bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Clarence Tsui

We are alike in lots of ways -  we went to the same school, the Shanghai Conservatory, when we were young. [Ding Feifei specialises in the erhu, while Ding Wei - also an erhu player - majored in musical composition and classical piano.] It was a pretty rigid and strict life: English and culture classes in the morning, our majors in the afternoon and heaps of practice in the evening. That  sets us apart from other pop singers. That is still true in certain aspects even if we are now living in different cities. [Ding Wei moved to Beijing in 1995, while Ding Feifei divides her time between the capital, Shanghai and Hong Kong.]

We are signed to different record companies [Ding Feifei to Universal; Ding Wei to BMG] so we  had hardly worked together until the   past year or two when we worked on material  that appeared subsequently on each other's records. The upcoming performances with Secret Garden   will be the first time we perform live together. It's like a childhood dream come true.

We are alike in  the way we shun the glam that comes with a career in the music industry.   We don't  hang out in nightspots. Not that we're tucked up in bed early; we'd just rather  be idling at home   until 2am or 3am than heading off to crowded places.

Ding Wei: Although I am not a nine-to-five person I still prefer some order in my life so I get up early. Well, the earliest I can manage,  since we sometimes go to bed in the wee  hours.  I used to get up at  1pm or 2pm, but  there are a lot of things that can  be done only during daytime - companies and ministries  aren't open in the evening.  There are a lot of telephone calls to make, so I  get out of bed  about 10am.

If schedules permit, I'll cook myself breakfast.  If I have to rush into town for business,  I often forget about eating until late afternoon. I don't deliberate much on what to eat - bread, maybe, eggs or some [Chinese] pancakes. It's rare I  have anything fancy because it's not like  Hong Kong where you have all kinds of eateries  just downstairs. If Feifei's here,  I'll make  more of a feast: she doesn't really know how to cook so it's up to me.

We have a studio  in Beijing where we can do production and  hold small performances, but usually  I'm doing music for films and television so I  spend a lot of time at home in front of the computer. I am the kind of person who would  worry about not having done  one useful thing during the day, so I  stick myself in front of the computer for hours.  Feifei is much more a free spirit than I am  -  sometimes she   sleeps until 4pm  or 5pm.

Ding Feifei: I am freer than Wei in terms of organising my schedule. I usually write songs late into the night so it's pretty impractical to go to bed early.  I know girls  have better skin  if  they do that, but sometimes  work  doesn't allow us to have such a disciplined lifestyle.

I have something to eat after getting up and a coffee  - that's an old habit. If I'm in Shanghai my mother will make something for me. If I'm alone elsewhere,  maybe I'll have a bao [bun] to go with the coffee. But I love to eat. I always have three meals a day: lunch at about 6pm and then xiaoye [a late-night meal] at about midnight. I love Japanese, Italian, French or Sichuan food.  And crabs - I eat lots of them  when they are in season. I don't  like going to lavish places. Unless I'm treating friends, I usually go to  small restaurants selling xiaolongbao [small buns with pork].

Ding Wei: I love eating spicy stuff. Sichuanese dishes such as shuizhuyue - fish cooked with all sorts of  spices -  are my poison. I used to load myself  up with  them, but  it doesn't do my voice any favours so I  restrict  my intake to once a month.

Ding Feifei:  I'll do a bit of work, play some computer games,  then work some more. It's quite flexible.  Shanghai is a good place to enjoy life - but not a good place to do creative work. I only spend time there because our mother still lives there.  If I  want to do some serious work I  hop on a plane  to Beijing.

Ding Wei: Beijing's got an atmosphere I like. Feifei has asked me several times why I refused to move back to Shanghai and it's because there are so  many temptations there: great places to eat, shop and play.  You're easily distracted.

Also,  in Shanghai you  worry about how you look.   Do I have make-up on, or am I dressed properly?  In Beijing you  can dress  shabbily wherever you go - they  respect you for your abilities and talents, not your  attire.

Ding Feifei and Ding Wei: We listen to a lot of music so  that's where all the  cultural influences  come through in our work.  We don't want to do  edgy avant-garde stuff, but  we have to understand what is going on out there. We love unearthing things that not even the Americans or the British have heard of.  We spend a lot of time in the studio listening to loops and samples.  We don't listen to  the crappy mainstream songs that are everywhere.

Ding Feifei: The hit with [British dance act] Way Out West is a surprise. A colleague at my label gave them my song Forgotten Moon and they  remixed it without me  knowing. It went into the British charts but  not much publicity work was done about it.

Ding Wei: When I signed with BMG, Andy Lau Tak-wah  was on the same label. He had  just founded  his own company New Melody Music.  He offered me a publishing contract and later he chose three of my songs for his own records. He was  willing to provide opportunities for newcomers,  for which I am grateful.  I wrote a lot of songs between 1995 and 1998, because I'd just moved to Beijing and I was under quite a bit of financial pressure.  That's when I  realised that just being a singer wouldn't guarantee me a stable income - so doing creative work, writing my own songs, was the only way I could make a steady living.

Ding Feifei and Ding Wei:  We did do some shopping this time  in Hong Kong but it's all about work, isn't it? What clothes to wear for the photo shoot  - it's not like we are  having fun shopping.  We do enjoy  it back home, of course, but not here, not when we are working.

Ding Feifei and Ding Wei perform with Secret Garden in the opening performance of this year's New Vision Arts Festival. Tue and Wed, 8pm. Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. $120-$380 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2370 1044.



24 hours with Ding Feifei and Ding Wei