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Fans gather outside the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Central to pay tribute to the late Leslie Cheung. Photo: Dickson Lee

‘He’s irreplaceable’: thousands of Leslie Cheung’s fans gather outside Hong Kong hotel to mark 20th anniversary of his death

  • Fans line up outside Mandarin Oriental hotel to place bouquets and take pictures at spot where legendary singer and actor jumped to his death in 2003
  • ‘It’s not just about his music, but the cultural meaning of diversity and inclusion behind him,’ says Emma Mo, a 21-year-old student who travelled from Guangzhou
The passage of time has not dimmed affection for Cantopop legend Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, whose fans gathered in the thousands in downtown Hong Kong on Saturday to mark the 20th anniversary of his death.

A winding queue of people formed outside the entrance of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Central to lay down bouquets of flowers and take pictures at the spot where the singer and actor jumped to his death in 2003. He had previously admitted to struggling with depression.

Fans gather outside the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Central to pay tribute to the late Leslie Cheung. Photo: Dickson Lee

“I’ve liked him since his debut at Rediffusion Television,” said 65-year-old retiree Stella Sin. “My sentiments have never changed, and I’ve only ever been a fan of one celebrity. Twenty years bore no changes for me. He’s irreplaceable.”

In the evening, Cheung’s fans flocked to the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui to pay tribute to the star.

Others gathered outside the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom where a concert called “Leslie Cheung Miss You Much Leslie” started at 8.15pm.

In Central, bouquets and signs filled one side of the street between Chater Road and Connaught Road Central. By about 6pm, a queue spanned the entire facade of the Mandarin Oriental hotel facing Chater Road.

Affectionately known as Gor Gor – “big brother” in Cantonese – Cheung rose to fame during Cantopop’s golden era in the 1980s and 1990s.

“I’ve liked him since his debut at Rediffusion Television,” said retiree Stella Sin. Photo: Jess Ma

Accomplished in both singing and acting, Cheung’s breakthrough film role came in the 1986 hit A Better Tomorrow. He went on to star in many more films in the 1990s, including the award-winning Farewell My Concubine, and the Wong Kar-wai helmed Days of Being Wild, Ashes of Time and Happy Together.

Remembering Leslie Cheung: Hong Kong fans’ devotion to Cantopop legend lives on

Christie Chow, a 25-year-old nurse, brought a bouquet of sunflowers to the commemoration.

“I bought this bouquet from a florist Gor Gor used to frequent, and got sunflowers because he liked them,” she said. “The shop owner cried at the mention of Cheung.”

Chow said she admired the star’s courage in being open about his sexuality at a time when the city was more conservative about same-sex relationships.

Cheung had been open about his relationship with Daffy Tong Hok-tak, who he referred to as “Mr Tong” onstage.

Leslie Cheung in The Phantom Lover. Photo: Mandarin Films

Fans from mainland China also travelled to the city to take part in activities commemorating the star, and Mandarin was frequently spoken in the crowd outside the hotel. Written tributes placed among the bouquets were signed by fans saying they were from Guangzhou, Shanghai, Yunnan province, Sichuan province and other parts of the mainland.

Remastered iconic Leslie Cheung concert launches online on Friday

Emma Mo, a 21-year-old student, arrived from Guangzhou to attend the tribute concert on Saturday, as well as to pay her respects to the star.

“It’s not just about his music, but the cultural meaning of diversity and inclusion behind him,” Mo said.

Fans observe a moment of silence outside Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom before the start of a concert in Leslie Cheung’s honour. Photo: Dickson Lee

Chaw Qin, a 38-year-old fan from Shenzhen, travelled to the city with his wife and daughter for the memorial. He said Cheung’s music made him nostalgic for his younger days.

“For those of us born in the 1980s and 1990s, it’s about nostalgia. This memorial is about both our feelings of nostalgia for him and our youth,” he said.

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Remembering Leslie Cheung: How his cultural legacy lives on 20 years after death

Remembering Leslie Cheung: How his cultural legacy lives on 20 years after death

Police officers were standing guard at both ends of the queue outside the Mandarin Oriental, managing the flow of people across Ice House Street and reminding attendees to stay on the pavement.

A tribute to Leslie Cheung at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Dickson Lee

Pedestrian paths on both sides of Ice House Street were also cordoned off by officers.

About half a dozen fans wearing identical lanyards from a Cheung fan club on the mainland were also heard telling mourners to keep walking after paying their respects.

Recalling Leslie Cheung, 20 years on: singer, actor and LGBT+ trailblazer

A fan, who gave her surname as Zhang, attempted to steer the crowd and claimed that representatives of Cheung’s fans on the mainland had tried to contact the city’s police for approval for the commemoration event.

Three other fans directing the crowd told a Post reporter they flew into the city from Shanghai, Nanjing and Inner Mongolia to commemorate Cheung and help maintain order among the fans.

A police spokesman at the scene said no prior approval was needed for the remembrance.

If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
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