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Wong Kar-wai

Wong Kar-wai is an internationally renowned Hong Kong director.

Born

17 Jul 1958

Industry

Entertainment, Film

Job Title

Filmmaker

last updated:

7 October, 2024

Fireflies (Lucciole), a video piece featured at the exhibition. Photo: Pauline Curnier Jardin & Feel Good Cooperative

Art

Hong Kong art show homage to Wong Kar-wai asks: can we be happy together?

In How to Be Happy Together, artists consider the human connections economic migrants make and the sense of homelessness engendered by exile.

24 Dec 2024 - 11:15AM

What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, December 20-22

20 Dec 2024 - 4:16PMvideocam

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 things that helped make 1994’s Chungking Express a classic film

29 Nov 2024 - 7:15AM

Food and Drinks

Your 100 Top Tables Hong Kong weekend drinks guide, for November 15-24

Sample some of the world’s best whiskies at Whisky Live this weekend, check out guest shifts at Kowloon hotels Eaton and the Mondrian, and don’t miss out on new menus at Kinsman and Quinary.

15 Nov 2024 - 6:45PM

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Maggie Cheung turns 60: from beauty queen and Hong Kong icon to global fame

Her last major roles were 20 years ago – since then, she’s been busy with her music and philanthropic work, and was named Unicef ambassador to China

19 Sep 2024 - 10:00AM

Books and literature

2 new coffee table books every film buff should love

Cinema’s greatest names are captured in print, with iconic names from Marilyn Monroe to Alfred Hitchcock caught in front of the camera and behind it in these glossy tomes from Taschen and A24

3 Sep 2024 - 10:00AM

Chinese culture

Locations from Wong Kar-wai’s Blossoms Shanghai become tourist hotspots

To mark the birthday of Hong Kong-based filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, the Post looks at five locations featured in his hit TV series Blossoms Shanghai that have seen a surge in tourist interest.

31 Jul 2024 - 10:13AM

Tai Sheng Yuan Restaurant in Shanghai, China. Photo: Xinhua

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

How this internet filmmaker went viral channelling ‘old Hong Kong’ nostalgia

Filmmaker Jazzie Sillona has clocked nearly 500,000 Instagram followers with nostalgia-tinged images capturing the simple street scenes that define a city

27 May 2024 - 5:46PM

Hong Kong

Profile | ‘Something we could be proud of’: DJ covers Anita Mui, other Cantopop songs

Techno DJ Olivia Dawn Mok, aka Xiaolin, is releasing contemporary takes on some Cantopop classics to remind the world of Hong Kong’s musical influence in the 1980s and 90s.

8 May 2024 - 8:23AM

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Hong Kong films’ history at Cannes, from Wong Kar-wai to Johnnie To

As two Hong Kong films premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, we look back at the city’s cinema history at the event, including Wong Kar-wai’s many hits and Johnnie To’s successes in the 2000s.

18 Apr 2024 - 6:03PMvideocam

Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng star in Johnnie To’s 2013 film Blind Detective. Photo: Handout

Asian cinema

10 iconic looks in Asian cinema, including that Bruce Lee jumpsuit

From Bruce Lee’s golden get-up in Game of Death to the nightmarish long hair and white nightdress worn by antagonist Sadako in Japanese horror Ring, we look at 10 iconic looks from Asian cinema.

26 Mar 2024 - 7:59AM

Bruce Lee in a still from Game of Death. Photo: Criterion Collection

China stock market

China’s stock market rout hurts more than fiction of Blossoms Shanghai

Today, not much resembles the reels in Blossoms Shanghai. China’s legion of 200 million retail investors can be forgiven for hankering for that gravity-defying bygone era of the 1990s.

27 Jan 2024 - 10:53AMvideocam

Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How to boost Hong Kong tourism: vouchers now, and a vision for the long term

The industry needs reforms and a radical overhaul but, for now, vouchers to reward tourists for spending locally – say, HK$100 for every HK$1,000 spent – would be a quick boost. Beyond that, Hong Kong must prioritise quality, distinctiveness and originality while leveraging its culture, diversity and heritage.

27 Jan 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

TV shows and streaming video

Letters | Wong Kar-wai’s Blossoms Shanghai is a kiss of life to a declining dialect

Readers discuss the Hong Kong auteur’s first foray into television, the fortunes of TVB, appropriate dress for young women, and what Hong Kong officials should do with their time.

21 Jan 2024 - 11:30AMvideocam

“Blossoms Shanghai”, Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s first television production, is a rare one to be aired in two versions, one in Mandarin and the other in Shanghainese. Photo: Weibo/Peter Pau

China's economic recovery

Hit Chinese TV show taps into culture, but can the consumption craze be copied?

Domestic products are increasingly driving consumption in China at a time when retail choices have begun to shift away from the long-time pursuit of international brands, according to economic observers.

19 Jan 2024 - 12:45PM

A woman poses for photos next to a poster for the new hit TV show ‘Blossoms Shanghai’, set in gritty but glamourous 1990s Shanghai. Photo: AFP

China society

Wong Kar-wai’s new TV series draws Shanghai tourism

17 Jan 2024 - 8:00PM

Shanghai

Why are Chinese people buying calendars from 1996 in 2024?

Both years begin on a Monday and are leap years, making their calendars a perfect match. As 1990s nostalgia sweeps China, the vintage items are reminders of era when Beijing welcomed foreign influence in the economy, culture and fashion.

14 Jan 2024 - 10:00PM

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Who’s who in Wong Kar-wai’s debut TV show, Blossoms Shanghai?

Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai just debuted his first web series Blossoms Shanghai on Tencent’s streaming platform in China – here’s everything you need to know about the star-studded cast

2 Jan 2024 - 12:00PM

Wong Kar-wai’s new web series Blossoms Shanghai stars Chinese actors Hu Ge and Tiffany Tang. Photos: @huge.official, @celebs_fashion_style/Instagram

TV shows and streaming video

6-year wait over, what to expect from Wong Kar-wai’s Blossoms Shanghai

The first TV series shot by Wong Kar-wai – famed Hong Kong director of films like In the Mood for Love and Chungking Express – the 30-episode period drama Blossoms Shanghai, is airing at last.

31 Dec 2023 - 9:52AMvideocam

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

5 ways Hong Kong legend Tony Leung got into character thanks to his costumes

From white tank tops in Wong Kar-wai’s films to a period-correct wardrobe in Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution, the recent Venice Film Festival awardee reinforces his acting chops with his style

25 Sep 2023 - 1:00PM

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How to make a Hong Kong action film: the secrets of directors like John Woo

Hong Kong film directors such as John Woo, Benny Chan and Wong Kar-wai have revealed down the years how they make an action move, from developing storylines to working with martial arts choreographers.

18 Sep 2023 - 12:14PM

Yuen Woo-ping on the set of Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (2018).

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | Carina Lau, superstar: her rise from humble roots and stellar film career

Born in mainland China, Carina Lau grew up thinking she’d be a factory worker, but moved to Hong Kong and, through hard work, built an acting career despite a kidnap ordeal. She met and wed fellow actor Tony Leung.

1 Sep 2023 - 10:28AM

Carina Lau Ka-ling. Photo: Instagram/@carinalau1208

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Wong Kar-wai’s 2046 and My Blueberry Nights: not his best work, but …

My Blueberry Nights, starring Natalie Portman and Norah Jones and 2046, featuring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Zhang Ziyi, generally rank low on lists of filmmaker Wong Kar-wai’s best work, but have their merits.

16 Jul 2023 - 4:15AMvideocam

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Recognise these costumes? This major exhibition celebrates Hong Kong films

A major exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum looks at the city’s film history through costumes and other memorabilia, from Wong Kar-wai mementos to Chinese dresses from Shaw Brothers Studio.

15 May 2023 - 5:15PM

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

A Hong Kong filmmaking masterclass from Wong Kar-wai, Johnnie To and more

For Wong Kar-wai, characters determine plot. For Wong Jing, filmmaking means giving audiences what they want. Film directors’ comments about their approach to movie making tell us a lot.

7 May 2023 - 4:15AM

Wong Kar-wai at his office in Kowloon City, Hong Kong, in 1997. “I believe the story is not important, but the characters are,” he once said. Find out what other directors have said about how they make movies. Photo: SCMP

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Wong’s world: where are Hong Kong film icon Wong Kar-wai’s 6 muses now?

Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai is famous for working with the same actors in his films, so where are these 6 muses of his now? From Tony Leung to Faye Wong …

3 May 2023 - 3:16PM

Leslie Cheung, Carina Lau, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung in Wong Kar-wai’s film Days of Being Wild in 1990. Photo: Michael Tsui

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express made Faye Wong a movie star

Filmed in six weeks, Chungking Express has an improvisatory feel. It features a memorable turn by singer Faye Wong, in her first film, and won Tony Leung Chiu-wai best actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

30 Apr 2023 - 4:15AMvideocam

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Explainer | From Jet Li to Wong Kar-wai, the 1990s: last golden age of Hong Kong cinema

The 1990s was the last golden age of Hong Kong cinema, with a slew of groundbreaking films that produced new stars such as martial arts actor Jet Li and art-house darling Wong Kar-wai.

9 Apr 2023 - 4:15AM

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