Patrick Tse’s death marks fading of Hong Kong cinema’s golden era: film academic

The death of veteran actor Patrick Tse Yin at 89 has brought Hong Kong closer to the end of a cinematic golden era, when the city’s film industry exerted influence across Southeast Asia, a film academic has said.Charles Cheung Chi-wai, an associate professor at Hong Kong Baptist University’s Department of Humanities and Creative Writing, said the glittering cohort of stars in the 1960s helped cement the city’s reputation as the “Hollywood of the East”.Tse’s son, Nicholas Tse Ting-fung, and daughter, Jennifer Tse Ting-ting, announced his death on Monday, sending shock waves through Chinese communities worldwide.Hong Kong veteran actor Chow Chung. Photo: Jockey Club End-of-life Community Care ProjectTse, alongside actors such as Kenneth Tsang Kong, Chow Chung, Cheung Ying-choi and Bowie Wu Fung – all born in the 1930s – was among the most beloved stars of a new wave of Cantonese cinema that resonated with post-war audiences.All but Wu have died in recent years.“They embodied aspirations of what modern Hong Kong life could be for local baby boomers. Film was the most influential medium for making sense of the city – what was happening and who one could become – especially before the advent of television,” Cheung said.According to Cheung, the stars frequently worked with Kong Ngee Motion Picture Production Company, which specialised in Cantonese films and helped elevate their popularity in Southeast Asia, supported by investment from Singapore and Malaysia.Bowie Wu is among the most beloved stars of a new wave of Cantonese cinema that resonated with post-war audiences. Photo: Dickson Lee