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5 locations from Wong Kar-wai’s Blossoms Shanghai that are now tourist hotspots
- To mark the Hong Kong-based filmmaker’s birthday, the Post looks at places featured in the hit TV series that have seen a surge in interest
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![Tai Sheng Yuan Restaurant in Shanghai was the inspiration for the fictitious Zhi Zhen Yuan restaurant featured in Blossoms Shanghai, directed by Hong Kong-based filmmaker Wong Kar-wai and filmed on location in the Chinese city. Photo: Xinhua](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/16/7e0213c6-6735-41e3-9f33-c7c484aa5d95_f2a085bd.jpg?itok=LKlRfSQJ&v=1721107992)
Wong Kar-wai’s first television series, Blossoms Shanghai, is his love letter to the city of his birth.
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The period romance drama, adapted from the novel Blossoms by Jin Yucheng, is set against Shanghai’s dramatic economic rise during the 1990s and centres on Ah Bao, a young stock trader whose own meteoric rise in the business world mirrors that of the city around him.
Gripping cinematography typical of Hong Kong-based Wong – who turned 66 on July 17 – is evident throughout, with Shanghai exhibiting a symmetrical perfection reminiscent of its art deco era.
Such visual enticement, combined with the popularity of the series, has seen a 75 per surge in demand for tours to filming locations, reports Chinese travel giant Trip.com.
![A person takes a photo of The Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai – formerly the Cathay Hotel featured in Blossoms Shanghai – together with a phone image of Hu Ge, who plays Ah Bao in the series. Photo: AFP A person takes a photo of The Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai – formerly the Cathay Hotel featured in Blossoms Shanghai – together with a phone image of Hu Ge, who plays Ah Bao in the series. Photo: AFP](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/16/29112f60-847e-46c4-b408-b2c1dccb09ed_dc8d3f3f.jpg)
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