In appreciation of Alex Law and Ni Kuang

A part of Hong Kong I will forever associate with

Alex Law and his Echoes of the Rainbow

 

This past long weekend was not a happy one in Hong Kong; beginning as it did with the 25th anniversary of an event that many Hong Kongers didn't want to happen, the visit of a political leader few Hong Kongers have much affection for, the assumption of office of a new local leader who few folks have any confidence will lead Hong Kong to better days and a typhoon coming close enough to the territory to merit the raising of the T8 warning signal.  And hours after the typhoon warning signals were lifted, came news of the deaths of two men whose works have loomed much in the imagination of Hong Kong and beyond.

 

Filmmaker Alex Law passed away on Sunday at the age of 69.  Together with as well as separate from his life partner, Mabel Cheung, he had been involved in the making of a number of movies beloved by Hong Kongers (and Hong Kong film fans outside of the city).  His first film credit was as scriptwriter for The Illegal Immigrant (1985), which Mabel Cheung directed.  Other cinematic works that the pair worked on together include Eight Taels of Gold (1989), The Soong Sisters (1997) and City of Glass (2001), which he scripted and she directed.  There's also Painted Faces (1988), which they co-scripted and he directed, and Echoes of the Rainbow (2010), which she produced and he directed. 

 

I'll be honest: Alex Law is not in my list of top five (or even 10) favorite Hong Kong filmmakers.  Ditto re Mabel Cheung.  At the same time though, I do respect their work.  It's also true enough that they are two of the filmmakers I most definitely associate with this city -- and I think it'd be fair to say that they have made significant contributions to Hong Kong's cultural heritage as well as cinematic terrain.

 

Indeed, I actually find myself thinking of two of their films whenever I am in certain parts of Hong Kong.  Specifically, their beautifully shot City of Glass is one of those movies that come to mind when I've walked on the campus of the University of Hong Kong, their alma mater which it is a homage to; while every time I pass by or along Wing Lee Street, I find myself marvelling at how the old buildings along it were effectively "saved" by the Law helmed Echoes of the Rainbow.    

 

Coming hours after news came of Law's passing, the announcement of the death of novelist-scriptwriter Ni Kuang was quite the hammer blow.  The 87 year old was beloved and respected for many reasons.  For Chinese literature lovers, he was a martial arts and sci-fi novelist par excellence.  For Hong Kong movie fans, there's the fact of his having had over 220 scriptwriting credits, including a plethora of Shaw Brothers classics directed by the likes of Chang Cheh and Chor Yuen (who also passed away earlier this year), and films starring Bruce Lee.  

Ni Kuang also was respected and remembered for being a fierce critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who once said that that China’s people would continue suffering as long as the CCP remains in existence.  And in the wake of his passing, China Heritage reprinted an August 2019 piece of theirs on him which contains the following statements by Ni Kuang:   

What’s happening to Hong Kong is exactly like what happened to Tibet when it signed the ‘Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet’ [under duress on 23 May 1951]. The Communists say the nicest possible things and then act in the most reprehensible manner. This has always been the way of the Communist Party...

‘[The Hong Kong police] put their fearless power on full display when repressing the protesters. It’s just that when their presence has really been needed — when you need police valour [as when triad gang members attacked protesters and others on the evening of 21 July at Yuen Long] there’s no sign of them. But that’s exactly when you need to hear from them. However, at least according to the news reports I’ve seen on TV, they come charging out in valorous formation when there is hardly anyone around. Who are they putting the show on for?’

Fight on, fear no sacrifice and overcome all obstacles.

 (Note: the last is Ni Kuang's reworking of a Mao Zedong slogan: "Be resolute, fear no sacrifice, overcome all obstacles and difficulties and fight on to victory"!)