THEY COME FROM ALL CORNERS OF Hong Kong to pay homage to an icon of their times. Many are just curious but most embark on this pilgrimage because they want to be close to the legendary songbird Teresa Teng, who died suddenly at 42. This is Teresaland, where respect is paid, memories shared and Teng special CD editions sold. It is also where you will find her legion of fans.
Annie Wong Ling-lam is one. A dedicated Teng fan, she is surprisingly sketchy about the details of the most defining moment in her life, meeting her idol. Like, when did it happen? Was it in 1973 or 1974? Was it on Kowloon side or Hong Kong Island? What was she wearing? But the 41-year-old counters: 'If you were shaking hands with Teng Lijun, everything around you just paled into the background. Nothing else mattered.' That night, Wong didn't sleep a wink. 'It was like a dream only it wasn't. I noted [the moment] down in my diary as proof. Miss Teng was very friendly. But I was a nervous wreck when I saw her in the flesh. There was so much I wanted to say to her, like how much I love her songs, that she was beautiful - I couldn't utter a single word. But Miss Teng was very reassuring and put me at ease.
'She gave all her fans a chance to speak to her. She made people feel relaxed. I was so thrilled to have met her in person. The only thing I regret is that I was so nervous and excited I forgot to snap any pictures.' On Monday, Wong relived this moment when Teng's luxurious home on Carmel Road in Stanley was opened to the public for the first time, partly to mark the fifth anniversary of the singer's death and partly to raise funds for charities. It is the nearest thing Hong Kong has to Graceland, Elvis Presley's Memphis mansioncum-shrine and money making tourist attraction. The home is in exactly the same state as she left it before she died, unmarried.
Admission is $20 and proceeds from ticket sales go to the Po Leung Kuk. Since the booking hotline number was announced last Thursday, it has regularly been jammed. According to the Hong Kong Teresa Teng Foundation, which is jointly organising the tours with the Hong Kong Tourist Association, a quota of 100 visitors a day has been set to avoid huge crowds and possible stampede.
Over the past three decades, Teng has struck a chord with many around the world with her soft vocals and romantic ballads such as Sweet As Honey, The Moon Represents My Heart and Strong Love Cannot Be Separated. Her songs are so well-known there is a saying that wherever there are Chinese, there is the music of Teresa Teng. Even though she died unexpectedly in Bangkok from an asthma attack in 1995, her music - and the love for her - lives on.
After a couple of hours trying to get through to the hotline, I decide to head down to her multimillion-dollar home to see the shrine. The first obstacle is not so much getting past the front gate as in finding the two-storey villa, tucked away on a steep slope off Stanley Village Road. The House of Teresa Teng tour starts in the garden behind the pink gates. The property has a green facade and the entrance is decorated with pink frills, plastic tulips and roses. At first sight, the place looks like a bridal shop.
The next tour is scheduled for 3.30 pm and about a dozen visitors - locals, Japanese and a group of Vietnamese (brought here by the Hong Kong Tourist Association) - are gathered around the garden snapping pictures of the topiary, her Rolls Royce and the fish pond.