{"id":19942,"date":"2021-12-07T10:49:59","date_gmt":"2021-12-07T02:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=19942"},"modified":"2021-12-09T01:18:27","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T17:18:27","slug":"old-is-gold-the-young-told","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2021\/12\/old-is-gold-the-young-told\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Is Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cantopop legends live in youngster\u2019s hearts with their intoxicating charms.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Angel Woo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe wind keeps blowing, and I don\u2019t wanna leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lyrics of Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing\u2019s iconic classic, \u201cThe Wind Blows On\u201d (\u98a8\u7e7c\u7e8c\u5439) still resonate 18 years after his death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many are still dwelling in the golden age of the super star. Memorial events are held every year by fans around the world. Some are even organised by fans born after his death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was born in 2004 and he passed away in 2003. I still love him so much even though our lives never intersected. Legends never die and live on in people\u2019s hearts,\u201d Ellie, who declines to reveal her full name, says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leslie Cheung first came into her life when she was only six. \u201cMy father played his songs at home, and I love his song The Wind Blows On (\u98a8\u7e7c\u7e8c\u5439) the most. To me, he is like wind that gently breezes into my life,\u201d the 17-year-old student says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I still love him so much even though our lives never intersected. Legends never die and live on in people\u2019s hearts<\/strong>“<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This April, Ellie organised a memorial exhibition \u2013 \u201cWind Of Leslie\u201d for the singer, actor and film director, who took his own life at the age of 46 on April Fool\u2019s Day in 2003 after suffering from depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI used my pocket money to organise this exhibition and I spent almost HK$20,000. From finding a venue, writing press releases to arranging exhibits, I did it all by myself,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The exhibition Ellie held for Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing this April. (Photo courtesy of Ellie)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Her exhibition showcased more than 50 exhibits, which are all her collections related to Cheung, including posters and magazines. \u201cI got so many collections at home so I decided to sell some, hoping more Cheung\u2019s fans can share the joy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ellie holding up one of the poster of her exhibition of Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing. (Photo courtesy of Ellie)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Loving him is the best decision I have ever made in my life<\/em><\/strong>“<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is not easy to find these items! Sometimes I have to find them through overseas second-hand shopping websites. For the poster of Happy Together (\u6625\u5149\u4e4d\u6d29) designed by the Cannes International Film Festival, I had to translate the film name into French and find it on the internet,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was really exhausting to organise the exhibition on my own, but I definitely did not regret it,\u201d she says determinedly. \u201cAs a young fan of Cheung, I feel like it is my responsibility to let more people of my generation to know about him through this exhibition,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellie also has an Instagram page named WindOfLeslie in which she writes about her thoughts on Cheung\u2019s songs and films using her pseudonym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Life Enlightenment Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would say he has enlightened my whole life. I always get a bit emotional when I talk about him. Loving him is the best decision I have ever made in my life,\u201d the teenager says with teary eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe has always stayed in my heart as I have been listening to his songs since I was small. But I became a die-hard fan after watching a video of him performing in red high heels at an exhibition,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The daring star has been an indispensable part of Ellie\u2019s life since she went to an exhibition named \u201cAmbiguously Yours: Gender in Hong Kong popular culture\u201d when she was 12 in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organised by M+ West Kowloon Cultural District, the exhibition was about gender ambiguity through showcasing costume designs, music and films in pop culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt that exhibition, I watched his 1997 concert in which he danced in red high heels while singing his song Red (\u7d05). I was so amazed! How could a man dance so delicately in high heels? How could he be so androgynous? He was even more feminine than a woman!\u201d Ellie says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The red high heels Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing wore being exhibited in the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Cantopop king has never hidden his true self. He was the first idol to come out as gay in Hong Kong and confessed his love to his childhood friend Daffy Tong Hok-tak in the 90s. Even for today, he is still a huge gay icon as it is not common for celebrities to come out publicly in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe dared to hold Tong\u2019s hand while paparazzi were taking a picture of them! He has been encouraging more people to express themselves. He has helped me to get rid of limits set by the world and freed my mind,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe is \u2018the avant-garde\u2019 in Hong Kong pop culture! Many people tell you to be yourself nowadays, but he already did it twenty years ago – loving himself and doing what he loved,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked if she would like to go back to the past to meet Cheung, she says: \u201cOf course I would like to meet him, but I believe there is a reason for me to be born in this era – maybe it is to live by his values and spread it to others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Kpop to Cantopop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Anita<\/em> is a biographical film about Anita Mui Yim-fong in 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

While Ellie believes it is her destiny to live in an era without her beloved idol, Heidi Yu, an 18-year-old fan of Cantopop Diva Anita Mui Yim-fong, thinks the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cantopop diva passed away in December – eight months after Cheung in the same year because of cervical cancer. Her death made 2003 a more sorrowful year as it was also the time when Hong Kong was greatly hit by SARS, a deadly disease that killed 299 Hongkongers out of 1,755 infected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think I was born in the wrong era\u2026it is a pity that I can never meet her in person and take a picture with her. The old Hong Kong seems a lot happier – life was simpler,\u201d Yu sighs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loving someone Yu has never met is poignant, but there are always other ways to show her love. \u201cI visit her grave every year and write letters to her on her birthday, her death anniversary and the day she debuted,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The old Hong Kong seems a lot happier – life was simpler<\/strong>“<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if she can receive my letters, but I will keep writing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before knowing the diva, she knew nothing about Cantopop. \u201cI only listened to K-pop in the past and I did not know any Cantopop songs, not even the most famous ones,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy friend sang Unfortunately I\u2019m an Aquarius (\u53ef\u60dc\u6211\u662f\u6c34\u74f6\u5ea7) by Miriam Yeung Chin-wah when we were singing karaoke a few years ago. But I totally had no idea what song it was,\u201d she laughs. Yeung was a famous local singer in the 2000s and her song Unfortunately I\u2019m an Aquarius (\u53ef\u60dc\u6211\u662f\u6c34\u74f6\u5ea7) is still one of the mainstream hits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the pandemic in 2019 changed her life. As Yu got more time to stay at home, she was granted a chance to learn about her love. \u201cOne day, I listened to Mui\u2019s songs on the internet and was quickly taken with her,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is because of Mui that I listen to more Cantopop songs,\u201d she says. \u201cAs a Hongkonger, I should listen to more Cantopop and not only K-pop,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although she still listens to K-pop, she says: \u201cMui conquers a big part of my heart! She cannot be compared with K-pop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel more attached to Mui\u2019s songs, because I can understand the lyrics which were so beautifully written,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also love how she shares her thoughts on life during concerts, for example she reminded us to treasure everything before she sang Sunset Melody (\u5915\u967d\u4e4b\u6b4c) in her very last concert in 2003. K-pop stars usually do not do this,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“People see idols from golden age as a cultural icon to represent their own society. We always miss the past when a better future has not yet arrived<\/strong>“<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Cultural Icons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Anthony Fung Ying-him, professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong\u2019s School of Journalism and Communication, says nostalgia has become a global phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery society has this phenomenon. For example, The Beatles was formed in the 1960s but the band is still influencing the western world today. It is because it symbolises a milestone of world music culture and a breakthrough in western music history,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople see idols from golden age as a cultural icon to represent their own society. We always miss the past when a better future has not yet arrived,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany problems occur in today\u2019s world, so we miss the old times,\u201d Fung says. Perhaps, his comment was sung by Cheung in The Wind Blows On(\u98a8\u7e7c\u7e8c\u5439) – \u201cThere were many happy memories in the old days, why not recall it together?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Hong Kong Pop 60+ exhibition in The Hong Kong Heritage Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Charlie Yip
Sub-edited by Hayley Wong<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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