Why Leslie Cheung’s rise and fall matched Hong Kong’s
The King of Canto-pop’s suicide shook the city to its core: the singer and actor seemed to represent the best of ‘old Hong Kong’, and when he died, the pop culture he represented lost its spark forever
The star of A Better Tomorrow and Days of Being Wild rose to prominence alongside Anita Mui, Jacky Cheung and Andy Lau in the golden age of Canto-pop
His role in Farewell My Concubine changed the West’s view of Chinese-language cinema and remains one of three Hong Kong films to ever be nominated for an Oscar