong Li at Cannes Film Festival 1993 () Hong Kong's acclaimed actor Leslie Chueng attended the 1993 Cannes Film Festival to promote his film Farewell My Concubine . One of his most memorable pictures clicked was during the photocall of this film, in which Cheung and Gong Li, his costar, were seen wearing matching black and white outfits and sharing an easy camaraderie. 1991: Madonna in Jean Paul Gaultier Above Madonna wearing the iconic cone-shaped bra at Cannes Film Festival 1991 () Madonna arrived at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival red carpet in a hot-pink satin coat resembling a dressing gown. She later dropped the jacket to reveal the iconic cone-shaped bra designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. To this day, the controversial bra remains synonymous with the brand and much of her music. 1987: Princess Diana in Catherine Walker Above Princess Diana and Prince Charles (now King of England) at Cannes Film Festival 1987 () The late Princess Diana attended the Cannes Film Festival in 1987 with the now King of the United Kingdom. The then-26-year-old effortlessly stole focus from every other attendee in a sky-blue gown and matching neck scarf. She looked every bit the people's princess by complementing her attire with drop earrings and a simple bracelet.
South China Morning Post
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How the qipao found favour as a film mood-setter and red-carpet favourite
It's officially awards season – and almost Lunar New Year – which means we're about to be treated to a slew of exquisite fashion moments as celebrities walk the red carpet in designer looks. In years past, qipao-inspired dresses have had their moment in the limelight as a series of actresses, singers and media personalities have donned outfits drawing on the traditional Chinese dress for major international events, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Met Gala, New York. The qipao, also known as the cheongsam – meaning 'long garment' – is distinctive for its mandarin collar, curve-hugging bodice and thigh-high skirt slit. The silhouette was dominant in the 1920s and 30s and has since become synonymous with conventional Chinese beauty and style. It has often been used as a visual cue to capture a certain aesthetic in cinematic masterpieces, including The World of Suzie Wong and Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love . Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung in Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love. Photo: Handout Though traditionally made with simple, knotted button fastenings on one side of the lapel, modern iterations of the qipao incorporate an array of contemporary individual elements to create designs that feel fresh and current on today's fashion scene. Examples from Chinese designers and brands forging a path in global fashion – such as Guo Pei and Shiatzy Chen – are sometimes photographed on the world's swankiest red carpets. A modern qipao-inspired outfit by Shiatzy Chen. Photo: Handout For years, qipao-inspired dresses were the go-to choice for Chinese actresses making their first forays into the world film scene at major festivals, including those of Cannes and Venice. Actresses such as Li Bingbing, Fan Bingbing and Gong Li have worn elaborate interpretations of these dresses on the international stage, garnering both good and bad reviews. While a recognisable part of Chinese culture, overly embellished versions can risk looking like costumes when not executed with precision. Movie idols Tony Leung and Gong Li arrive for the screening of 2046 at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. Photo: AP At the Cannes Film Festival in 2004, actress Gong Li walked the red carpet with Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi in a green-blue dress featuring a cloud print often found in traditional Chinese art and a silhouette heavily influenced by the qipao. The garment featured many of the design elements of the traditional long dress, but was given a touch of sex appeal with an open neckline. Taylor Swift wears a Chinese-inspired Zuhair Murad gown at the 2012 Grammys.
