TOPIC

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Wong Kar-wai

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

Born

17 Jul 1958

Industry

Entertainment, Film

Job Title

Filmmaker

An old Shanghai-style flat. Photo: courtesy hoo

Interiors

This refurbished home is a love letter to old Shanghai

A Hong Kong designer transforms his late aunt’s flat with 1930s East-meets-West glamour.

21 Jan 2026 - 1:00PM

European cinema

Why this French film star just had to visit Hong Kong’s Chungking Mansions

25 Nov 2025 - 5:15PM

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 Hong Kong romance films that pushed the boundaries

16 Nov 2025 - 4:15PMvideocam

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Shirley Kwan, Cantopop’s complex ‘queen of cool’, is a star like no other

Kwan experienced a meteoric rise followed by an artistic metamorphosis in the 1990s, before personal struggles began to take the spotlight.

24 Oct 2025 - 7:15AMvideocam

Shirley Kwan (left) sings at the JVC Hits Award presentation ceremony at the Hong Kong Coliseum in January 1996. Photo: SCMP

From our archives

On This Day | Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love opens in Hong Kong in 2000 – SCMP archive

On September 29, 2000, the Hong Kong director’s celebrated cinematic love story was screened in theatres across the city for the first time.

29 Sep 2025 - 1:15PM

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Carina Lau became a top film star and her best movies

Despite her many supporting parts, Lau’s ability to put her mark on her work means she’s always great to watch. We look back at her career.

14 Sep 2025 - 12:15PM

Trending in China

Profile | Xin Zhilei, Venice Film Festival best actress, from poverty to Donnie Yen protégé

Ex-schoolgirl waitress from poverty-stricken background who climbed ladder of celebrity says she is driven by ‘desire and ambition’.

10 Sep 2025 - 6:00PM

Asian cinema: Chinese films

Profile | How Chinese star Xin Zhilei, best actress winner at Venice, rose to the top

Xin Zhilei discusses her acting journey, her historic win for The Sun Rises on Us All and what it was like working with Wong Kar-wai.

8 Sep 2025 - 1:44PMvideocam

Asian cinema: Chinese films

China’s Xin Zhilei creates history with Venice Film Festival best actress gong

Award for role in The Sun Rises on Us All makes 39-year-old the first Chinese woman to win the honour in 14 years.

8 Sep 2025 - 1:59PMvideocam

In Good Taste

What inspires this auctioneer and modern art expert off the clock

Formerly Sotheby’s head of modern art, auctioneer Felix Kwok talks about his favourite painting, the power of positivity – and more.

21 Aug 2025 - 2:37PM

Felix Kwok, photographed at his home in Tseung Kwan O. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Wong Kar-wai’s The Hand made the 2004 anthology Eros worth watching

The Hong Kong director’s segment from the three-part erotic anthology Eros outshone those by Steven Soderbergh and Michelangelo Antonioni.

8 Aug 2025 - 5:15PMvideocam

Chang Chen (left) and Gong Li in a still from The Hand, Wong Kar-wai’s segment in the anthology film Eros (2004). Photo: SCMPost

Hong Kong society

Discover Hong Kong’s Wan Chai: free literature-themed tour on write track

Participants can explore district’s historic buildings and other landmarks through the eyes of local writers during six sessions in August.

29 Jul 2025 - 7:31PM

Celebrity style

Style according to … designer Chet Lo, famous for his spiky knitwear

Lo wears a mix of Byredo Mumbai Noise and Gabar 02 Ground perfumes, and lists The Standard hotel and the Tate Modern among his favourite hangs in his hometown of London.

23 Jul 2025 - 6:00PM

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 Andy Lau movies that show Hong Kong actor’s action chops

In the 2000s, Lau added action star to his CV with roles involving martial arts, guns and gangsters. Three films show his versatility.

18 May 2025 - 11:15AMvideocam

Andy Lau in a still from Firestorm. Photo: Edko Films Ltd/Kingmart Advertising Co.

Hong Kong culture

Opinion | Why seeing Hong Kong through Wong Kar-wai’s lens matters

Hong Kong doesn’t need to chase the sameness of Coldplay concerts and viral trends. It needs to be assured in its own taste.

26 Apr 2025 - 11:38AM

A view of a food stall in Central in 2020. Whether it’s incense coils, plastic stools or the beauty of a Wong Kar-wai film, Hong Kong is capable of absorbing global aesthetic influences and expressing them in a vocabulary that feels local and lived in. Photo: Dickson Lee

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Recap | Hong Kong cinema legends and greats open up about their careers

What’s it like working with Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-fat, Jackie Chan, Dwayne Johnson, John Woo and Wong Kar-wai? These film and TV legends tell all.

22 Apr 2025 - 7:00AM

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

What’s ‘extended’ in new In the Mood for Love 4K special cinema edition?

Wong Kar-wai’s 2000 masterpiece returns to Hong Kong cinemas this week for the film’s 25th anniversary with nine minutes of new footage.

10 Apr 2025 - 6:45PMvideocam

Art

It’s showtime for 4 must-see art exhibitions this week

This week’s thought-provoking shows from the queer cosmos of ‘How to be Happy Together?’ to exploring human destiny in ‘Veering’ and more.

15 Mar 2025 - 4:15PM

Installation view of “How to be Happy Together?” at Para Site, Hong Kong. Photo: Felix SC Wong

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | Faye Wong, actress, Cantopop diva and twice divorced mum

A ‘natural-born actress’, Wong Kar-wai said. The bestselling female Cantopop artist. Yet Faye Wong left it all behind to be a wife and mum.

14 Feb 2025 - 7:15AM

Fame and celebrity

How the qipao found favour as a film mood-setter and red-carpet favourite

The traditional Chinese dress, which had its heyday in the glamorous 20s and 30s, is now a symbol of Chinese style that has lit up films like In the Mood for Love – and red carpets aplenty

29 Jan 2025 - 2:00PM

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

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

What to do in Hong Kong

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

A dance workout to get in shape for the holidays, a charity roast goose feast and a celebration of a Japanese pop duo are among our picks.

20 Dec 2024 - 4:16PMvideocam

Fans of Japanese pop duo Yoasobi are in for a treat with an exhibition at Airside in Kai Tak, Kowloon, one of our pick of things to see and do this weekend in Hong Kong.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

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

Wong Kar-wai film’s cinematography, soundtrack and use of Hong Kong locations for shooting produced a defining moment in Hong Kong cinema.

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

Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung won international acclaim in the 1990s and 2000s. Photo: @zhangmanyuofficial/Instagram

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

Two books about Hollywood featuring legendary names from in front and behind the camera, including director Alfred Hitchcock, seen here with his avian stars from his classic horror movie The Birds. Photos: Handout

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

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

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Wong Kar-wai

This refurbished home is a love letter to old Shanghai

A Hong Kong designer transforms his late aunt’s flat with 1930s East-meets-West glamour.

Why this French film star just had to visit Hong Kong’s Chungking Mansions

3 Hong Kong romance films that pushed the boundaries

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Profile | How Shirley Kwan, Cantopop’s complex ‘queen of cool’, is a star like no other

Kwan experienced a meteoric rise followed by an artistic metamorphosis in the 1990s, before personal struggles began to take the spotlight.

On This Day | Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love opens in Hong Kong in 2000 – SCMP archive

On September 29, 2000, the Hong Kong director’s celebrated cinematic love story was screened in theatres across the city for the first time.

How Carina Lau became a top film star and her best movies

Despite her many supporting parts, Lau’s ability to put her mark on her work means she’s always great to watch. We look back at her career.

Profile | Xin Zhilei, Venice Film Festival best actress, from poverty to Donnie Yen protégé

Ex-schoolgirl waitress from poverty-stricken background who climbed ladder of celebrity says she is driven by ‘desire and ambition’.

Profile | How Chinese star Xin Zhilei, best actress winner at Venice, rose to the top

Xin Zhilei discusses her acting journey, her historic win for The Sun Rises on Us All and what it was like working with Wong Kar-wai.

China’s Xin Zhilei creates history with Venice Film Festival best actress gong

Award for role in The Sun Rises on Us All makes 39-year-old the first Chinese woman to win the honour in 14 years.

What inspires this auctioneer and modern art expert off the clock

Formerly Sotheby’s head of modern art, auctioneer Felix Kwok talks about his favourite painting, the power of positivity – and more.

How Wong Kar-wai’s The Hand made the 2004 anthology Eros worth watching

The Hong Kong director’s segment from the three-part erotic anthology Eros outshone those by Steven Soderbergh and Michelangelo Antonioni.

Discover Hong Kong’s Wan Chai: free literature-themed tour on write track

Participants can explore district’s historic buildings and other landmarks through the eyes of local writers during six sessions in August.

Style according to … designer Chet Lo, famous for his spiky knitwear

Lo wears a mix of Byredo Mumbai Noise and Gabar 02 Ground perfumes, and lists The Standard hotel and the Tate Modern among his favourite hangs in his hometown of London.

3 Andy Lau movies that show Hong Kong actor’s action chops

In the 2000s, Lau added action star to his CV with roles involving martial arts, guns and gangsters. Three films show his versatility.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Why seeing Hong Kong through Wong Kar-wai’s lens matters

Hong Kong doesn’t need to chase the sameness of Coldplay concerts and viral trends. It needs to be assured in its own taste.

.css-t3o2dm{color:#4585FF;}Recap | Hong Kong cinema legends and greats open up about their careers

What’s it like working with Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-fat, Jackie Chan, Dwayne Johnson, John Woo and Wong Kar-wai? These film and TV legends tell all.

What’s ‘extended’ in new In the Mood for Love 4K special cinema edition?

Wong Kar-wai’s 2000 masterpiece returns to Hong Kong cinemas this week for the film’s 25th anniversary with nine minutes of new footage.

It’s showtime for 4 must-see art exhibitions this week

This week’s thought-provoking shows from the queer cosmos of ‘How to be Happy Together?’ to exploring human destiny in ‘Veering’ and more.

Profile | Faye Wong, actress, Cantopop diva and twice divorced mum

A ‘natural-born actress’, Wong Kar-wai said. The bestselling female Cantopop artist. Yet Faye Wong left it all behind to be a wife and mum.

How the qipao found favour as a film mood-setter and red-carpet favourite

The traditional Chinese dress, which had its heyday in the glamorous 20s and 30s, is now a symbol of Chinese style that has lit up films like In the Mood for Love – and red carpets aplenty

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.

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

A dance workout to get in shape for the holidays, a charity roast goose feast and a celebration of a Japanese pop duo are among our picks.

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

Wong Kar-wai film’s cinematography, soundtrack and use of Hong Kong locations for shooting produced a defining moment in Hong Kong cinema.

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.

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

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

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.

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

Profile | How Shirley Kwan, Cantopop’s complex ‘queen of cool’, is a star like no other

Opinion | Why seeing Hong Kong through Wong Kar-wai’s lens matters

Recap | Hong Kong cinema legends and greats open up about their careers