https://www.scmp.com/rss/330646/feed The latest stories on Anita Mui, Hong Kong Cantopop singer, including legacy and family news. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Celebrated novelist Eileen Chang Ai-ling was not only a film fan, but she also worked as a film critic and wrote movie scripts. Chang’s own novellas were often considered difficult to adapt for the screen. “Her stories are beautiful because of their language and details, not their plots,” critic Paul Fonoroff wrote in the South China Morning Post. Nevertheless, the great Hong Kong director Ann Hui On-wah has tried three times, with Love in a Fallen City (1984), Eighteen Springs (1997) and Love... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348750/how-did-ann-hui-bring-eileen-changs-love-fallen-city-and-eighteen-springs-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348750/how-did-ann-hui-bring-eileen-changs-love-fallen-city-and-eighteen-springs-life?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 73rd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. In the golden age of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing was a star so bright that he rewrote the rules of conservative Asian society. Affectionately nicknamed Gor Gor – Cantonese for “older brother” – the Cantopop legend’s talent spanned disciplines and extended far beyond the city’s borders. Even now, decades after his death in 2003, fans from around the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:15:13 +0000 Divia Harilela Divia Harilela One of Asia’s most experienced luxury brand professionals, Peter Cheung has worked for the likes of Sotheby’s, Dior Couture, Versace and Van Cleef & Arpels. He is also a permanent fixture on the local style scene. How do you define style? An expression of one’s personality, creative spirit and outlook on life that is distinctively original but always effortless. What is the most memorable fashion event you have been to? It’s hard to name just one but the Louis Vuitton menswear show held at... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3347129/their-words-peter-cheung-why-hong-kong-fashion-fans-are-ahead-trends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3347129/their-words-peter-cheung-why-hong-kong-fashion-fans-are-ahead-trends?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 67th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. From growing up impoverished in a village in Huizhou, in east-central Guangdong province, to sending his son to an elite international school in Shanghai, the life of actor and singer Jordan Chan Siu-chun has been a roller coaster defined by extreme reinvention. Today, at 58, he has crafted a new image as a stellar husband and father, living in mainland China with a wife 16 years his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338135/how-actor-singer-jordan-chan-went-hong-kong-bad-boy-patriotic-family-man-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338135/how-actor-singer-jordan-chan-went-hong-kong-bad-boy-patriotic-family-man-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Hong Kong romances are often melodramatic, and in the 1990s, increasingly geared towards teenagers. However, some filmmakers were still experimenting with the genre. We look at three outliers: a surreal science fiction romance, a love story that morphs into a fantasy and a film about a presumed incestuous relationship. Saviour of the Soul (1991) This postmodern sci-fi romance, loosely based on the popular Japanese manga City Hunter, is a thoroughbred romance at its core. Set in a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332751/when-hong-kong-romance-movies-got-weird-saviour-soul-anna-magdalena-and-isabella?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332751/when-hong-kong-romance-movies-got-weird-saviour-soul-anna-magdalena-and-isabella?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 08:15:09 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Enormous work pressure and his moody nature were blamed for singer Danny Chan Pak-keung being admitted to Queen Mary Hospital’s intensive care unit yesterday […] His aunt said the 33-year-old singer/composer had been very busy lately,” reported the South China Morning Post on May 20, 1992. “Chan fainted on Monday night in his home on MacDonnell Road, Mid-Levels, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. His agent, Ms Katie Chan, said yesterday he was merely ‘drunk’ and had subsequently... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3329243/when-cantopop-star-danny-chan-collapsed-and-went-coma-1992-then-died-year-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3329243/when-cantopop-star-danny-chan-collapsed-and-went-coma-1992-then-died-year-later?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam While there is nothing pretentious about an older man wearing a loose-fitting T-shirt and designer jeans, you cannot help but get a Master Roshi from Dragonball Z vibe from Eric Kot Man-fai. Sporting a full beard and a shaved head under his ever-present baseball cap, he has a certain mischievous air that is familiar to fans of the beloved 1990s Cantopop duo Softhard, of which he was half. Softhard stood out with their blend of hip-hop and satire. Comprising Jan Lamb and Kot, they were a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3320823/why-90s-star-eric-kot-wants-hong-kong-do-more-performing-arts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3320823/why-90s-star-eric-kot-wants-hong-kong-do-more-performing-arts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Nancy Wang Nancy Wang Renowned Hong Kong lyricist Peter Lai Bei-dak is trending on Chinese social media platform Weibo after he disclosed that he helped his 37-year-old son – with whom he has a strained relationship – pay off credit card debt worth hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. Many comments shared on Weibo expressed empathy for the 75-year-old single father, with many users lamenting his situation. Lai also shared with local media platform HK01 that he is currently looking for a soulmate, which sparked... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3319493/who-peter-lai-renowned-hong-kong-lyricist-trending-chinese-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3319493/who-peter-lai-renowned-hong-kong-lyricist-trending-chinese-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:15:08 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis The Hui Brothers – Michael Hui Koon-man, Ricky Hui Koon-ying and Sam Hui Koon-kit – defined Hong Kong comedy in the 1970s with films like The Private Eyes, The Contract and Security Unlimited. But Michael, helped by Ricky, continued to make hilarious films throughout the 1980s and beyond. Here we look at three of his best as a comedy actor and co-screenwriter. 1. Inspector Chocolate (1986) A return to form for Michael Hui after a fallow period, this humorous detective film was directed by Philip... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3317692/how-hui-brothers-hong-kong-comedy-giants-1970s-kept-laughs-going-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3317692/how-hui-brothers-hong-kong-comedy-giants-1970s-kept-laughs-going-later?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 08:15:08 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Most people in Hong Kong who grew up in the 1980s and ’90s would have listened to some measure of Cantopop, but they were not the only ones to do so – the Cantopop stars of that time had fans all over the world. A new exhibition at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver, Canada, highlights how migration played a major role in the far-reaching influence of these stars – some of whom also sang in Mandarin. “We actually have a whole list of 100 singers who have some kind of Canadian tie,” said... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3315177/leslie-cheung-nicholas-tse-cantopops-canadian-connections-revealed-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3315177/leslie-cheung-nicholas-tse-cantopops-canadian-connections-revealed-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2025 04:15:08 +0000 Kylie Knott Kylie Knott Ever since she was a teenager, artist Hong Wai has made it her mission to show that Chinese ink painting and calligraphy are not historical relics but powerful tools for self-expression and contemporary dialogue. “[Ink art is seen to represent] power, tradition, and cultural influence but my work challenges these ideas,” says the 42-year-old artist, whose creative fingerprints have been left at galleries from Melbourne to Miami to Montreal. Born in Shanghai, raised in Macau and living in France,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3301462/contemporary-chinese-ink-artist-tips-hat-anita-mui-cantopop-diva-hong-kong-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3301462/contemporary-chinese-ink-artist-tips-hat-anita-mui-cantopop-diva-hong-kong-show?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Mar 2025 03:15:08 +0000 “Cantopop star Anita Mui Yim-fong has called a press conference today amid reports about her health,” reported the South China Morning Post on September 5th, 2003. “Mui, who yesterday failed to turn up at an event in Sheung Wan which she had been scheduled to attend, is expected to clarify whether she is suffering any serious illness. It is understood that the 40-year-old singer has been deeply depressed since the April suicide of her best friend, show business icon Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing.” On... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3291552/when-hong-kong-lost-cantopop-superstar-anita-mui?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3291552/when-hong-kong-lost-cantopop-superstar-anita-mui?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jan 2025 03:00:08 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The mother of late Cantopop diva Anita Mui Yim-fong is facing the prospect of being declared bankrupt for a second time after Hong Kong’s justice minister applied to a court to have the centenarian’s assets liquidated. Tam Mei-kam, who turned 100 earlier this year, was named the debtor in a High Court bankruptcy petition listed on the court’s cause book on Tuesday. It was filed a day earlier on behalf of the secretary for justice. The subject matter of the petition was not immediately clear as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3282499/mother-late-hong-kong-star-anita-mui-faces-second-bankruptcy-over-asset-liquidation-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3282499/mother-late-hong-kong-star-anita-mui-faces-second-bankruptcy-over-asset-liquidation-call?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:21:39 +0000 The late Anita Mui Yim-fong was a beloved Hong Kong icon, but she was also a technically accomplished actress. A chameleon on stage, but not in the movies, she consistently brought her own forthright nature to her characters, to good effect. “She was often convincing and often compelling, yet she was never not herself,” wrote critic Sam Ho. “She was an actress with a strong personality, but she was enigmatic enough to allow directors and the public to project their own imagination on to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3281973/how-anita-mui-held-her-own-films-popular-male-stars-jackie-chan-stephen-chow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3281973/how-anita-mui-held-her-own-films-popular-male-stars-jackie-chan-stephen-chow?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Oct 2024 08:15:08 +0000 One lawmaker recently suggested that Hong Kong films should tell “good stories” and be devoid of negativity if they are to be funded by the government. But such a position risks stifling creativity and innovation. Hong Kong films resonate with audiences not because they paint a rosy and utopian picture, but because they hold up a mirror to Hongkongers’ daily struggles and challenges. In navigating the harsh realities through cinema, viewers will find stories of perseverance, resilience and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3263408/tell-good-story-hong-kong-films-must-first-be-authentic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3263408/tell-good-story-hong-kong-films-must-first-be-authentic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2024 01:30:12 +0000 Although it was slightly before her time, Olivia Dawn Mok, better known as Xiaolin, has always been nostalgic for 1980s and early 90s Cantopop. And now the Hong Kong-based techno DJ and producer has initiated a vinyl-only three-part project, titled Moods for Love, to take old Cantonese love songs to a global audience. “Instead of trying to make techno club tracks in a pandemic,” she says of the Covid-era writing process, “I decided to make things I can listen to at home and feel warm and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3261575/dj-records-covers-anita-mui-song-other-cantopop-hits-remind-world-hong-kongs-musical-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3261575/dj-records-covers-anita-mui-song-other-cantopop-hits-remind-world-hong-kongs-musical-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2024 23:15:15 +0000 By Alex Lo “Don’t cry for me. Don’t say my name. Let me go on my journey in peace.” That, and seeing her friends for a final time, was the last wish of pop superstar Anita Mui Yim-fong, conveyed by close friend actor Jackie Chan on December 30 at a press conference at which news of her death was announced. Hong Kong’s entertainment industry was in mourning as news of Mui’s death spread. “A superstar in show business, a friend who treats us with real love wholeheartedly, Miss Mui Yim-fong has... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3246478/anita-muis-last-wish-dont-cry-me-let-me-go-peace-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3246478/anita-muis-last-wish-dont-cry-me-let-me-go-peace-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Dec 2023 02:00:16 +0000 Anita Mui Yim-fong’s sultry voice, flamboyant looks and captivating stage presence made the Cantopop icon a dominant force on the East Asian entertainment scene. Mui’s journey to stardom began in 1982 when she won the very first New Talent Singing Awards competition organised by Hong Kong broadcaster TVB. In the eight years following her debut, she garnered so many accolades that, in 1990, she announced she would not accept any more. All her subsequent musical awards were tribute honours. For... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3246379/anita-mui-her-glittering-movie-and-musical-career-and-her-legacy-20-years-after-her-untimely-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3246379/anita-mui-her-glittering-movie-and-musical-career-and-her-legacy-20-years-after-her-untimely-death?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Dec 2023 23:45:09 +0000 Anita Mui Yim-fong, who would have turned 60 on October 10 this year, was one of Hong Kong’s most revered stars. She died in December, 2003, of cervical cancer and respiratory complications. From her 28 studio albums to her almost 50 film acting credits and 11 acting awards, her contribution to the city’s entertainment industry was almost without parallel. Not only did Mui show her incredible talent and versatility in every performance, she was also known for being – almost to a fault –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3237382/remembering-anita-mui-her-birthday-hong-kong-superstar-sad-and-beautiful-story-was-adopted-city-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3237382/remembering-anita-mui-her-birthday-hong-kong-superstar-sad-and-beautiful-story-was-adopted-city-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2023 04:25:20 +0000 Late Cantopop diva and actress Anita Mui Yim-fong’s memory still burns bright among her loyal fans almost 20 years after she died from cervical cancer, with some banding together to keep her legacy alive through a commemorative exhibition. Mui Nation, the singer’s fan club, has organised the multimedia event ahead of the 20th anniversary of Mui’s death at age 40 on December 30. The exhibition launched at Mong Kok’s Moko Mall on Monday and runs until October 15. Club vice-chairwoman Connie Sin... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3236489/anita-mui-still-here-loyal-fans-late-hong-kong-star-hold-exhibition-keep-singers-legacy-alive-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3236489/anita-mui-still-here-loyal-fans-late-hong-kong-star-hold-exhibition-keep-singers-legacy-alive-20?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Oct 2023 07:30:14 +0000 Can we truly love and miss someone we have never met? It’s certainly rare, but I think it’s possible. I’m not thinking of the unrequited love of a super fan, which can often verge on the obsessive. People can genuinely love a celebrity like they are family, a friend, or a child of their own. And sometimes, this feeling can last a lifetime. In Hong Kong, many people still love the late Canto-pop diva and actress Anita Mui Yim-fong, who died from cervical cancer 18 years ago. Although her legacy... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3158275/why-anita-mui-will-always-be-hong-kong-peoples-hearts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3158275/why-anita-mui-will-always-be-hong-kong-peoples-hearts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Dec 2021 03:00:14 +0000 Nostalgia for the golden age of Canto-pop is sweeping across mainland China, thanks to a film paying homage to a Hong Kong singer and actress. Anita, the lavish biopic of Canto-pop superstar Anita Mui Yim-fong released on November 12 in Chinese cinemas, has been praised for capturing the charm and indomitable spirit that made the singer a legend. Louise Wong, who makes her feature-film debut playing Mui in the movie, has been lauded for emulating the singer’s speaking style and mannerisms; some... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3157299/anita-actress-louise-wong-how-biopic-singer-has-left?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3157299/anita-actress-louise-wong-how-biopic-singer-has-left?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Nov 2021 03:53:11 +0000 4/5 stars Everyone who goes to see Anita will do so because of the name in its title. When they come out of the cinema, more than a few may realise that a new star is born with this mesmerising musical biopic of one of the biggest stars to grace Hong Kong show business. It would seem an impossible mission to evoke the unparalleled charisma of the late Canto-pop singer and actress Anita Mui Yim-fong, but Louise Wong Dan-nei, a fashion model making her acting debut, embraces the challenge and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3155534/anita-movie-review-anita-mui-biopic-starring-louise-wong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3155534/anita-movie-review-anita-mui-biopic-starring-louise-wong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Nov 2021 08:15:13 +0000 Canto-pop singer Anita Mui Yim-fong had record-breaking album sales, but her cinematic career deserves equal praise, if not more. From portraying a plaintive prostitute who commits suicide after her lover’s family object to their relationship in Rouge (1987) to playing a mafia boss in A Better Tomorrow III (1989) to a martial arts maestro who saves her husband from trouble in Justice, My Foot! (1992), she mastered both comedic and tragic roles with aplomb. Ahead of the cinema release of Anita,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3154100/anita-muis-10-best-films-hong-kong-actress-greatest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3154100/anita-muis-10-best-films-hong-kong-actress-greatest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Oct 2021 03:45:13 +0000 With a melancholic contralto voice and charismatic stage presence, Anita Mui Yim-fong, who died from cervical cancer in 2003, was the biggest female Canto-pop singer in Hong Kong. Unconstrained by the conservative social mores of the 1980s, she embraced liberal Western values and sang about a girl’s first sexual encounter in Bad Girl (1985). In the music video for Split the Iceberg (1986), she wore a broad-shouldered blazer and loose-fitting trousers to pull off an androgynous look that had... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3152986/anita-muis-10-best-songs-canto-pop-legends-greatest-hits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3152986/anita-muis-10-best-songs-canto-pop-legends-greatest-hits?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Oct 2021 02:45:13 +0000 At a time when the future of the local film industry has never looked bleaker, this year’s Hong Kong Asian Film Festival has chosen to champion a number of emerging young voices, giving their work prestige spots as opening and closing films, as well as gala presentations. Elsewhere, the festival highlights the very best new cinema from across the region, and collaborates with Japan’s Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in its efforts to provide a stage for increasingly diverse works... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3152963/10-highlights-hong-kong-asian-film-festival-2021-anita-mui?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3152963/10-highlights-hong-kong-asian-film-festival-2021-anita-mui?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Oct 2021 20:15:22 +0000 The late, great Canto-pop singer Anita Mui Yim-fong gets the big-budget biopic treatment her status deserves with the simply titled Anita, a new Hong Kong film tentatively scheduled for theatrical release in 2021. One of the last generational superstars in the city’s entertainment industry when she died from cervical cancer on December 30, 2003, Mui was revered not just for her talent and charisma on stage and screen, but also for her big-hearted personality, which saw her contribute to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140159/anita-mui-biopic-paints-loving-portrait-canto-pop-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140159/anita-mui-biopic-paints-loving-portrait-canto-pop-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jul 2021 02:15:13 +0000 The Cantopop diva made shoulder pads cool. https://www.scmp.com/story/married-stage-how-anita-mui-shaped-80s-fashion/article/3000255?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/story/married-stage-how-anita-mui-shaped-80s-fashion/article/3000255?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Nov 2018 11:49:56 +0000