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
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
        published
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
        published
      }
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        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
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        relatedNewsletters {
          ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
          id
        }
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

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

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

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
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

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

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on SectionUnion {
  __isSectionUnion: __typename
  ... on Section {
    name
  }
  ... on VideoSection {
    name
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
}

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 Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        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 {
  ...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_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
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

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

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

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        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
  }
}


types

sectionsV2

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

Deborah Cassrels

Tall and willowy, a woman in green satin shorts and polka-dot top approaches my table, which is facing Auckland’s marina.
At 63, Geeling Ching could be 20 years younger. The affable New Zealander has a certain something – a certain something that once caught the attention of David Bowie.
The British musician picked her to be the star of the music video for his 1983 hit “China Girl”, which was filmed in Sydney, Australia. They went on to have a relationship, with her joining him in Europe on his Serious Moonlight tour the same year.
Ching has agreed to talk to me about Bowie and that video. But first we are in travel mode.

The sometime model, actress and now hospitality doyenne has some firm advice for Asian travellers to New Zealand: “Relax, be patient, embrace the Kiwi nature and go with the flow.
“Asians – particularly fast-paced Hong Kong Chinese – need to under­stand that we’re laid-back and relaxed,” says Ching, now operations manager of the Soul Bar & Bistro at Auckland’s trendy Viaduct Harbour precinct. “We have great service but it’s not going to be really fast action.”

Ching’s father emigrated from Canton in 1940, aged 15, and her mother was born in Thames, on the doorstep of the North Island’s picturesque Coromandel Peninsula. As such, Ching’s foundation in Chinese and Asian culture, as well as Kiwi tourism and know-how, make for canny insights for Asian travellers and members of the diaspora.
Following the rebound of tourism after the Covid-19 pandemic, China was the country’s fifth-largest market last year, according to Tourism New Zealand.
From the nation’s largest city, Auckland, in the North Island, Waiheke Island is an obvious suggestion for visitors, says Ching. A 45-minute ferry ride across the Hauraki Gulf leads to pristine scenery with beaches, vineyards and superb restaurants.
Whale- and dolphin-watching cruises around Auckland Harbour are another obvious attraction.
But it’s from the vantage points of the country’s unique lodges that Ching urges travellers to explore.
I had to be completely naked in the video, set at Sydney’s Whale Beach. You just don’t think about it, but I was terribly nervous. He’d been my childhood idol forever.
Geeling Ching on filming the music video for David Bowie’s ‘China Girl’
Top of her list is seven-hectare Huka Lodge (which will be closed between April 30 and December 1 for refurbishment) on the banks of North Island’s Waikato River, upstream from the dramatic Huka Falls, in Taupo.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip stayed here, New Zealand’s oldest lodge, four times, such was the appeal of its riverside rolling lawns and manicured gardens.
To the north, in the Bay of Islands, Ching singles out the Rosewood Kauri Cliffs lodge, with its championship golf course, and The Landing – a 400-hectare heritage and conservation property set in regenerated native forest and wetlands on the Purerua Peninsula.
One of New Zealand’s earliest sites of Māori settlement, The Landing was developed together with local tribes, or iwi, and sites of cultural and heritage importance lie on the property, which is held in a charitable trust to ensure preservation.
The Bay of Islands (all 140 of them), nearly four hours’ drive from Auckland, is a recommended destination in itself. It is the birthplace of the country’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, an 1840 agreement between the British crown and the local Māori.

Surrounded by the aqua and cerulean Pacific Ocean, the region is a subtropical paradise renowned for deep-sea fishing, water sports, beaches, hiking and native vegetation.
“Go right to the northernmost tip – Cape Reinga. That’s where the [Tasman Sea] and Pacific oceans crash together,” says Ching.
Steeped in Māori tradition, the Te Paki Coastal Track leads to the cape’s lighthouse. Legend has it that people’s spirits depart from the windswept Cape Reinga – known to Māori as Te Rerenga Wairua; “the leaping place of the spirits” – when they die, bound for the Māori ancestral home of Hawaiki.
On the North Island’s east coast, Hawke’s Bay, a premium wine-growing area, is a must, says Ching.
“It’s easy to get around. We have hired e-bikes, toured, done wine tastings. Visitors should stay at Elephant Hill – a beautiful lodge and vineyard facing the winery and Pacific Ocean.”


And, says Ching, you can’t miss nearby Rotorua – home of the geothermal hot springs, spouting geysers and mud spas used to treat and rejuvenate the skin – all of which is appealing to the Chinese, she says.
The South Island’s oldest city, Nelson – known for its artists, kayaking, hiking and vineyards – is the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park.
“If you’re short of time [while in the South Island], you should go to Queenstown,” says Ching. Apart from its unspoilt alpine scenery, the adventure capital of New Zealand offers bungee jumping, paragliding, jet boating on white water rapids, golf, scenic walks and cycling, and is one of the most renowned wine regions in the world.
Another of Ching’s suggestions is to hire a car and drive to “one of the best spots on Earth”: Wānaka, an alpine town near Otago set in a snowcapped mountain and turquoise lake wonderland.
If skiing, take the gentle slopes: “You want to go to Cardrona [Alpine Resort], where there’s a champagne bar halfway up the mountain.”


Nearby, drop in to Arrowtown, where a heritage-listed Chinese settlement was founded during the 1860s gold rush.
What’s left in the historic Chinese settlement is a mixture of ruins, reconstructions and restorations. Almost entirely male, Arrowtown’s mainly Cantonese population reached about 5,000 in 1881, but a discriminatory poll tax introduced that year discouraged immigration.
Few made enough money to return home and most died there, not that you’ll find their graves in Arrowtown’s cemetery.
We have not touched on the capital, Wellington – “that giant wind tunnel” – but if we stick to Ching’s recommendations, both islands can be covered in a couple of weeks, she reckons, although the North Island is best in summer.
For serious foodies, she recommends central Auckland’s high-end Chinese restaurant Huami (meaning “nectar”). “Wealthy Chinese who live here take guests and Huami is attached to the SkyCity Casino, so it attracts high rollers.”

Grand Harbour restaurant, in the Viaduct area, is famous for its Hong Kong specialities and yum cha, and Pearl Garden, in Auckland’s Newmarket, for classic Cantonese yum cha.
And remember Southland’s world-famous Bluff oysters, best eaten between March and August, says Ching.
The creamy shellfish can be found on menus throughout New Zealand, but perhaps Southland’s annual Bluff Oyster and Food Festival, in May, is the most appropriate setting in which to savour them.

Japanese and Korean restaurants are dotted all over Auckland: from sushi trains to luxe restaurants at the Sky Tower boasting 360-degree city views. Outside the cities, cheap and cheerful Asian eateries are ubiquitous.
I have had to revisit Ching for a photo shoot. The satin shorts are replaced by an elegant dress and she has applied make-up, which she couldn’t be photographed without.
Returning to David Bowie, I ask how the serendipitous encounter happened.
“I was living in Sydney and modelling. My agent phoned me and asked, ‘Do you want to audition for a David Bowie video?’ There were about a dozen beautiful, really petite Chinese women there and I remember thinking, ‘There’s no way I’m going to get this because I’m quite big, built like a European’.”

When the then 23-year-old auditioned, “Bowie played his song and we chatted for a while.” She was then asked to remove her make-up.
“I walked back in and they said, ‘OK, you’ve got the job.’ They shot the film over a week. At the same time, Bowie filmed his hit ‘Let’s Dance’, in the [New South Wales] outback town of Carinda.
“I had to be completely naked in the video, set at Sydney’s Whale Beach.
“You just don’t think about it, but I was terribly nervous. He’d been my childhood idol forever. The first album I bought was Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars [1972].
“There was the whole, ‘I can’t believe this is happening’ situation. We’d hang out, go for dinner. He was lovely, really nice. I think he particularly tried to make me feel at ease because we had to portray a relationship on screen.”

Off screen the relationship blossomed and after the shoot had finished, she received a phone call from Bowie.
“He said, ‘I’m going to be in Paris next week, do you want to come?’ I went, ‘Yes, yes, yes – that would be good.’ So I flew to Paris to meet him. I went on tour with him. I was a groupie, literally. It was very strange.”
It was almost dreamlike. I knew that there wasn’t going to be any sort of long-term, forever relationship
Geeling Ching
Ching stayed with Bowie for nearly a month, living a celebrity lifestyle, in what she describes as a fairy tale-like passionate affair.
Did she fall in love? “I think, yes … but no. It was completely infatuation but also it’s always in the back of your mind, ‘This is David Bowie, get a grip.’
“It was almost dreamlike. I knew that there wasn’t going to be any sort of long-term, forever relationship.
“The reason he was in Australia was to make ‘Let’s Dance’ with the Aboriginal kids and make that political statement about slavery and personal standing. Both of the videos were quite political. Me running round in a Mao suit being shot by him and he’s in a top hat and tails.
“You never get past the fact that he’s David Bowie … there were crowds of people following him around. It was a fleeting moment, I just went with it.”
Commentary: how David Bowie stood out from baby-boom rock stars
When she was contacted for modelling work in Britain, she told Bowie: “I’m going to London now, so thanks … and bye. And that was it.”
Finding herself lonely in the British capital, she returned to Sydney and the boyfriend she’d left for Bowie.
When Bowie died in 2016, it was a shock, because the 69-year-old had kept his cancer diagnosis private.
Ching had no prior knowledge he was ill.
“A friend sent me a text and I went, ‘Oh f***,’” says Ching. “It was terrible. I wasn’t crying or upset but it was, ‘Wow, the end of an era.’”
Reminiscing, she says: “Sometimes you just think, ‘Gosh. Was that a big dream?’ It’s pretty unique.”


Go with the flow, she advises Asian visitors to New Zealand – as she did in affair with David Bowie after video shoot

Geeling Ching at Auckland’s Soul Bar & Bistro, where she is now operations manager. The actress, tour adviser and former flame of David Bowie gives travel tips for her native New Zealand. Photo: Deborah Cassrels

Ching and David Bowie in a still from the video for Bowie’s China Girl. They portrayed an affair on screen, and had one off screen.

Ching at Auckland’s Soul Bar & Bistro. Her advice for Asian visitors to New Zealand is to “relax” and “be patient”. Photo: Deborah Cassrels

Rosewood Kauri Cliffs lodge and golf course in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Photo: Rosewood Kauri Cliffs lodge

Elephant Hill, a lodge and vineyard in Hawke’s Bay, North Island. Photo: Instagram/@elephanthill

Rotorua on North Island, with its geothermal hot springs, is unmissable, according to Ching. Photo: Shutterstock

Tourists at Roy’s Peak in Wānaka, “one of the best spots on Earth”, Ching says. Photo: Shutterstock

Arrowtown is an old Chinese settlement on South Island founded during the 1860s gold rush, and well worth a visit according to Ching. Photo: Shutterstock

Dishes at high-end Auckland Chinese restaurant Huami. Photo: Instagram/@huamiakl

Bluff oysters, found off the coast of Southland, New Zealand, are perhaps best enjoyed at the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival, in May. Photo: Shutterstock 

Ching and Bowie in a still from the video for Bowie’s China Girl.

Ching in a still for the video of Bowie’s China Girl. The Kiwi hospitality doyenne says her relationship with the singer was “dreamlike”.

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Geeling Ching had a brief fling with David Bowie after shooting his ‘China Girl’ music video, but her advice for visitors to New Zealand is to take their time


Geeling Ching had a brief fling with David Bowie after shooting his ‘China Girl’ music video, but her advice for visitors to New Zealand is to take their time and adjust to its laid-back vibe.


Go with the flow, she advises Asian visitors to New Zealand – as she did in affair with David Bowie after video shoot

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Geeling Ching had a brief fling with David Bowie after shooting his ‘China Girl’ music video, but her advice for visitors to New Zealand is to take their time

Geeling Ching had a brief fling with David Bowie after shooting his ‘China Girl’ music video, but her advice for visitors to New Zealand is to take their time