Cover Chinese actor Hu Ge as A Bao in ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ (Image: courtesy of Catchplay)
Chinese actor Hu Ge as A Bao in ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ (Image: courtesy of Catchplay)
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Hooked on Wong Kar-wai’s ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ on TVB? Here are 5 fun facts and Easter eggs to elevate your viewing experience
When Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai’s debut TV series Blossoms Shanghai premiered in December 2023 in mainland China, it predictably got rave reviews. More than 150,000 viewers who watched it on TV channels CCTV-8 and Tencent Video gave the series a rating of 8.2 out of 10 on Douban, mainland China’s leading film and TV review website.
One would expect nothing less than this from Wong Kar-wai who has forged a formidable reputation for his avant-garde storytelling and for capturing the nostalgic sights and moods of cities in bygone eras, such as In the Mood for Love (2000) and The Hand (2004). Blossoms Shanghai once again demonstrates his unique film style with the historical Shanghai sets.
This 30-episode series presents an ordinary man A Bao’s journey from a humble, troubled past to a self-made millionaire in 1990s Shanghai.
The series has been airing on Hong Kong’s broadcasting channel TVB since June 3, and will run until July 12.
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Wong Kar Wai’s first TV series
Above From left: Wong Kar-wai and Chinese actress Tiffany Tang, who plays Miss Wang, the secretary of the protagonist A Bao (Photo: Tiffany Tang / Weibo)
From left: Wong Kar-wai and Chinese actress Tiffany Tang, who plays Miss Wang, the secretary of the protagonist A Bao (Photo: Tiffany Tang / Weibo)
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Adapted from Chinese novelist Jin Yucheng’s novel, published under the same title, Blossoms Shanghai is Wong Kar-wai’s first TV production. His last production was the 2013 action war movie The Grand Master.
A tale of two cities through Wong Kar-wai’s eyes
Above Chinese actress Xin Zhilei as a restaurant owner in ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ (Photo: BlossomsShanghai / Weibo)
Chinese actress Xin Zhilei as a restaurant owner in ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ (Photo: BlossomsShanghai / Weibo)
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Blossoms Shanghai depicts the economic boom of Shanghai in the 1990s, a period when Hong Kong was also experiencing significant prosperity. This historical context provided Wong with inspiration for his work. In behind-the-scenes footage, Wong mentioned, “I could see Shanghai in my previous movies set in Hong Kong; now in this series set in Shanghai, I can see Hong Kong.” The director has always had a special connection to both cities. He and his family relocated from Shanghai to Hong Kong in 1963, and it was in Hong Kong that he gained recognition as a filmmaker.
Bilingual options
In order to capture the historical context of old Shanghai, the series was shot in the Shanghainese dialect and subsequently dubbed in Mandarin by the same cast. Both options are available in Hong Kong.
An Easter egg-tribute to Leslie Cheung
Above A still from ‘The Chinese Feast’ (Photo: Weibo)
A still from ‘The Chinese Feast’ (Photo: Weibo)
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In the series, Hong Kong singer Kenny Bee plays a master chef who revives a failing restaurant in Shanghai and eventually allows his apprentice to take over. This part is a reference to the 1995 Hong Kong romantic comedy film The Chinese Feast, in which Bee also portrays a master chef with Leslie Cheung playing his apprentice.
1990s pop songs
Wong spent an estimated 10 million RMB (approximately HK$10.7 million) to acquire the copyrights to a number of 1990s Mando-pop songs, including Faye Wong’s No Regrets (1993) and Jacky Cheung’s Steal My Heart (1994), in order to create a nostalgic vibe for his series.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
