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SCMP Editorial

Hong Kong stories are best told through the city’s culture and heritage.
The film industry did a good job in this respect with a blockbuster that brought the legendary and now demolished Kowloon Walled City back to life for local and overseas audiences.
There are talks to make use of augmented reality technology to recreate the film settings as tourist attractions.
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is not just another martial arts production involving triads.
What sets it apart is the painstaking recreation of the infamous “City of Darkness”, which evolved from an imperial Chinese walled settlement into a “lawless” enclave in the heart of British colonial Hong Kong before it was bulldozed and turned into an urban park ahead of the handover in 1997.

The film received a standing ovation following a midnight screening at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and has topped recent local and mainland box offices since.
The film resonates not only because it enables the audience to “relive” the historic past of Hong Kong in the golden 1980s era, but also comes at a time when the city is at a crossroads, reshaping its identity amid seismic political and social shifts.
Its success adds to a growing list of record-breaking local productions in recent years and defies the doomsday predictions for the film industry.
Admittedly, fewer people go to the cinema these days as more entertainment options are now just a few clicks away on tablets and mobile phones.
Intermittent theatre closures and social-distancing restrictions for cinema-goers during the coronavirus pandemic were seen as accelerating the death knell of the industry.
But the silver screen still has its appeal, with a considerable number of local and overseas films drawing crowds from time to time.
Through the unique storytelling skills of Hong Kong directors, films can foster the city’s distinct cultural identity and project soft power in the Chinese-speaking world and beyond.
Even though the sets may no longer be available for public display, it would be good if residents and visitors could experience the old Kowloon Walled City through the use of technology. With good planning and cooperation, the film and tourism industries can develop a new synergy.


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Hong Kong culture

Blockbuster film hails Hong Kong’s past and future

A still from Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, which was selected for a midnight screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Media Asia Distribution

A still from the upcoming film Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. Photo: Media Asia Films

Hong Kong movie brings ‘City of Darkness’ back into light at Cannes Film Festival, with makers hoping to boost tourism

Doubt cast over plan to turn Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City movie sets into exhibits, as industry veteran says few locations suitable

A still from the hit film Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. Photo: Media Asia Films

Part of the sets used in Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City: best of the South China Morning Post’s past coverage

The notorious Kowloon Walled City. Photo: SCMP

Source: SCMP Graphics 

Changing culture in Hong Kong around 1997 handover captured in Fruit Chan’s films The Longest Summer and Little Cheung

Mak Wai-fan (top) as Ah Fan and Yiu Yuet-ming as as Little Cheung in a still from Fruit Chan’s Little Cheung.

A still from Little Cheung. Fruit Chan Gor’s Made in Hong Kong, The Longest Summer and Little Cheung present a complete picture of Hong Kong working-class life at the time of the territory’s handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

Tony Ho (left) as Ga-yin and Sam Lee (right) as Ga-suen in a still from The Longest Summer.

Jo Kuk as Jane in a still from The Longest Summer.

Fruit Chan, director of The Longest Summer and Little Cheung, pictured in 1999. Photo: SCMP

Yiu Yuet-ming (left) as Little Cheung and Mak Wai-fan as Ah Fan in a still from Little Cheung.

Opinion

‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and has topped local and mainland box offices


‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and has topped local and mainland box offices.


Hong Kong cinema

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Editorial

Editorial | Blockbuster film hails Hong Kong’s past and future

‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and has topped local and mainland box offices