▲ This photo shows the most famous scene of Leslie Cheung in the movie,"A Better Tomorrow". 

 

HONG KONG, April 1 (Yonhap) -- April 1st marks the 18th year since Hong Kong's iconic star, Leslie Cheung (1956-2003) left the world.

The news about the singer's death came as a huge shock as many thought it was a lie on April Fool's day.

Although it has been nearly 20 years since Leslie Cheung left, every year on April 1st, many people not only in Hong Kong but also in Korea, still mourn because his death was so devastating.

After the death of Leslie Cheung, his manager, Florence Chan had served the memorial tablet of the star in Po Fook Hill Cemetery, which is one of the largest public cemeteries in Sha Tin, Hong Kong.

Since the cemetery has become a 'holy place" for Leslie Cheung's fans, the guides kindly guide people who have trouble locating the tablet, to the room where the singer's memorial tablet stands.

 

▲ This photo shows the memorial tablet for the Hong Kong star, Leslie Cheung at the Po Fook Hill Cemetery in Sha Tin, Hong Kong. 

Leslie Cheung's memorial tablet is enshrined with singer Roman Tam and actress Lydia Shum. It is said that the tablet of the singers and actress were put together as Lydia Shum's daughter suggested that her mother would not be lonely if she were accompanied by two people who were close to her during her lifetime. Roman Tam and Leslie Cheung often performed together as well.

Up until 2019, fans were used to waiting in a long line every year on April 1st in a narrow staircase that led high above the mountain to enter the room where Leslie Cheung's memorial tablet was enshrine.

However, last year's memorial service was canceled for the first time in 17 years since the singer died due to the corona virus outbreak in Hong Kong.

 

▲ The image on the left shows the memorial tablet for Leslie Cheung at Tung Lin Kok Yuen and the picture on the right is an enlarged photo of the tablet. 

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Apart from the Po Fook Hill Cemetary, in Hong Kong's Happy Valley, where Leslie Cheung used to live, there is also another memorial tablet in Tung Lin Kok Yuen, a Buddhist nunnery, enshrined by his sister. It is known to be a memorial space for the star's family and is more personal than Po Fook Hill Cemetery.

 

▲ This photo provided by a reader of Yonhap News shows the flowers brought by the fans around the Mandarin Oriental Hotel as a tribute to the late Leslie Cheung in 2019.

At the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Central, Hong Kong, is usually filled with flowers brought by fans on the anniversary of Leslie Cheung's death, however the fan club-hosted event was not led last year due to COVID-19.

▲ This captured picture on social media shows the city bus with Leslie Cheung's photo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) 

 

Last year, fans wrapped 12 city buses with photos of Leslie Cheung in order to help ease the regret of canceling the event.

This year, an online charity memorial concert titled "Shangni (想你) Leslie Cheung", meaning "I miss you, Leslie Cheung" will be held at 7:30 p.m. (KST) on YouTube and Facebook. According to Hong Kong's online media, HK01, the title of the concert was made by Daffy Tong, Leslie Cheung's lover.

The concert will include fellow singers to sing songs left by Leslie Cheung and the organizers of the concert mentioned to have wanted to cheer up the people of Hong Kong.  

 

▲ This captured image from social media shows the memorial exhibition for Leslie Cheung on April 1st 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) 

In Korea and Japan, a memorial exhibition will be held at theaters to appreciate some of Leslie Cheung's representative works.

Leslie Cheung made his debut as a singer, but also entered the film industry with his outstanding appearance and gained great popularity in Asia including Korea in the 1980s and 1990s, leaving behind many hit films such as, "A Chinese Ghost Story," "A Better Tomorrow," "Days of Being Wild," "Happy Together," "Moonlight Express," "He's a Woman, She's a Man," and "Ashes of Time".
 

▲ This photo provided by JNC Media Group shows the poster for the famous film, "Farewell My Concubine" starring Leslie Cheung as the leading character. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
In particular, his performance in the Cannes Film Festival's winning Palme d'Or, "Farewell My Concubine," was regarded as phenomenal to many people.

While Leslie Cheung also went on many tours around Asia with his talented voice, on April 1, 2003, he decided to make an extreme choice of ending his life at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, leaving his fans forever.

(END)

 

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