1989 - THE WIND CONTINUES TO BLOW

28 January 1989, during Chinese New Year, "Terracotta Hits" was screening in Hong Kong theatres. The film was a success with box office intake of more than 20 million dollars. At the same time Leslie and Daffy spent two weeks of Lunar New Year holiday in United States of America. Most members of Daffy's family live in San Francisco. Leslie and Daffy spent all of their time in San Francisco because there was a sudden snowstorm. Because of the snowstorm Leslie couldn't get to any show or concert, and indeed everything was fully booked. As a very hard worker, Leslie always think about how to improve the quality of his performances. In his holidays he always tried to see a concert or show to search for some input for his own concerts. As one who appreciates art, Leslie's favourite holiday acquisition this time was an old oil painting, which he bought for $20,000. "It is a good investment, just like buying real estate," he explained. Leslie loves travelling, and his showbiz career satisfied most of his thirst for travelling.

Short-sightedness dashed his childhood dreams of life as a pilot or ship's captain. "I love to travel but I am always working abroad, either making films or playing gigs when I visit other countries. I would love to be able to spend more time in different countries when I am older. Totally relaxed travelling, without any pressure. And I would like to live in one place for a period to discover more about the culture there. There are still many places that I haven't been to yet, like Russia, Greece and Mainland China," he said. This two weeks break obviously did him some good. He's put on a little weight and is more relaxed for his stateside jaunt. He needed more energy since a lot of jobs had been waiting for him in Hong Kong.

When Leslie was back in Hong Kong, Buzz reporter Shirley Chan talked to him. To her, Leslie revealed his desire to be a film director. It had been for so long since Leslie kept it under wraps his desire to be a film director. He had composed the plot of the film in his mind. The details of the film are a closely guarded secret but he did reveal that it would take the form of a modern thriller-love story. He is also planning to send a particular message to the audience, "a new definition of love," he explains. In order to see things more objectively, Leslie was not going to act in the film, just direct. "My favourite lead actor for my debut film is Wang Chieh. I find his melancholy character meets the needs of the film, which is a sad story and had a sad ending."

Leslie hoped he could arrange the plot if he was not busy. He would be delighted also if he can direct Cecilia Yip and Cherie Chung. "Showbiz could be a lifetime's career for me but I might work behind the scenes; it is not necessary to show off my face all the time. I really admire Sylvia Chang (Taiwanese film actress-cum-director-cum-singer-cum-songwriter). She is talented and is able to manage a combination of on­screen and off-screen work," he told Shirley. There was a time when Leslie told people: "I don't think I'll make a superstar. I am not too ambitious, and I may never become a director." What does he feel about his past opinion? "This doesn't mean what I said is untrue. It is just the timing that makes the difference. People think differently at different times. I regard myself as successful during the last two years but not because I came on top of Alan Tam or my early competitor Danny Chan. In fact, I never aim to be on top of anyone; I just compare my work now with what I've done in the past. When I started in showbiz, no one, including myself knew whether I could become a superstar one day. I have been trying very hard and I think the effort I put forth count more than anything else. I also appreciate those people I worked with. Without their help, I might not be what I am now."

Leslie thinks self-confidence has something to do with fate too. "You never know what you are going to do next. For instance I helped Anne Bridgewater groom her image recently. Many people think I have done a great job but I never thought I could do it until I tried it. I never knew I could write my own song until I did it." Leslie admits there were bad times in his showbiz career but, on the whole, he has enjoyed it. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," he quips. "Now that I have fame and wealth my life has become smoother. It is more relaxed than before but this has only happened in the last two or three years."

Leslie believes it is important to know one's own strength and shortcomings. "Take Anita Mui as an example, she knows her arms are too thin to look good. So she simply hides them away and creates a fashion for long sleeves. She knows her long legs are attractive so she wears mini skirts. She knows she dances very well so she often dances on stage." "However, to understand oneself properly takes a whole team of people analyzing what is good or bad."

And what does Leslie hope for in his old age? "I hope I will still be happy and young at heart. Also I would not like to look too old." Will he be with the one he loves? "Not necessarily." "Although I will quit showbiz that doesn't mean I will totally retire. There are still many nice things to do, like running a coffee shop or opening an interior design workshop with my partner." He will not go back to school though. "One's future does not merely lie in a school report," he explained and though he did not complete his studies at Leeds University in Britain he has no regrets. "If I had not taken the path I did I may not be as mature or make as much money as I have made now. My life in showbiz helped in polishing me."

Leslie keeps quite a distance from the press usually because he hates people putting words in his mouth. "I know some of them are very professional but reporters with numerous pen-names like to make up stories, especially about my love affairs." "I am not saying that I am afraid of the stories they make up but there are many people who believe in the stupid saying 'there is no smoke without fire'. I would rather people tell me that they don't like me, than criticize me behind my back, especially when it is not true. If they are frank, I will be."

To You

Not only is Leslie a legend in the field of music but he is also a legend in advertising in South Korea. He starred in an advertisement of "To You" chocolate. Around March Leslie went to Korea to shoot the commercial of "To You" chocolates, he had sung the song "No Mood To Sleep" in one of the broadcasting stations. A reporter interviewed him after he had finished singing the song but he discovered that his entire face was blushing. Apparently, Leslie was very excited in discovering that his popularity in Korea was indeed overwhelming and his fans were all crazy about him. The reporter had made a remark that it was quite interesting to see Leslie's entire face turning red.

Since there was only a little time in preparation of the advertising Leslie wrote the lyrics of the jingle of the advertising. It is unprecedented in advertising since the sales of "To You" chocolates had gone up to amazing record of approximately 300 times after he had starred in its commercial. And it creates a hot trend for advertisement. This was also the first time an Asian artist shoots an advertisement in Korea. "To You" advertising was very costly as the shooting of advertisement used movie techniques and there is story for the advertisement, separated into two episodes. After the broadcasting of the first episode, many audiences wrote letters to the television station and advertising company by forcing them to tell the ending story for the next episode and requesting them to broadcast the next episode as soon as possible. When the second part of the advertisement was broadcast, it even caused a sensation. The song of the advertisement is not specially composed, but it is a song that belongs to Leslie's upcoming album composed by a Taiwan singer-songwriter, Zhou Zhi Ping, the Mandarin lyrics written by Mr. Lau, and the title for the song "Angel Love", a touching and good song. Florence forwarded this one song to the advertisers who think it is suitable. They used it as the advertisement song. There was a time crunch, so Leslie wrote the English lyrics for the song, the title of which is "To You". They never thought that the effect would be so good. They never dreamt that it could result in such in such an enormous success. Many people in the marketing companies were astounded on discovering this so they regarded the commercial of "To You" as a precedent in advertising. The people in the advertising firm thought that its success was due to the well-planned strategy and brilliant concept in the making of a three subsequent series of the commercial which seemed like like a drama. But of course the success of the commercial was due to Leslie's personal charm and his noble appearance. (Note: Nine years later, in 1998, a Korean university student majoring in advertising and marketing studies received a grand award for a survey he has launched. The survey was titled "Marketing Strategy of 'To You' Chocolates" and this took place ten years after the initial launch of the commercial. The purpose of the survey was to try to put "To You" back on top as the top selling chocolate. Teenagers to university students were being interviewed and the question that was raised was what was in their mind when they thought of "To You" chocolates. Surprisingly, nearly all of the answers were Leslie! The commercial was originally designed to carry a message of 'love'. Instead of being reminded of the message of 'love'; however, the interviewees had only thought of Leslie in the end!)

Leslie had turned down the proposal to shoot another commercial of "To You" due to his retirement in 1989. In replacement, Andy Lau was invited to shoot the commercial but the sales record of "To You" had gradually decreased ever since. As analyzed by the university student who had launched the survey, the main reason of the failure of "To You" was due to the unsuccessful casting of the star for the commercial because Leslie's impact was too strong right from the beginning. He indicated that the advertising people should not have invited a too popular star to shoot the first commercial and should have considered whether an overwhelming success would then affect the result of the subsequent one. Many years later, the sales of "To You" had further dropped to the extent that the chocolates can no longer be found in the ordinary shops, with the exception of large supermarkets or discount stores. One of the marketing executives of "To You" had written in his article as follows: "Leslie Cheung is gone. One of my closest friends at "To You" is gone and the chocolates can hardly be found. My heart is like empty as I realized what had happened".

A most popular female singer in Korea who is capable of holding concerts that are attended by 100,000 audiences invited Leslie as the only guest for her concert. Florence brought many photographers to Korea. At that time, Leslie had many enthusiastic fans; no matter where he went, there were many of them following him. Another interesting thing was that many Korean females had longed to see Leslie appearing in the commercial and they even called the advertising firm to find out about the exact schedule of it so that they could record it in videotape. After having received an incessant number of phone calls, the advertising firm decided to make an announcement of the schedule in a number of magazines.

Side Face

The first ten days of April, Leslie with labelmate Ann Bridgewater and their manageress Florence Chan spent ten days in Taiwan on promotional duty. Back in Hong Kong, Leslie attended the Hong Kong Film Festival. He hope to win this year's Best Actor trophy, for he was nominated for his role in "Rouge". The winner of the award was Samo Hung. Leslie didn't hide his disappointment. He almost couldn't smile. Mok Siu Chung, the other nominator for best actor makes light of his failure to win, saying there are still next year’s award to win. But Leslie felt deep disappointment. "Rouge" got many awards except best actor award, which slipped from Leslie's grasp. That night Leslie joined with "Rouge" team to celebrate the winning of this year's best film. Everybody was happy except him. His hope to win a best actor award was so strong, so in half jest he said, "I am willing to exchange 10 awards from singing with 1 award from film." Everyone knows that he is a good actor, but perhaps his overwhelming success in his music career may have masked his true acting abilities. Even if he gave excellent performances in his next films, he will still be out of luck and not get any film award he deserves. It is a shame that the Hong Kong film industry is too ignorant to appreciate an actor of the calibre of Leslie.

Leslie's fans held a fan club party at Regent hotel ballroom. Leslie came to join his fans. He wore blue shirt and blue jeans. He looked very happy at that moment. He sang some songs with live band accompanying. He received many flowers and dolls. That was a happy night. Leslie's album with the short title "Leslie" is the best album and best selling in Hong Kong at that time. Six golden plates were received by Leslie for this album. The other title for "Leslie" album is Chak Min ("Side Face"), the title of one of the songs of the album. At the front cover Leslie showed only half of his face. It seems like a black and white photograph, capturing his beautiful, outstanding, fine and smooth features. It looked simple but it was costly because computer assistance was needed. The songs included in this album are Yau Ling Hoi Chi ("Starting From Zero"), composed by Leslie himself, Chak Min ("Side Face"), Bao Feng Yi Zu, and Fong Dong. His fans are most familiar with these songs. When Leslie and Florence chose a song for this album, they also tried to figure out the visual effect when Leslie performs, coordinates the dance, enhance the effect of the stage and satisfy the needs of the audience.

Sunset in Paris

At the end of April Leslie went to Paris to shoot his own TV special for TVB with the most popular Hong Kong actresses at that time Maggie Cheung Man Yuk and Cherie Chung Chor Hung. Leslie had planned to write the script. This musical drama is so special for it is the first time TVB shoot a music special outside Hong Kong. In the eyes of the director Leslie is like 'L'Arc De Triomphe' which gives the impression of a strong fighter with much energy, Cherie is like Eiffel Tower which radiates different enchantment in the day and in the night, while elegant and meek Maggie is like Cathedral Notre Dame. 23 April 1989, Leslie, together with Maggie and Cherie were in Paris to do some shootings. They worked more than ten hours per day; they had lunched at three o'clock.

After returning from Paris, Cherie and Maggie voiced their dissatisfaction towards TVB for being unprofessional (the schedule was too tight, the accommodation bad, and the food improper). Cherie even said that she won't perform in other TVB special in the future. Leslie felt rather awkward with this incident because it was him who invited the two actresses to be the special guests in the musical drama. He said Cherie and Maggie are unfamiliar with TVB’s working style; they used to work for films which can takes months to finish but with TVB, there was no time to do some shopping because the schedule was too tight in an attempt to meet show deadlines. The show must be screened by the end of April. As predicted, it was a huge success, with very high rating for TVB. Edmond Leung, a young actor fell in love with Paris after seeing this "Sunset in Paris".

World Tour

In May Leslie Cheung started his final world tour. Appropriately for a superstar's final world tour his summer route is wide. He would spend 20 days between Malaysia, Australia and Singapore in May.Then he would be back to Hong Kong for 10 days break. In June he would tour America and Canada then go to Europe in July. The gigs were sung in Cantonese. The last leg was in Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Mainland China in August. Leslie donated 30 percent of the profit from each concert to a children's charity in every country. Leslie also included a specially written song for each event, "so the children and I can have a community song at the end of each show". I call that 'The Children's Song." Leslie said he doesn't have plans to hold concerts in Hong Kong in 1989 because he just held one the previous summer. Moreover the coliseum had been booked by Anita Mui.. And he said he doesn't have any intention to retire, because each album of his is till in high demand. The reporters kept asking about his retirement since three years back when he stated he would retire three years later.

Famous lyricist James Wong Jim likes Leslie very much. Every time he meets Leslie he just couldn't help trying to kiss him. He said he sees Leslie as a 13 or 14 years old boy. James was a host of an ATV talk show. He, together with novelist Ni Khuan (who famous with his story about Wisely adventures) and one another host interviewed Leslie. On that occasion Leslie talked about his father when he warned the host not to drink too much, as drinking makes him remember his father. He said that his father had just passed away after surviving paralysis for about 15 years. Although he wasn't close to his father, audiences of the talk show could see the sadness in his heart. He also mentioned a Jade Solid Gold Award incident when some of the audience yelled out the most obscene foul language he had ever heard. He said, "I feel that every time I come on stage or every song I recorded I gave my all for you, why do you treat me this way?"

Leslie broke the barrier between TV stations, ATV and TVB. Many Hong Kong entertainers were labeled TVB artist or ATV artist, but Leslie just freely appeared in both ATV and TVB and he refused to take sides. Leslie has a good relationship with Sir Run Run Shaw, the owner of TVB, so there wasn't much of a chance in joining ATV. ATV also asked Leslie to be the special juror of the1989 Miss Asia Beauty Contest, which was won by Yung Hong. In talking about being one of the jurors, Leslie mentioned the audience’s perceived unfairness of contestant Ng Wing Mei the hot favourite who failed to win in the final. Leslie said, "we judge based only on the performance on the very night (final) and won't count their performance in the semi-final. Just like for a singing contest, you'll lose if your voice suddenly turned bad on that day no matter how good you used to sing." The reporter said the audience should be satisfied with this explanation, which is the best among all. Then RTHK chose Leslie as "The Most Beautiful Hong Kong Entertainer". He was in No.1 position. Reporters from various media kept looking for Leslie for interviews, but it is hard to find Leslie. Florence commented that at Leslie's level, he doesn't need much publicity. At those times, Leslie work not for money.

Music Career

Because of "A Chinese Ghost Story" Leslie got many fans in Japan. He and Joey Wong went to Japan and his fan club welcomed him at airport. When he was there, the film "A Chinese Ghost Story was screened especially for highly educated audiences. While seeing the film the educated audiences kept praising and clapping hands, it made Leslie and Joey Wong feel happy and satisfied. Leslie has a very acute sense of hearing, and a talent in languages so he could sing a Japanese song with the exact pronunciation, that's the reason Japanese music producers made him numerous offers to record Japanese songs. The offers are something that Alan Tam can only dream of. Despite the good opportunity, Leslie refused the offers because he didn't want to be treated as a new singer who has to go through many difficult training, and it made Florence Chan wondered because she had opined that it is a very good chance to enter the Japanese market. Leslie ever sang "Riviera in Wintertime" in Japanese at the Tokyo Music Festival long ago. It took one week when he sang "Riviera in Wintertime". But he could sing it without the lyrics in alphabets at that time. On another occasion it took only two and half hours for him to be able to sing a Japanese song.

As he told a reporter, Leslie wanted to be a film director. He made steps to realize his dream. He wanted to direct Cecilia Yip and Cherie Chung. Florence Chan asked Chan Siu Ki to write a movie script for Leslie and he did. Chan Siu Ki is the lyric writer for Leslie's "The Wind Blows Again". Leslie and Chan Siu Ki met to discuss about a theme song for his final album "Final Encounter" and for Leslie's next concert. Chan Siu Ki thought that the song title must include the word "Wind" as it is almost a symbol of Leslie. The song "The Wind Blows On" made Leslie famous and it is only natural to round up his career with "Wind". So, he suggested a song title "The Wind Blows Again". Leslie liked the idea very much, then in front of Chan Siu Ki he began to sing those four words in Cantonese Foong Joi Hei See ("The Wind Blows Again") and the music genius Leslie started to hum the melody right there and finished the composition of the melody within a very short time. Chan was really surprised with Leslie's talent as a composer. He wrote a love story for the script of the film to be directed by Leslie. Leslie likes the script. As it was the first time Leslie would be directing, Leslie would not act in that film, and he hope that Taiwanese singer Wang Chieh would play the lead.

Again radio stations RTHK and CRHK gave the most prestigious singing awards to Leslie. Alan Tam's fans hated Leslie more than before. They had opined that Leslie got the awards because Alan stated that he didn't want to receive any awards again. Leslie was booed at the Commercial Radio Music Award Presentation. Leslie thought of the two ways to face this: to scold Alan Tam's fans at the stage or to keep quiet. Finally Leslie chose the second way because according to him the first way is too emotional and didn't want to appear ungallant. "I'm not afraid to be insulted by others because it is impossible for me to ask everyone to like me. But I don't like gazes with full of revenge like when one meets an enemy." Nobody can stand the kind of traumatic experiences Leslie had at the hands of music fans in Hong Kong. When he received the joss stick and money for the dead, Leslie was emotionally traumatized. Moreover Alan Tam's fans made a grave for him and set up a banner written 'Leslie Cheung died because of AIDS'. It was way too much. Actually Alan and Leslie respect each other. They are friends, if not best friends Leslie vehemently discredit what the Hong Kong media wrote, which says that Leslie and Alan confronted each other. When Alan stated that he would no longer be involved in any singing contest, his fans were angry and Leslie became the target of their anger. Leslie believed that those who have hurt him would regret what they have done.

Leslie is very well loved in Malaysia. All his concerts in Malaysia were always fully booked. In mid 1989 he first toured Kuala Lumpur staging his concert at the Putra World Trade Centre, then to Ipoh, Penang, and finally Sabah. These were to be last concerts in Malaysia, followed by Singapore, as Leslie decided to not perform in those places again. His reason being the committees often sold the expensive tickets but the arrangement of the stage is not up to standard. He was accompanied by Florence Chan, and guest performers Michael Lai Siu Tin and Connie Mak Kit Man. Some time had passed since Leslie asked Chan Siu Ki to write a script for him. Leslie invited Chan Siu Ki to go with the crew to Malaysia for his two concerts there and Chan thought that Leslie might discuss the script with him during the tour. He did go with the crews for a few days, but strange enough, Leslie did not mention anything about the script throughout the trip and thereafter. He wondered what has happened. Leslie's Malaysian fans were devastated on learning that this is the last. Leslie was mobbed everywhere he went and because of this, he had to stay in his hotel room most of the time for security's sake. Even his meals have to be served in his hotel room so that he could eat in peace. Sometimes, Leslie wished to go out shopping and felt bored staying in his hotel room. Fans went frenzy just to get his autograph. Leslie was very generous and kind to donate money to local charity organizations for disabled children. Despite the rainy weather, fans stood in the wet puddles in Ipoh and Penang to bid him farewell. He was worried as the crowd of fans became uncontrollable and asked them politely to take care and not to get hurt. One local fan was lucky enough to grab the towel which Leslie threw towards after wiping his sweat and this fan still keep that precious towel unwashed more than a decade later and probably forever. After Leslie finished his Malaysia Last Encounter tour in Sabah, he went for diving in the world famous diving island, Pulau Sipadan (Sipadan island) to relax. He had a very active fan club in Malaysia then and when the founder approached him for advice after he discontinued this fan club (because he felt that there is someone trying to get money from his fans), Leslie suggested that his fan club members and fans join Anita Mui's fan club instead to give her support.

Leslie had a very good ability in writing. It shows in some on his writings for magazines. The following is something that he wrote (about his concerts in Malaysia):

"The year 1989 is a very meaningful year for me because my final encounter world tour has begun. After the concert, I will retire; therefore, I see this as my most important performance. I spent a lot of time and money to prepare for this concert, not only on the costume but also on the whole production. I want everything to be the best, and I hope the concert will leave a great impression on the audience. Making money or not is not important.

Hong Kong is the base of my career, but there are also a lot of fans overseas. They set up many fan clubs. Although I rarely meet them all, but I am so touched by their devotion. To those fans, I feel sorry for them so therefore I hold this world tour concert before I retire. I will do my best for them as my farewell gift. After that I will not be doing anymore world tour because I feel that I have already reached the peak in my musical career. I wish I could do something different other than singing such as directing, producing or image designing.

The first stop of the Final Encounter was in Malaysia. The show was very successful this time since the reaction was so hot. I believe that is because I had some TV drama and movies being broadcasted in Malaysia so the people there know me well. When I told the fans that this would be my last concert in Malaysia during the concert, many fans were saddened by the news and cried, "Please don't!" I was very moved and it was the most unforgettable event in Malaysia. During the world tour in Malaysia, I got sick because of the different weather or water condition. I had to go to washroom all the time even when I was on singing on stage. My stomach was so painful, but I managed to finish the show. The pain gradually disappeared as the show went on. I think many artists have had such experience; even though they are sick and do not have any time to sleep, when they are on stage, all the sickness immediately disappear as they spend all their heart and energy to perform. The stage is not only the career of the artists, but it is also their life. Once they are on the stage, they will perform and forget all other things.

I am a person who rarely shows real emotions and feelings to other people, but in Malaysia when I sang the song "Saying Goodbye", I finally shed tears because I didn't want to leave those passionate fans. After this concert, I would never be able to sing in Malaysia, so it was natural for me to cry. Malaysian fans were so passionate; as soon as I stepped out of the airport; I saw countless fans and they immediately surrounded me. Although I was touched by their passion, but in the interest of the other travellers at the airport, I had to bid them goodbye and headed off to the hotel. I have been to Malaysia several times. I thought this could be a chance to spend some time on sightseeing and shopping, but the fans were too passionate, my agent told me not to venture outside for my own safety. Therefore I spent more than 10 days in the hotel room and that included having all my meals both lunch and dinner in my room. It was extremely boring.

I finally could not resist the temptation to go outside and do some shopping. My agent, Florence Chan, could not resist my request, so they arranged a car together with a some staff to accompany me to a shopping mall. However, I was again spotted by fans; more and more people were surrounding me. The shopping mall staff was afraid some accident might occur, so they closed the shopping mall. My shopping plan had to be cancelled and I went back to my hotel room.

The last stop of the Malaysian tour was a place called Sabah and it was also the place where I had the most fun! The concert staff rented a boat and joined me in scuba diving. Sabah is in the countryside far away from the urban cities so the sea is not polluted. The ocean was so clear and the view was very beautiful. Diving in Sabah was very unforgettable because the underwater view was incredibly indescribable. Since this was the last time to perform in Malaysia, I also decided to cancel the fan club. The fan club would be meaningless if I do not perform again. I felt a bit reluctant to cancel it because the fan club was established in 1981 and I already knew the fan club leader for many years. Many fans understand my reason for cancelling the club; I also suggested to them to go to Anita Mui's fan club as Mui and I are great friends. I believe our fans will be great friends together.

For an artist, beside the concert performance itself, strength is also important. Many people would be out of breath very quickly dancing and jumping on the stage for more than 2 hours, without training, let alone singing at the same time. You really need a lot of stamina especially singing for more than 20 concerts consecutively. Therefore, before the concert, good training is necessary. Some people do not understand why you need so much time to prepare the concert; in fact stamina training is an important part.

Health is also very important so I always do sport. To be a successful artist, you need to keep your body fit, so self-restraint is absolutely important as well. Sometimes you need to restrict your diet. I am very fortunate because I seldom need to worry about my weight. My way of keeping fit is to swim. Swimming is a great sport; every part of your body and muscle can be exercised.

After the world tour, I went to Japan to join the "Tokyo Musical Festival" where I was a guest performer. Since I already have a lot of experience in performing in some international events, I felt no pressure. The most meaningful thing was that I had a chance to sing with a famous Japanese singer Hideki Saijo. Although we only practiced for a few days, the result was great. Many Japanese friends told me that I have talents. I felt satisfied even though they said this out of politeness. Coming back to Hong Kong, I also have a lot of commitments such as filming "The Chinese Ghost Story II". In the mean time, I don't really have time to do other stuffs. I wish when I do have time, I could direct my first movie."

The Story Continues

The filming "A Chinese Ghost Story II" commenced. Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong returned once again to star in this enjoyable and worthy sequel that was in every way a superlative film as its predecessor. Surrealistic scenes, suspenseful situations, and innovative production designs accompanied the great performances by the cast. Lin Ji Tao was the screenwriter of the film. He loves movies and he said that Leslie was an important person in his career as a screenwriter. "A Chinese Ghost Story II" is the first screenplay written by Lin Ji Tao. Initially the leading actor for "A Chinese Ghost Story II" was not Leslie. The leading role "Ning Choi San" in the first film was given two other names, "Chao Ah Bing" and "Zhu Ge Wo Long" in the sequel. The original idea for the sequel was that a guy named "Chao Ah Bing" was thought to be a famous scholar "Zhu Ge Wo Long" by mistake so they didn't cast a role of "Ning Choi San" for the sequel in the beginning and actually it was at first Tony Leung Kar Fai who would play Chao Ah Bing. They stopped shooting after having shot two sets of scenes and resumed work after 6 months. The budget was escalating and the other problem was that Tsui Hark insisted that three roles in the first film Ning, Ying Chek Ha and Nieh Tsiu Ching had to stay in the sequel. That meant changes must be made. Lin Ji Tao was new to showbiz back then. He found it very complicated to set a third identity of "Ning" on "Chao Ah Bing" and "Zhu Ge Wo Long". In the story of the film, everybody has two different roles. Wai Ching Fong played by Joey Wong was thought to be Nieh Tsiu Ching; there was not enough part for Yin Chek Ha so there came the little Taoist priest played by Jacky Cheung. As for Leslie, he has three characters in the end. Lin came to know for the first time that to write a play in Hong Kong was such a hard job, even harder than Hollywood, because actors/actresses are always put in the first place. You would have to make revisions to your play when you know who is going to play a specific role. Take Lin's first play for example - he would have to face a play in which the leading actor transferred from Tony Leung to Leslie Cheung. It was not an easy job as you might think it to be. When actors become the first priority, they are supposed to put the actor's image into the story. There were many problems and challenges in "A Chinese Ghost Story II", especially in Leslie's three identities. In addition, Lin did not know Leslie well and he didn't think he liked him much back then. But Lin's job was to write for Leslie so Lin must convince him of many things.

That really took time. Often Lin likes to discuss stories with the actors. According to him Hong Kong actors/actresses are quite disappointing in this regard because they let their minds wander all the time during the story discussion but Leslie was not one of them. He was one who would listen to the story very carefully and make reactions to the story later. He would pose questions subtly. Play writers would be alert to this diligent actor and make enough preparations. Leslie asked a lot about his three-face roles to Lin. Apart from his sensitivity about his role, finally Lin was moved by him. Lin revealed that sometimes Leslie would lose his temper but later he would say sorry to him. Lin really thinks Leslie was bad-tempered. However Lin was impressed a lot by Leslie since Leslie never hid his dissatisfaction, and he never put on airs. Leslie was like "Of course, it is my part. I don't want to destroy it."

Reasons to Retire

The worst thing happened when Leslie and Danny Chan were confronted by and had to cope with the passing of their friend, Paul Chung, who committed suicide by jumping off the 26th floor of his apartment building. According to Hong Kong media he could not afford to pay his large debt because of his gambling losses. At the same time there was a tragic event in Chinese history that was the massacre in Tien An Men, which happened on 4 June 1989. In other world events, Monica Seles, the no.1 woman tennis player at that time, was stabbed in Germany by a fan of former no.1 woman tennis player, Stefi Graf. Leslie became concerned for his own safety for he was worried his appearance might come under the attack by assassins. Finally, he revealed the reason for his retirement at the height of his career. He had planned this for three years, but indeed he was still reluctant to leave his career. He felt most bewildered at this time, the time when he gained great reputation. When there were new hit songs, he will be blamed. Feeling painful and hurt, he told himself: "They don't understand me, they're ignorant, moreover, the mouth belongs to them, it's uncontrollable." He tried to imagine, what if one day when he is singing in whatever place, he will meet an assassin or his appearance will be damaged. It's not worth it, and then came his decision on retirement. He would immigrate to Canada after that.

Anita Mui cancelled her concert in December so Leslie took over to hold a concert. At the beginning Leslie said that it will not be a farewell concert, but suddenly Leslie said that he would retire from showbiz. Leslie finally would leave his fans. There was only one guy who believed Leslie really wanted to retire. Before Leslie ever said he had tried to sing, to act, but still leave many things he wants to do, he wants to be supervisor/executive producer for other singers. But he really would leave now. He said he had a taste of how it feels to be a renowned person, now it is the turn for new faces. Leslie said that he would be reluctant to accept a supporting role such as to be a father or an uncle, as it will not be appreciated in Hong Kong. One day he must retire regardless, and he chose to retire in prime condition. He had planned his future very well. He would hold a series of concerts in December following which he would then travel around the world for three months before going to New York to study directorship for nine months. (he was asking Tsui Hark to search a good director school). Then he will return to HK to direct his film. He also planned to open a coffee shop. It can be said that Leslie's name rose up amidst insults and bad treatment, but he said he had no regrets because without his past experiences he may not appreciate what he has now.

Nobody believed his retirement. Hong Kong media assumed that this was part of the publicity for his concerts. Some girl fans even threatened to commit suicide if Leslie was determined to retire. Soon Leslie calmed them and asked them to have a mature attitude. He was sure that his fans are matured people. Everybody in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and even Alan Tam's fans was surprised with this news. Again, some time passed since Leslie asked Chan Siu Ki to write a film script for him, and it was the day when Leslie held the press conference for his '89 concerts in Hong Kong. Only till the very moment that Leslie unveiled the pink curtain covering the backdrop for the press conference did Chan realize that Leslie was going to retreat from the showbiz, and that was why Leslie did not talk about his film script anymore.

One of Leslie's old friend, reporter Tina Lau is always of the opinion that Leslie is a smart, mature and careful man to plan his own future. She mentioned this to Leslie; Leslie agreed with her and he said that he always knows what he wanted and acted accordingly. His wish to retire came around five years ago and he spoke to Florence about it around three years ago. "Why do you want to retire, Leslie?" asked Tina. "I think the Hong Kongers are narrow minded, they often mix the job with personal matters. It is a different condition in Europe and America. Let's say that you are a guitarist, people won't care if you are a drunkard or not as long as your music is good. In Hong Kong the situation is different. I have been singing for 13 years, I don't know what else I should do in music. However there are other things for the rest of my life. Showbiz is too political. There are complex relationships between record companies, radio deejays, audiences, TV stations and media. It will be more of a pretence for me if I stay on any longer so I decide to put a stop to it." It is true in those days that if you want to get awards from singing, you have to attend all the functions invited by TV or radio stations. One of the reasons for Leslie's retirement was the continual war that existed between his fans and Alan Tam's fans. He was afraid that someday a fan of Alan Tam could harm him with chemical liquid for example. He also did not want his fans to be involved in 'a war' with fans of other artists.

Salute

Leslie then released the album 'Salute', choosing ten songs that he loves and expressing his salute to the singing circle. He confronted his producer at the beginning of the production of the album, as his producer had stated that a superstar should not sing other singers' songs and opposed to the making of this album. But finally Leslie could convince him that his decision was right. Again he became the pioneer in the Hong Kong music industry. This album featured 10 Cantonese numbers chosen by Leslie himself. The idea behind the making of this album was for Leslie to show his respect to those people who were involved in making these songs and also to show his appreciation for their dedication to the music industry; hence the album title. Most songs selected by Leslie were light and sentimental ballads: Michael Kwan's "Childhood", Lowell Lo's "Hope Our Love Will Last Till The End", Sandy Lam's "Beads Of Sweat", Alvin Kwok's "Never Know", Teddy Robin's "This is Love", and Anita Mui's "Flowing Like Water". Leslie is widely known for his energetic image and dance numbers, but he has done a surprisingly good interpretation of these ballads. For example, the way he performs "Beads Of Sweat", a sensual "love song", is far sexier than the original version by Sandy Lam. When it came to the warm and touching songs, such as "Childhood", his interpretation becomes comforting, yet he could easily change his style as he did when singing "Never Know". Because Leslie recently announced plans for his retirement from the music scene and because he is still the top local male singer, this album was certainly a worthy purchase and of course, it was all for a good cause as well. All profits made from this album will be donated to local charities. It was worthy to be collected. All the song's producers were Alvin Leong and Leslie Cheung. Sam Wong and Alan Chan did the cover photography and design. At the back of the album cover, Leslie penned his writings in his own hand.

"Sleepless nights started my preparation for this album. Ever since the beginning, I got a strong feeling; such feeling, possibly the desire of every singer, is to get the chance to perform other artists' masterpieces. I have to admit that producing this album was much more difficult than producing my own as they were already recognized as masterpieces through interpretations by their original singers. Through my strong desire to perform the songs that I love, I have tried my best to sing them well. At last, the most important reason behind its birth is to dedicate each renewed song to its original singer, composer, writer, and musician for the reward of their hard work and contributions to the music industry and also my salute to them. Salute. Leslie."

Many malicious rumours said that the retirement of Leslie was only to make his concert a sell-out. But Leslie was hard to be found. He said if he appeared then reporter would say that he was looking for a sensation. Leslie said he was satisfied to hold concert for 33 days. He was able to hold the concert for 40 days but he didn't want to do that because it would only cause a competition in concerts days. There was rumour that he had a girlfriend by the name of Pansy Ho, daughter of Stanley Ho, the king of gambler of Macao. According to the rumour, it was Pansy who forced Leslie Cheung to quit showbiz in order to save their relationship but this was only a rumour. It had never been proven to be a fact.

This was an interview before Leslie's farewell concert in December 1989. The reporter asked him about the content of the concert. He said he didn't know at the moment but the preliminary idea was to give the audience a warm feeling, as it was a concert in December. He would not repeat ideas used in his last concert such as bringing his movie characters on the stage. Besides, he wanted to include some songs which lyrics reflected on society; one of them would be a "Children's Song" on child abuse and related social problems. "I'm really tired of singing those love songs. Over the years I've sung different kind of love songs, what a bore," he said. "You're beginning to care for society, do you want to enter politics?" "I have ever had the slightest interest in politics because I think politics is dirty and not meant for ordinary citizen especially artist."

The best selling photo album of Leslie Cheung in 1989 was "Stark Impression". "Stark Impression" was released since July 1988 with photographer Kevin Orpin and art director Charles Chau. This album photo was re-released before his Final Encounter Concert. This publication of the second edition was exactly same as the first edition, but with a brand-new cover. Leslie wrote a message in "Stark Impression" as follows: "I have promised to the media three years ago that I have to dedicate the best of my one thousand days to fans who love my songs, my album and my concerts. I will try my best to satisfy all of you with anything that I can do. Now 89 is almost coming to the end, this is the time to carry out my promise, and it is also the appropriate time to say goodbye to my singing career. In the past 13 years, I have sung numerous songs, and I have performed various characters. I don't know which song or image has given you the best impression. Thousands of images flashed in my mind before I leave; it looked like they just happened yesterday, lots of memories appeared that reminded me of all your kindness and support throughout those years. Without these, my memories would not be as fulfilled as now. I am so touched and I really miss all of you. Although I will soon leave the music world, but a new artistic life will continue although it will be in a totally different direction from now. This is the reason why I cherish and love myself nowadays. My best records and images are reflected in this Stark Impression; they are forever one of my valuable parts of my life. Though the times will never return, but that is not important to me because I have caught the best instantaneousness, which has been completely devoted to you by this stark impression. I hope you love it.

Florence Chan became the busiest person because of Leslie's decision to retire. She knew Leslie had always planned an early retirement. When he attended a musical festival in China, he had said to Florence that he would retire in a few years. Florence was stunned then and thought he was joking but Leslie later brought up the issue a few times. Florence said, "It wasn't that I do not believe him, it is just that his accomplishments were so good that I thought he would change his mind. I didn't even know that his last concerts (Final Encounter Concerts) were farewell concerts until the tickets were ready for sale." Leslie worked with Florence for six years till his Farewell - Final Encounter Concert in 1989. A year before his farewell concert, Leslie had been telling Florence the reason for the decision of his retirement. The main reason for his retirement was the great pressure that he was facing. At that time, there were some so-called Alan Tam's fans that put their gifts containing joss sticks and candles in front of Leslie's house. At this time it so happened that a well known international tennis player was hurt by a knife-welding spectator from the audience. It would be horrible if a similar incident is associated with Leslie. All along Leslie liked Momoe Yamaguchi very much and he hoped to retire at his peak like what she had done so that people will remember his best forever. Besides, the candles and joss sticks incident had a threatening effect that affected Leslie psychologically. Florence was sure if Leslie could continue on with his career, he would surely stride across the international market.

Florence failed to persuade him from retiring and had no other alternatives but to respect his decision. Actually, Leslie wanted to bid farewell to the entertainment circle but Florence intentionally added the word 'singing circle' to his farewell. She felt Leslie was still young and hoped that he will change his mind in the future. She did not want him to give up his other performing talent besides his singing career. Florence was also very busy with preparations for the party after the concert.

Early in December 1989 Leslie started rehearsals from 2 pm to 6 pm. He had only a small bowl of rice with beef before going on stage. Florence frankly said that she was moved when watching Leslie's rehearsal for the first time as she kept thinking that this would be the last time. She was lucky that she was preoccupied with so many jobs to do that she forgot that moved feeling. Leslie also worked together with Chu Wing Lung, a dance choreographer and coach. "We have very similar artistic views. Leslie enlightened me by letting me know that singers do not necessarily make similar dance moves with the dancers to be great to watch. Leslie was bold to break away from tradition to follow closely to the latest trends. Dancers were overjoyed to be able to cooperate with Leslie. I respect Leslie very much. Although he was such a nice person, I felt nervous when I faced with him," said Chu.

After the broadcasting of "To You" advertisement in Korea, the sales volume of this specific brand of chocolate increased by more than three hundred percent. The advertiser then immediately arranged Leslie to appear in another advertisement. Since the shooting of the advertisement will be one month before the Final Encounter concert, Leslie did not want to accept the invitation. His decision disappointed and worried many people. Florence had recommended a few Hong Kong stars to the advertiser, but she was not sure whether it was successful or not so she did not dare ask them anymore.

The wide-screened film "A Chinese Ghost Story II, the Story Continue" broke box-office records in the Hong Kong film industry. Tsui Hark quickly prepared the script for the third film. However Leslie refused to act in third sequel which made his co-star Joey Wong felt disappointed. Finally Tsui Hark changed the script and Tony Leung Chiu Wai starred in that film.

The last album of Leslie before his retirement at 1989 was titled Final Encounter. The first song of the album is "The Wind Blows Again" which was composed by Leslie himself and was arranged by Michael Lai. The lyrics of the song convey a picture of the journey of Leslie's career.

Farewell Concert

Leslie Cheung held his farewell concerts for 33 consecutive days commencing on 21 December 1989 at the Hong Kong Coliseum. This building became a witness to the sadness of Leslie when he was forced to end his music career. There were so many fans crying unashamedly and shouting crazily to ask him to not leave. Although Florence Chan felt happy for Leslie because the pressure that has accumulated through all these years, can now finally be released, but on the other hand, the atmosphere inside the coliseum was so touching that it saddened her greatly. Candy Chea (RTHK DJ) cried many times for her friendship with Leslie. She strongly opposed Leslie's wish to retire. Leslie danced attractively with Chu Wing Lung while singing "Side Face". He also thanked Michael Lai by singing three songs which were composed by Michael. Leslie was able to dedicate a song "Thong Ning Ching" to Chow Yun Fat who came to see his concert. Roman Tam was in the audience. He also introduced his band members in a unique and attractive way. Young singer Andy Hui who was a Leslie fan since he was a student said that the Final Encounter concert was really excellent. He saw the concert three times. Andy said he memorizes almost all Leslie's songs. Leslie danced with smouldering charisma while singing "Miss You Much" to the wild screams from the audiences. After he had finished singing, he said: "Can you all give a big applause to all my dancers again? Thank you very much! This is one of the songs in my new album. I feel that this song is very appropriate because I can dance for you and also I love the title of this song "Miss You Much" and in Chinese, it means that I miss the most is you all…Thank you!"

"Let me sing one more song, then I will chat with you all for a while." He then sang Yau Ling Hoi Chi (“Starting From Zero”) with his sweaty face full of emotions. After the song "Starting From Zero" Leslie said "Many people ask me why I sing such a sad song? You know that last year, I recorded this song "Starting From Zero" and the English version is "Will You Remember Me"... well, I have planned my future. I'm sure you have noticed that I talk very little... well, it's because when I talk, my tongue gets all tangled up and... I unintentionally caused some displeasure to some people. Sometimes I even insulted people with too much talk. This is my farewell, I must inform all my friends... my past and my present, I wish to give a closure about my own personal future plans. (Fans cheered and applauded) If all of you can be quiet, then you can hear whatever I wish to say, OK? Give those who have not heard a chance to hear...OK? (Leslie spoke politely…smiling gently…) Thirteen years ago, I entered into the entertainment world... suddenly from a lonely me to a person being surrounded/crowded by many people... the Cheung Kwok Wing, Leslie!! Why I say Leslie... it's because when I was small, I was called Bobby and because I do not want to be related to a certain animal, I changed my name to a slightly sexier name... Leslie!" (Fans cheered and screamed)

"When I went into the entertainment industry, I knew nothing... compared to the new artiste nowadays, they are very lucky, they have a promotional manager and they are taught what to say and what not to say. In those days, I was like a 'blind fly' stumbling everywhere and having such a lot of knocks especially a few very 'hard' knocks and bumps that frightened me... until I almost gave up. But this was the past... I am very stubborn and have a lot of pride. But I must admit that when I first entered the industry... the songs I sang were very bad... my voice sounded like a chicken... but I dare to admit my own shortcomings so I searched out the records of those famous singers back then like Sam (Sam Hui), Lam (George Lam), Kwan Chi Kit (Michael Kwan) and Roman (Roman Tam)... I kept listening... day and night and learned from them what singing is all about."

"My journey was rough but I waited... the opportunity came when composer, Cheng Kok Kong wrote the song "The Wind Blows On" for me. From then on, my career propelled upwards with songs like "Monica", But Gei Dik Fung (“Unruly Wind”), Wai Nei Zhong Qing (“Falling in Love with You”) followed by Dong Nin Ching (“Previous Love”) and lately Mo Sum Sui Meen (“No Mood To Sleep) and Chak Min (“Side Face”)... all these songs strengthened my career and gave me a placing in the entertainment circle. Thank you!" (Fans cheered and applauded)

"Allow me to thank 3 important persons in my music life. First I want to thank Lai Siu Tin, Michael. (Fans cheered and applauded) You look at him, he looks like Garfield and is very playful but when he is working, he is very serious. When I first started with him, he really scolded me like a dog!!! This time, I invited him here as a guest... to share my joy. Second person I want to thank is Chan Siu Bo. He has given me lot of freedom in my movement. That's why, I can come out with songs that I like and make records that you all like. The third person is the last and most important... we have gone through 'thick and thin'. She's none other than Florence Chan... she may be thin but she is very energetic compare to a lot of men. Today, I can manage to hold so many concerts is all because of your help. Thank you so much! (Fans cheered and applauded). We have worked very hard together and we have climbed the ladder together. Of course... to be able to hold this concert... is because all of you (his hands showing/waving all the audience) made it possible. Hahaha I did not forget you all!"

"Frankly, this decision is very great because I treat it as part of my life's journey... but I am not impulsive. As I look back at the records, there are a lot of famous artistes who leave at their peak and everyone remembers them... so I know my decision cannot be wrong. I have not said this before... but tonight, I want to tell you that as an artiste, we are happy only when our audiences are happy and satisfied. As an artiste, when we want to leave the industry at our peak, we will be remembered and our fans would be sad with us... but if we leave when we are 'down and out'... only I would feel lonely and miserable... so, as I am an intelligent person.... I have now made this decision."

"In the coming future, I will not be lazy... I will continue to be the hardworking Cheung Kwok Wing... do the things I have been longing to do... like study films, learning to play the piano, opening a shop... this is a bonus to you fans... you can keep your ticket... and come to my coffee shop to claim the first cup of coffee or tea... free of charge. I have calculated, I will make a loss the first year... giving out 300,000 plus cups of coffee or tea but this non profitable business, I am willing to undertake... as long as you are happy."

"Last of all and the most important is that... I am leaving without pressure from anybody and is not related to anybody. I want to leave when there is a lot of applause from the audience. Today, I know that there's a lot of 'applause' and a lot of you love me. I appreciate every minute tonight... and all of you who love me and have come to send me off... Thank you."

Then he sang Gung Tung Dou Guo ("Going Through Together") mixed with gratitude. He cried emotionally when he sang "The Wind Blows On” and went around waving goodbye and to collect flowers and shake hands with his fans. He kept crying and bowed his head in tears when the stage descended down the middle of the stage. During the closing, with tears brimming in his eyes, he suddenly decided to accept the flowers personally from his fans below the stage. Perhaps this is to prevent his tears from falling. The audiences cheered, screamed and applause. He appeared again in a white suit singing Ming Sing ("The Star"). His eyes were filled with sadness. He then sang "Memories" until he got to the part the lyrics went…"we simply choose to forget"… he said…"The lyrics means that we simply choose to forget what we have... I still remember my first concert 5 years ago in Hong Kong Coliseum up until now after this 33 concerts, a lot of it is like a gallery of pictures in my mind. I might have forgotten most of your faces completely but all your cheers and applauses and all these supportive sounds... I will always remember forever."

"Will you all forget me very soon? I'm not a greedy person but I just want to say that if any of your friend ask you about the 80s singers, if you all just briefly mention my name, I'm already very contented. I will cherish all the support that you have given me. Thank you. Lastly, I want to present this song to you all; a song which I specially composed for this farewell concert. It summarizes all that I've gone through these 13 years in this entertainment industry. For all of you, my last song…Foong Joi Hei See ("Wind Blows Again"). I feel that these 33 concerts are to me an enjoyment and pressure. People say, that in life, to have a soul mate is to die without regrets. Each and every night, so many of you come here together to bid me farewell, I feel truly honoured and blessed. Although I have suffered much in the entertainment circle, but I feel my gains outweigh my losses. But I must say that in these 13 years in the entertainment circle, I have done nothing against my conscience, I come and go in peace. This time I must say that I leave with pride. However, each night, facing so many of you friends, I feel somewhat reluctant. Let me go out and strive for a while, and no matter how tough, I shall build up a name. Thank you all, thank you. Having such kind of supporters in you all, I am already very contented."

He went on to sing the last part of the song. His dancers came out with basket of red carnations and help to collect gifts and flowers from his friends and fans. He threw stalks of the red carnations to his audiences as he walked around the stage. He waved at the audience; then closed his eyes in sadness. Then he turned to face the mike stand, which was erected in the middle of the stage. He walked slowly towards the mike stand and then looked around with sadness and reluctance for the last time. He slowly held the mike and with trembling hands, he put the mike back on the stand for the last time. He walked straight ahead and then stopped suddenly to turn back to have a last look at the mike with a heavy heart and then quickly disappeared down the stairs.

In that cold night Auntie Ying, Leslie's assistant, was very touched with the show. It was a very cold night, with its icy wind. She prepared a coat in her hand while waiting for Leslie at the back stage. Chow Yun Fat was there too. Auntie Ying blamed Chow for fooling around with her that when Leslie came down from the stage she could not reach him in time. She saw Leslie rushed all the way to his car with tears in his eyes and left right away. Leslie was extremely sad. He felt like counting down the number after finishing each song and thinking that he is not going to sing again. When she was asked who could replace Leslie, Florence Chan in a serious tone said, "In my opinion, temporarily there is no one who can replace him. He is an artist who is difficult to be counted as number two". "I will remember all this sound of cheers and adulation", said Leslie some hours before. His music career was to come to an end not long after this time.

As long as this earth exists, as long as the wind continues to blow, the Legend will be always remembered...

1990 – THE BIRD WITHOUT LEGS

I've heard there is a type of bird that has no legs, it can only fly and fly, sleeping on the wind when tired ... (From "Days of Being Wild")

The Final Encounter concerts ran until the 22 January 1990. All who came to these concerts would leave with many wonderful memories, scenes imprinted in their hearts and minds. During that final concert, as Leslie sat on a high stool talking to all those who supported and enjoyed his performance, he looked up and sighed, displaying tenderness. His characteristic gesture betrayed his unwillingness to depart from all those who loved him, but he had no choice, this was the last night and he would give his best. He was very polite, bowing to the audience after almost every song. That one look was as gentle as the spring breeze caressing and awakening nature, it stole all their hearts. His eyes were like those of a spring fawn, pure and innocent, his gaze clearer than the glacier streams that float through time and space. Here before them was one of the greatest performers in the history of man kind and they all knew it. During the earlier concerts Florance Chan had monitored Leslie's concerts by using a pair of binoculars from a hidden corner. Here she noted little things to be discussed with after the show. Florance said she often found things that no one else did, it gave her a fascinating experience. During the final concert she tried hard to ignore the sad feelings that ate away at her, knowing that Leslie would sing no more.

After the concert, choreographer Chu Wing Lung met Leslie backstage. Leslie was with Florance; he was tired but happy. During the concerts he had lost 15 pounds due to the pressure of doing so many. He said, "This is the day I have been waiting for, I have always longed to connect personally with my fans." He was heavy-hearted in leaving them but said, "The day I came into this industry, I decided that I would leave at my peak." And that is what he did. He had great admiration for James Dean and a Japanese singer named Momoe Yamaguchi. He said, "Artists should not let fans see them at a low ebb; if James Dean were still alive, he would not be the legend he is now. Aliens are mysterious because people don't know where they are from or even if they exist. Being a superstar is a lonely business, I have hardly anyone I can confide in: but she is one of them..." - he pointed towards Florence.

The sad feeling came back to Florance at this point as it would be her task to edit the concert to video. Watching it many times over, she would be moved by the fact that this concert both on cd and video really would be Leslie's last work. "Did you know..." she asked of a reporter "that all the titles of Leslie's albums under Cinepoly were in English? This is because we believed that English titles brought good luck right from the first one, 'Summer Romance', which was very successful and gained many sales." In fact all Leslie's album under Cinepoly gained good sales. After the concert, there was a celebration party which Florance had been planning for some time. There had been much to do, first choose a place to hold it and make sure there was a room she could book for Leslie close by, so that after the concert he could go there to wash, dress and even eat something before the party started. On top of this there was the guest list, food, content, security and parking. When Leslie came into the hall to cut the cake the song 'Auld Lang Syne' played, this also had been chosen especially by Florance. Her eyes filled with tears and the guests were also moved. Once Leslie had cut the cake he asked Florance to "switch off the music, it is so irritating!" Perhaps he didn't wish to listen to such a sad song and wished to change the atmosphere in the room to a lighter one, but at that moment Florence was angry with him, she had spent a lot of time searching out the perfect version in order to please him and it was upsetting to find that she hadn't. She turned the music off though. Also for the occasion of the party Florance gave Leslie a gift that he truly treasured, a gift that money couldn't buy. Leslie had once seen a picture that he loved very much and she had remembered this and borrowed the negative to process a large version of it. Then just before the start of the last concert she had some of his fans sign it. When she presented it to him he was very happy, so happy in fact that when he emigrated to Vancouver he took it with him.

Besides his singing career, Leslie's movies helped make him an even bigger star. Many good directors appreciated him; John Woo, Raymond Wong, Stanley Kwan and Tsui Hark were all very fond of him. Also the international company Pepsi-Cola that only wants the highest ranking stars to advertise their product, chose Leslie to do a series of advertisements. They also sponsored his concert that year.

Leslie was also the first artist in Hong Kong and in fact the first Asian artist whose images appeared on phone cards. Three thousand cards were printed with the writing 'Final Encounter of the Legend'. The photos used were taken from the Farewell concert. They sold for HK$150 with 50 pulses of content.

Leslie wrote, "I have been in the music industry for many years and have tasted many sweet, sour, bitter and spicy moments. Today I finally have some success; this I have had to struggle and work hard for. I am not as lucky as some people who taste success on the first day. I have encountered many failures, but I did not give up. Finally people accepted me, but what I went through during the struggle cannot be expressed in words."

After the concerts ended Leslie took a vacation and rested for almost half a year, when he came back to Hong Kong it was to prepare for the making of the film 'Days Of Being Wild' by swimming and doing other exercises to lose some weight. At other times he would get together with friends and play Mahjong; these friends included Cherie Chung and Danny Chan. Danny told a reporter that on one occasion he and Leslie had both ended up wearing the same purple shirt, this was because they had not consulted each other before hand. Danny also said that Leslie could have remained at the top of the Hong Kong entertainment industry for many more years: "It is very rare that a man can resist the temptation of money and the glamor that comes with this business." He added that he was very happy for him. Cherie Chung commented that Hong Kong had lost many actors. "Leslie decides to retire while Chow Yun Fat is accepting fewer roles. If I receive an offer of a role, my first consideration would be who the director is, then I would look to the quality of the script and third, though not of any lesser importance, would be who the co-star was. I like to work with Leslie and Chow Yun Fat, also Kenny Bee and Andy Lau. Especially though I like working with Leslie and Chow Yun Fat; both are actors who draw you in with their expressive eyes."

Luk Che was also still with Leslie; she had served him loyally for thirty years and was considered more a family member than staff, more in fact a mother figure to him, one very much loved. She did not like the attitude of the Filipino maids in Hong Kong, as she had a more traditional view of how to serve in the household. To her a domestic worker should always be on hand ready to serve and be of help. She could not take her rest until Leslie went to bed. Leslie said she was very stubborn and that when she was getting old and could not walk properly, Leslie had asked the maid to serve her meals in her room, but she insisted on eating in the kitchen. When Luk Che developed cancer, Leslie, who by then was planning to emigrate to Canada, bought her a house; this was her only wish and he was more than happy to grant it to her.

Days of Being Wild

Leslie had agreed to make A Fei Chen Chuan (Chinese name of "Days Of Being Wild") before he revealed his retirement plans. Many though thought he was going back on his word to retire and much was made of it. Even Chow Yun Fat commented that Leslie should keep his promise. Once he had said this though he confessed that he couldn't sleep for fear that Leslie would be angry with him and that it would threaten their friendship, so he renounced his previous comment and said that Leslie should continue to work on films and be forgiven. Anita Mui also backed Leslie, "Leslie announced he was to retire from singing, he made no mention of retiring from film making," she said to a reporter who said Leslie also planned to retire from film. She added that, "He should be in movies, making movies is addictive and very satisfying, many stay in it for their whole lives and Leslie is still young; it would be a pity if he should retire at such a young age." Many producers and directors also backed Leslie, saying that they too believe he only meant to retire from singing and not film. Knowing how many people wished him to continue making movies, Leslie was deeply moved, but he did not change his plans to have his peaceful days in Canada.

In the meantime he started work on "Days of Being Wild", this was the second time Leslie had worked on a film involving Wong Kar Wai, the first being "Intellectual Trio" for which Wong and written the screenplay. This time though he was the director. Leslie had been very impressed with both the script and Wong's style of directing "I think our co-operation is very much based on our mutual understanding of each other. When I first received the script I liked it very much, the idea of a group of young people living in the 60s was very appealing, I thought it would be a good romantic drama and was confident that Wong could capture the mood of the era."

Five more of Hong Kong's hottest new stars were also signed for the film; one was Carina Lau who said she felt a tremendous amount of pressure not to let her co-stars down. "When you find yourself working with good actors you put pressure on yourself, because you feel you are perhaps not matching them. The only way to deal with this is to try your very best."

Another was Tony Leung Chiu Wai, who only appeared in the final few minutes. He said, "Before I ever worked with Wong he was my favorite up and coming director." The other three young stars were Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung and Andy Lau; they had all worked with Wong on the film "As Tears Go By", as such they were not strangers to the way he worked. This sometimes included many takes of a single scene, one such scene in "As Tears Go By" took 47 takes before he was satisfied; this said Maggie was no-one's fault, the problem being that the film was shot with synchronized sound, as such it was subject to external factors and Wong wanted everything to be perfect. The singer-actor Jacky Cheung's opinion was like Maggie's in that he was aware that Wong had to have everything just right, from the lighting of the sets to the actors' facial expressions, Jacky said "As an actor I understood all this, everything had to be perfect. On "Days of Being Wild" though I noticed he became even more demanding, of both himself and the actors". "Days of Being Wild" had one very simple scene that consisted of Maggie and Leslie lying on a bed with a just a few words of dialogue; time and again Wong re-shot, in all doing a total of 39 takes, neither Maggie or Leslie were told what was wrong with any of the takes; they just had to do it again and again.

Maggie once said that she learnt a lot from Leslie about acting; one thing in particular has stayed in her mind: "Morning was coming and we were preparing the final scene of the day. In it my character had to go back to the apartment of the man who broke her heart, Leslie would not be seen in the shot as the camera would be on me, but before shooting began I noticed that Leslie was rehearsing walking, trying to get the sound of his footsteps just right. This film was one of the first films to be shot without dubbing in Hong Kong and Leslie was already aware of the importance of getting such details correct. I was very impressed by this and must admit to stealing the trick from him."

There are many scenes in this film that are fondly remembered by all who see it; from the opening shots of him confidently telling Maggie's character that she will dream of him that night; to the sight of him dancing the Cha Cha while gazing into a full length mirror, sure in the knowledge that the image he sees reflected there is perfect.

One scene that truly showed off Leslie's remarkable acting skill was set in the home of his adopted mother, played by Shanghai actress Rebecca Chan; in the scene Leslie never moved from the arm chair he sat in, in fact he barely moved at all and yet was able to convey such an emotional range that you could see them rise in him like a blush or a bruise. As he sat there his foster mother was informing him that she was leaving for America with her latest lover...

Leslie's acting in this scene is superb, he doesn't utter a word and yet you know everything his character is going through; this is the sign of a great actor. For a time shooting was delayed on "Days of Being Wild" and during this time Leslie was commuting back and forth between Hong Kong and Canada, where he had finally bought a house. In one of his last interviews before going to Canada, Leslie said "I think the lifestyle in Canada which is quiet and peaceful will suit me well."

When asked if he would miss his friends and the glamorous lifestyle he has in Hong Kong, he said "I will not be lonely over there as I have many family members and friends who have emigrated there." His 8th brother Didi Cheung had lived in Mississauga, Canada for many years with his family and one of his sisters lived in Vancouver. "As to the glamorous life of Hong Kong; after more than ten years as an artist there, what kind of life have I not seen and tasted! I feel there are not enough things to make me reluctant to leave."

Leslie's house in was in Eyremount Drive, West Vancouver. It was surrounded by large trees, there was a hill at the back and in the backyard was a swimming pool. He was in Canada when he received the news that Luk Che had passed away, Leslie would later comment that this was the saddest moment in his life, he had known her most of his life and she was much more to him than just a maid. To a certain extent she was more a mother to him than his own had been, taking care of him all through his childhood. Even after her retirement she would still cook nutritious soups for him. He regretted that he wasn't there as she was dying. The funeral arrangements were left to her family members in Hong Kong, though her nephew had sought Leslie's advice. It was finally decided to place her ashes in a temple. Leslie found a master to do a special ceremony to release her soul from suffering. Though he was sad to lose her, he knew it was good that she was now no longer suffering from the cancer that took her away. He need not worry about her any more.

Leslie also took part in charity functions in Canada, one being 'The Annual Charity Walkathon'. On the day it took place, Leslie walked the first leg with Do Do Cheng who had also emigrated to Canada. Leslie eventually had to cut the walk short because many Canadian Fans were following him.

On July 13th of this year 'A Chinese Ghost Story II broke box office records in Hong Kong. Tsui Hark quickly wrote a script for a third film in the series. Leslie though refused to star in it, this made his co-star Joey Wong feel great disappointment. Tsui Hark ended up changing the script and getting Tony Leung Chui Wai to star in it.

Once A Thief

With the rest of "Days of Being Wild" still unfinished, Leslie found himself in Paris during the month of October to make "Once A Thief", the film he had promised to make with John Woo before he announced his retirement. This film also starred Chow Yun Fat and Cherrie Chung, who together with Leslie were three of the top ten greatest performers of the 80s as chosen by RTHK; the others being Jackie Chan, Alan Tam, Lydia Shum (Fei Fei), Lisa Wang, Dodo Cheng, Anita Mui and Paula Tsui.

"Once A Thief" was as different as you could get from "Days of Being Wild" and from John Woo's last film "Bullet In The Head" which had been extremely violent and hadn't done well at the box office, with "Once A Thief" the whole mood of the film was different. It was the story of three friends who had been together since childhood and raised by a man they called father, this man trained them to be thief's. The film starts with them stealing a painting after which Cherrie Chungs character try's to get Leslie and Chow Yun Fats character's to retire, this doesn't happen though as they are tempted into one more job. There were many interviews conducted while Leslie was filming "Once A Thief", below are parts of some of them taken from both his time in Paris and his return to Hong Kong.

For the time they were to be in France Chow Yun Fat suggested they rent an apartment so that they could take a chef along with them; this way they would not have to eat so much fast food. It was at this time also that they found out that Cherrie Chung could also cook as she spent much time doing so with Chow Yun Fat's wife, Jasmine. Leslie and Fat would spend their free time in conversation, Fat often saying to Leslie that he was too young to retire. "You haven't yet contributed enough to our society." Leslie replied "But I have, a whole generation has grown up listening to my songs." Chow Yun Fat also had it in mind to become a singer. He had asked Leslie to be his tutor and asked him what he thought of his voice. He also wanted Leslie to teach him how to perform in concert and hoped that he and Leslie could start a charitable foundation called Wing-Fat. This story was being told to a reporter and Leslie said to him, "I don't want to make any comment. He's not serious and just wants to use his fame as an actor to make an album." He then pretended to comfort Chow and asked him not to be unhappy. They laughed. Leslie was being his usual naughty and lovable self.

There were many reporters around during the shooting of "Once A Thief" wanting interviews with Leslie; one found him while he was smoking and looking very cool. The reporter asked how he felt about bidding farewell to show business. He replied that he would still be able to see all his friends, but he would miss his fans very much. When asked if he would go back on his word he said "No, I've become tired of dressing up, going to balls and press conferences. I love movies, sometimes I may change my mind, like when I see a really good role on screen like Emperor Fu Yi from the film "The Last Emperor". But there are so many Chinese actors, how many of them are as lucky as John Lone! The chance may not come for these sort of roles if no-one will be in your corner to fight for you. I can't say that I will never make another movie, but the chance is very slim."

The reporter said it seems you don't much like the entertainment industry, so why choose it as a career... He said that he had the talent and a desire to perform; but it's time to leave now he has fulfilled his desire. It's better to leave at the peak, so his fans will remember him.

Leslie said that Chow Yun Fat had become a foot massager (Back in the 90s Foot massage had been a hot topic, it is natural therapy for healing illnesses by stimulating the acupoints in the foot. Unlike true acupuncture though needles are not used, instead the fingers are used to stimulate these points. Acupuncture points in the foot each have an effect on various organs in the body, such as the heart, liver, kidneys etc. During a foot massage session if pain is felt in certain parts then it is an indication that something is wrong with the corresponding organ.) Chow Yun Fat had learned this skill and treated many of his friends. Leslie too had 'enjoyed the privilege'. Chow said "Yes I did it twice for him. After the massage he went to the toilet and then fell asleep." Asked if Leslie's feet revealed any secrets about him, Chow replied, "Yes, he has a problem with his stomach. Also he has shoulder pain due to pressure of work. But he is very tolerant of pain and made no complaint at all during the massage."

This same reporter also asked Leslie about his girlfriend and plans for marriage. Leslie lowered his head and for a while didn't answer, then he said, "I am enjoying life right now, I don't wish to think about this matter." The reporter persisted though and asked if he had broken up with his girlfriend. Leslie said, "We do not see each other often now". "Does this mean you will remain single?" the reporter asked. "Perhaps". But his fortune notes said that he would have two sons, did he intend to become a single father? "Maybe" Leslie was not at all happy to be answering these questions.

Leslie had been to Paris on two previous film shoots, one in 1985 for "Last Song in Paris" and the other for the musical drama "Sunset In Paris"; for this John Woo had also been the director. On one of these past trips Leslie told how a bartender had been rather unpleasant to him and his friends. He said "I went to a restaurant with two friends. We were very thirsty and so we didn't want wine, so we ordered three cokes instead. The bartender immediately put on a long face. When he returned with the cokes there were also three one-litre size mugs which he put down with a bang. The most ridiculous thing though was that he gave us three very short straws, totally out of proportion with the mugs. To this day I cannot understand why he did this to me."

The same reporter Leslie told this tale to had not seen Leslie for some time and so he commented that Leslie looked fit as always and had not put on weight because of his more leisurely lifestyle. Leslie though did not look pleased by the comment, he protested and said "look more closely, I lost fifteen pounds!" His weight had gone up once the concerts ended, but with the onset of making two films he had become very careful with his diet ; low starch and as low fat as possible.

Seeing him remove the skin from a piece of chicken, the reporter asked him if he ate innards. Leslie said, "I don't eat chicken feet, pig knuckle or that type of thing; as for innards I will just eat tripe and kidney." The reporter said that Leslie was a man of great taste and he wouldn't be seen eating at food stalls.

A singer by the name of Yan Chor-Sin told the reporter that the last time she took a taxi the driver told her he had just had Leslie in his taxi. She couldn't believe this and told the driver so, but he swore it was true, saying that it had to be him as no-one was has handsome as Leslie. So the reporter told this to Leslie and asked if it were true. Leslie thought for a little while and then remembered that he had taken a taxi when the shooting of "Once a Thief" had moved to Hong Kong; it had been to the Lee Cheng UK Estate to visit John Woo and his team, as he didn't know where it was he had taken a taxi instead of driving himself. Another reporter who came into contact with Leslie during the shooting of "Once a Thief" was Seo Eun-Hee from south Korea. She had at that time not long started her career as a journalist and had been given the task of covering Hong Kong's movies and actors. For this she was often in Hong Kong itself and one of her first interviewees was Leslie's Chinese Ghost Story co-star Joey Wong. Even though Joey was a big star back then, she was very shy and the interview was quite a formal affair.

For her interview with the stars of "Once a Thief" she went to Hong Kong island where they were shooting the scene of stealing the master piece from the auction house. She was most happy to be there as she would get to interview not only John Woo, but also three of Hong Kong's biggest stars.

When she first arrived John Woo was unavailable as he was in the midst of shooting a scene. Instead she could meet with Leslie and Chow Yun Fat and interview them when they were not needed for filming. Upon seeing both men she was struck by the physical difference between them. Chow was both taller and broader than Leslie, he was of the guy next door type, someone you knew you could rely on in times of trouble. He was handsome and looked both warm hearted and kind. Leslie on the other hand was slight of frame and seemed to be the type you yourself would protect. She thought him cute rather than handsome, like some tender hearted young boy, all soft and fragile. It is part of human nature to be attracted to both these type of men, each in their own way beguiling to others, so it was no surprise that she became attracted to both during the course of interviewing them.

There was though one incident that in the end drew her closer to Leslie and had her revise her opinion of him. During the days filming it grew steadily colder as night fell upon them. She could not venture inside because that was where John Woo was currently shooting; the scene being done was with Chow Yun Fat. Hee was shivering with cold and Leslie, who must have seen this, came over to her and asked "Are you so cold?" Then noticing she was indeed trembling he wrapped his arms round her in order to warm her with his own body heat. What surprised Hee most about this was not that Leslie the superstar was holding her, but rather that his outward appearance of looking fragile and in need of protection was a false one, his arms around her were strong and firm. She would forever remember the rapture of being held in those arms. After this first occasion Hee had many encounters with Leslie; her view on him being that he was a man who had much care and affection for others. She would always treasure her memories of Leslie with his soft smile and caring ways.

The shooting of "Once a Thief" ended on the 7th of November and on the 28th Leslie was back shooting the final scenes of "Days Of Being Wild" in the Philippines. They only had a few days to get the required scenes done as the film was due for a Christmas release, so it was certainly no holiday for any of them. Leslie later said "We arrived late in November and one scene had myself and Andy trapped in a train; it was awful, in fact most of our time in the Philippines was spent in that train; it was very old and smelt awful. Worse though were the cockroaches, there were so many of them and I hate them. I will never forget that experience."

Another scene shot there involved Leslie and Andy running across some roof tops made of zinc sheets. They were told that several of the sheets were lose, but no one knew which they were, so the scene was very dangerous for the two stars... if they stepped on the loose sheets the consequences could be very bad indeed. They left the Philippines on the 5th of December, Leslie had had little to no time for sight seeing, though he had seen some bamboo hats being hand made.

Back in Hong Kong there was still work to be done on the film, Leslie had voice overs to do and all the many scenes had to be put together to tell the story Wong Kar Wai wanted. The film's editor was Patrick Tam; in an interview sometime later he said, "I enjoyed working on Days Of Being Wild very much. Wong Kar Wai is very spontaneous with his movies. The important thing is to catch the mood/feeling, he gave me a lot of freedom to edit the film."

He was asked about the famous Cha Cha scene, this has Leslie admiring himself in a mirror, then satisfied with what he sees he moves away from the mirror and dressed only in boxers and a singlet does the Cha Cha in a way that requires no partner. Patrick said, "That was not in the screenplay. Wong Kar Wai had no idea where the scene should go. Anyway, it had been shot and so was passed onto me for editing. There was also a scene in which Leslie lay on his bed smoking after Carina Lau had left; also Wong Kar Wai gave me a monologue recorded by Leslie, this was the tale of the bird with no legs". It goes like this: 'I've heard there is a type of bird that has no legs, it can only fly and fly, sleeping on the wind when tired. This bird lands only once and that is when it dies'. "I started to wonder where these lines could fit in and tried using them with the scene of Leslie lying on the bed, the length was just about right. I then thought about the Cha Cha scene and put it in right after the bed scene. Those two shots along with the monologue became the theme for the character; together they brought out the character played by Leslie he looks very decadent in the bed scene and in the next he is highly energetic and ready to enjoy life. All this was shown by putting these two scenes together. This was what I loved most, even Wong Kar Wai said "perfect" when he saw it."

On the 13th of December only two days before the film's premiere, work was still being done. Jimmy Ngai came at this time to meet Leslie at the Showreel sound studio where the film was being previewed by a limited audience. Leslie had come in to do his voice-over and Jimmy wrote later in his article that Leslie looked fit and happy; he also wrote that Leslie took his cigarettes. When Leslie read this he got his assistant to send Jimmy a packet to replace the ones he had taken. Jimmy wrote that while watching a scene between Yuddy and his foster mother, Leslie said, "See I was doing pretty good." Jimmy replied that as there were no subtitles he hadn't understood what the actress Rebecca Pan was saying as she was speaking in a Shanghai dialect. Leslie then came and sat next to Jimmy and translated Pan's entire dialogue for him. Once this was over, Leslie recorded his voice-over. After he finished Jimmy jokingly said, "Just like that" and Leslie replied, "How dare you criticize the Le Gin?" (this means Legend and Leslie was often called that).

Jimmy wrote that he wondered if Leslie's fans knew that long ago their Le Gin used to recite Shakespeare's verse in perfect English; he could recite the wedding scene from Romeo and Juliet from beginning to end. It's hard to believe that he went on to sing commercial hits like "Monica" "H20" and "Stand Up" and to become a Legend for this.

Work continued on the film right up until the day of its release, with Leslie still doing his voice-overs with only hours left before the charity premiere. Wong Kar Wai wanted everything to be just right and being the meticulous director that he was, this meant working on this till the last possible moment. Leslie though was in a great mood, his actor's instincts telling him that he had done his best for this role. This was the day on which the legend of the bird without wings would be born.

In the evening of the 15th of December 1990 "Days of Being Wild", one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year, had its premiere. The producer Alan Tang Kwong Wing from the 'In-Gear' film company was there; he had promised to buy his wife new jewelry if the film were a success, but half way through the film he realized that the film was too artistic to be a commercial hit and turned to his wife at this time and told her the jewelry would have to be cancelled. He was proved correct as "Days of Being Wild" flopped at the box office.

1991 - FILM IS MY WORLD

...I hope I can still do something that I have not done before in films and from there to find the adrenalin and support.... (Leslie Cheung)

A Hope in Life

City Entertainment Magazine Hong Kong wrote about Leslie who brought love to a fan who was dying of cancer. The source could probably be through one of Hong Kong Radio DJs. The boy was a junior high school student and he suffered from bone cancer. One of his arms had to be amputated. After the amputation, the condition of the boy was better than before although it was clear that he could not live for long and in fact he was dying.

One day, he said that his favourite singer was Leslie Cheung and he would be happy if Leslie could sing "Happy Birthday" to him on his birthday. A nurse heard his wish and informed a Hong Kong Radio DJ who knew Leslie. On the boy's birthday, the Radio DJ looked for Leslie. Leslie immediately granted the boy's wish. As he was so busy and had no break, Leslie suggested that he sang the song through the telephone. Through the radio station, Leslie contacted the boy by telephone. He talked to that boy and sang "Happy Birthday" song to him. Leslie also encouraged the boy "you must get your health back and I promise that I will sing "Happy Birthday" to you every year". After that day, the boy's condition became miraculously better. Leslie telephoned him daily and secretly visited the boy several times. Unfortunately, the boy passed away but the boy undoubtedly enjoyed a happy time with Leslie.

Leslie hoped that his last movie "Once a Thief" would be a big success. His wish was answered. "Once a Thief" was very well accepted by audiences since it was premiered on Lunar New Year, 2 February 1991. The film was at the peak of the box office list. Everybody said that the film maestro John Woo showed his brilliance again in "Once a Thief" and was surprised with his humorous sense of action.

Life in Vancouver

Leslie wanted to be an ordinary guy. He left Hong Kong one day. There was not even a fan at the airport as he gave the media a false departure date, as he did not want to see any of his fans fainting or crying over his departure for Canada. The flight took more than 10 hours. Finally the airplane landed at Vancouver airport. Leslie liked to make West Vancouver his home.

One day Leslie was at the Vancouver Airport, as he wanted to pick up one of his friends. The airport was busy as usual. Leslie was all-alone after he parked his car. Then, a middle-aged Asian woman saw him and kept looking at him while trying to recall his name with the pondering look on her face. When she remembered that he was Cheung Kwok Wing, the famous singer from Hong Kong, she looked at him again quickly. Leslie was looking at her too and he gave her a smile as if he had wanted to say "Ah ha! Now you can remember," The woman told her niece who lives in Malaysia about this meeting with Leslie, knowing that her niece is a faithful fan of him since 1977.

Today's city, Vancouver. A glance at the past, a nod to the future. The Pacific Northwest of Canada in all its ethic diversity has became the desired location for many. Nature has smiled on Vancouver: a backdrop of undulating mountains changes colour throughout the day, azure, purple, green and sometimes swathed in misty grey. Maple trees are everywhere. The sea, silver-sparkled or steel grey laps at the city's shore. Forest of ancient trees and of imaginative buildings emphasizes Vancouver's double-sided lifestyle: a West Coast love of outdoor leisure, combined with an urbanity which fairly reflect a 21st century lifestyle. Just 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of the U.S. border, the city is the second largest seaport in North America. The terminal at Canada Place is home base for several Alaskan cruise ships. Vancouver became a city since 1867. In 1991, the city became the most important city in West Canada.

In Hong Kong, the Canto pop music industry was declining. Many Hong Kong singers started to sing Mandarin songs. Since this time a just so-so singer won so many awards, even if his albums were not always top the best selling, he always won the most awards. Media stations were giving out awards to those singers who had good relations with them. This was one of the things that Leslie avoided and at that point in time, Leslie was in Vancouver. Many true music observers remarked that popular singers of the 90s such as the "Four Heavenly Kings" (namely Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai) were monotonous and lifeless. The "Four Heavenly Kings" sang and acted but without any vitality. The music observers said that pop singers in the 80s had to prove themselves by their performance and capabilities and Leslie was a good example.

Money was the leading element in the 90's and hence, everybody was commercialized. In comparison, Leslie's performance in concerts was always culturally communicative and colourful whereas the showbiz stars of the 90s did not possess such qualities. So, it was a big loss to the Hong Kong music industry for they do not have Leslie anymore. And Leslie might leave the entertainment circle, but gossip and rumour have never leaved his life. A media wrote that Leslie had married secretly while another media wrote that he had AIDS. However Leslie did not bother about these rumours and he continued to live calmly in Canada.

Leslie traveled extensively in Canada. He visited house galleries, exclusive boutiques, trendy shops, restaurants, parks, Chinatown and did sightseeing around the country. He said, "While was traveling around in Canada, I never thought I would return to Hong Kong" as he felt that Vancouver was the right place for him to stay. Vancouver is pretty and quiet and it was easy for him to make friends because it is much more 'hang-loose' than Hong Kong. He experienced calmness and serenity and therefore there was no pressure. He woke up in the morning, had breakfast, went for a swim, played tennis or meeting up with friends exchanging ideas on art and philosophy, sang karaoke and played mahjong. He also received invitations from his friends to dinner. He liked to read and he would read about philosophy book daily. Leslie liked the following ancient Chinese teachings - "You must feel happy spiritually, physically and you must have an instinct to succeed, hence you will be always young naturally". One day, as he was reading by the window of his home, there was a knock on the window's glass. He looked up and what he saw was the job of a squirrel. He was close to nature!

The above was his daily lifestyle in his big 2-storey house, which had a 180 degrees panoramic view vantage. Leslie stayed in the upper class area of West Vancouver. There was a hill behind his house. In his yard, there were many big trees and a swimming pool. He experienced the sense of freedom. His Western neighbours did not know that he was a great star of Hong Kong and they were surprised when they were informed by Hong Kong reporters. They commented that Leslie's way of life was very simple and wasn't similar to a star's lifestyle at all. Leslie studied film-making at Simon Fraser College in Vancouver. Some of the college students recognized Leslie as the super star and they found Leslie a very humble, caring and loving person. He was just like any other student there and never had the 'superstar' arrogance. He was seen driving a red sports car or walking on the street. At times there were busloads of tourists coming to his house to have a look where the "Legend Leslie Cheung" lived. It was unavoidable that Leslie's house in Vancouver became a tourist attraction. Once he was puffing his cigarette at his balcony, he noticed a busload of tourists approaching his home and the tourist guide shouted, "Look!! That is Cheung Kwok Wing". He was very shocked to see such scenario even though he had 'retired'.

One of Leslie's sisters lived in Vancouver; his 8th brother Didi Cheung and wife Carol Chow and their son Christopher as well as Daffy Tong also lived in Canada. Daffy Tong is Leslie's best partner. Daffy bought a house in Duchess Avenue, near to Leslie's house. As years went by, their love for each other grew deeper and they fought together against all odds to be together. Leslie worked hard to achieve success and wealth and on the other side, Daffy himself also achieved fortune by investing in stocks and real estate. Daffy managed Leslie's finance. Leslie felt safe to release money in Daffy's hands. He gained a lot of fortune in the share market through Daffy. However, Leslie preferred the more 'low-profile' investments. He remembered when he was shooting "A Better Tomorrow" there was an actor in that film who lost $10 million in one day in the share market. He preferred to buy an apartment or a house; renovated it and lived in it for a while before selling it for which he always obtained profit. Decorating a house was Leslie's hobby. Leslie almost opened a coffee shop in Canada (may be franchise of "Starbuck") but he cancelled the plan suddenly because of the worsened economic condition in Canada and he was afraid of losing his capital.

Leslie was always very friendly with his friends though he was such a big superstar and he was humble. Whenever they talked about dogs, his friends could easily feel that Leslie knew about dogs and loved them very much; he domesticated a collie not for fun but he seriously took care of it. Among all the dogs, Leslie preferred German Shepherd and Collies. He even attended a dog-training course in order to take care of the dog, which accompanied him while he was living in Canada. "I like to be the first one to train a dog, when I give my command, it would understand, but I don't like them following me too much because they have their own character. I may simply train them to stand up and sit down but the most important thing is one must have 'love' while one is domesticating a dog. I don't like to hear people saying a specific trainer is very good because he has trained the dog to do a lot of things, but as you know, the dog may have been beaten and I feel uneasy. I will use a better way to train the dog, if he is naughty, I will use a magazine to hit the table or sofa etc. and dogs would be scared of noises more than being beaten, if you have beaten him hard then this would arouse its temper and so it is not good to beat him", said Leslie. It was very obvious that he loved dogs very much. He said that dogs were human's best company.

Best Actor Award

April 1991, the jurors of the 10th Hong Kong Film Award, one of them was DoDo Cheng, chose Leslie as the 1991 Hong Kong Best Actor from "Days of Being Wild". Everybody thinks this award was the only HKFAA award for Leslie as he had retired from showbiz. The film "Days of Being Wild" won 5 awards: best film, best director, best actor, best artistic and best screenplay. The best actress award went to Dodo Cheng although she was also a juror member. The award for Leslie was a form of appreciation from the film industry that Leslie longed for a long time. He attended the Hong Kong film festivals for 3 consecutive times in the past when he was nominated as best actor but he went home empty handed for these 3 times. When he finally won, he could not receive the award personally. Alan Tang received it on his behalf. Some Hong Kong reporters flew to Canada to interview the Best Actor of this year, Leslie Cheung. Leslie said "Thank You" when the reporter congratulated him. He said he intentionally did not want to return to Hong Kong to attend the festival because people would say that the results were predetermined so Leslie was reluctant to embark on the long journey to attend the festival. If he did return to Hong Kong, he would be embarrassed if he did not win.

He was further asked whether he would act in any new film and whether he had any plans to return to Hong Kong. Leslie replied that if he ever returned to Hong Kong, it's only to visit his friends like Chow Yun Fat, Cherie Chung and Florence Chan. He had no plans to act in any movie.

The reporter asked him whether he bother if people would criticize him when he returned to act in a movie. Leslie replied that people would say anything according to their will, this life was short and he would not be sad because of critics from other people. He also said, shrugging his shoulder, that the most important thing was to feel happy. He added that if he wanted to return, he would not care what people said. "When I retired in the past I felt that I did not want to be in the entertainment industry anymore," he said. However, he was not able to forget the film world. He added that there was nothing wrong to make one or two films per year if the script was good.

The reporter advised Leslie that people had seen him walking with a woman hand in hand. In addition, it was reported that they lived under the same roof. Leslie replied that he had lived with her for 3 months and she was not an artist. He knew her since they were children and had known each other for more than 30 years and the woman had a husband and children who lived with her. Then the reporter concluded that she was not Leslie's girlfriend. Leslie only wanted to fool the reporter who thought that Leslie had a girlfriend. The reporter further queried Leslie whether he had found any girlfriend? Leslie replied that he had just lived there for several months and although Vancouver girls were so open minded and very pretty, they weren't his favourite type. He would prefer to choose an oriental woman as a girlfriend.

Charity Show

Summer 1991, there was a flood disaster in Eastern China. Leslie joined Patrick Tse Yin, Deborah (wife of Patrick Tse Yin), Lydia Shum and other immigrated Hong Kong artistes to Canada in 'Wah Tung Flood Charity Function'. The function was held in Convention Centre, Robson Square, Vancouver on 17 August 1991. It was aimed to raise funds to help the flood victims through the sale of tickets for this event. Another form of raising fund was that an individual could take a picture with the celebrity of his/her choice by donating a certain amount. On that day many people attended the karaoke performance of many Hong Kong stars. Leslie was the most eye-catching one among all the artistes. In the first show, Leslie was the Master of Ceremony and he did not sing as he had already 'retired'. The audience was very excited to see him whenever he went on the stage.

After the karaoke show, there was another programme whereby the individuals could take pictures with their favourite stars. One had to pay C$150 for taking a picture. Leslie was again the most eye-catching artiste. Most of the audiences were fans of Leslie as many of them queued up to register their names to take pictures with him. Leslie and the other artistes were seated down to take pictures with their fans. There was a long queue. A fan was so nervous that she became speechless when she sat side by side with Leslie when taking the picture. That fan only uttered "How are you?" and had forgotten to shake hand with Leslie. In return, Leslie gently said, "How are you?". He was a gentleman and his smile was just breathtaking. He looked boyishly young and extremely handsome in real life. That fan was amazed that his skin complexion was excellent. Another fan was very nervous as she walked into the room where the camera was all set up and Leslie was there. He was sitting by a table with two tea-cups which were deliberately set up for the picture-taking. That fan was so nervous that she did not dare to look at him in the eye. When she finally looked at him, she was completely stunned. He was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. The word 'handsome' did not do him any justice. He had well-defined facial features and a pair of gorgeous eyes. He said "Thank You" and that fan replied the same and gave him a quick smile and left.

In the second show, Leslie was again one of the MCs. He was so funny especially when he hosted the game show. After completing his job, he went behind the stage to change his clothes and was about to leave. At that time, he heard that someone requested him to sing and had wanted to donate C$100,000. It was great that Leslie decided to sing "When Wind Blows Again" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" to raise funds for the flood victims. The audiences were delighted because it was the very first time that Leslie sang after his retirement. He sang well with fascinating body movements. There was a pair of twin sisters among the audiences. They had left Hong Kong in 1982 to San Francisco and they became Leslie's fans in 1986 after watching "A Better Tomorrow". They attended Leslie's 1988 and 1989 concerts in San Francisco and Vancouver respectively and these concerts were very memorable to them. They sensed that Leslie really appreciated his fans. At the San Francisco concert when Leslie was about to sing the last song, someone from the balcony shouted, "Sing an English song". The twins saw that Leslie had politely requested Chris Babida to stop playing the music and said, "If you want me to sing an English song, I will sing you one". He sang "Memories". The twins were so thrilled in early spring of 1999 for they accidentally met Leslie in a restaurant in San Francisco. One of the twins was courageous to go to his table and asked, "Leslie, can I have your autograph please?" Leslie was sitting with a group of friends and he was very friendly and replied "Of course, no problem". The twins could not sleep that night because they were very happy. The twins immigrated to Vancouver in 1989. Their exciting moment was when they were taking a photo with Leslie in Vancouver on 17 August 1991. When they stepped into the room, Leslie said "Wow, you guys are twins! Why don't one of you sit here and the other one stand here." That picture was placed in the center of the twin's room!

Reasons To Return

John Woo said that he, Wong Kar Wai and other top directors had wanted Leslie to return to Hong Kong to act in movies. At that time, John Woo became Hollywood's hot property and he did his best to persuade Leslie to return to Hong Kong. However, in spite of the worsened Canadian economic environment, Leslie was reluctant to return to Hong Kong. John Woo together with his wife even visited Leslie to persuade him to return to Hong Kong. There was a sudden earthquake in Vancouver at the time of their arrival. Leslie quickly held John Woo and his wife with his arms, trying to protect them. John Woo felt that Leslie's arm was trembling and he knew that Leslie was afraid but he knew that Leslie was always caring about other people first. John Woo was really impressed by Leslie. Leslie answered John's query - "I thought it would be difficult, as I was not sure what the response would be".

Raymond Wong Pak Ming had set up a new film company, 'Regal Film', and one morning he came to visit Leslie and asked whether Leslie would be interested to join him and return to the film world. A new producer Hsu Feng offered Leslie to star in "Farewell My Concubine" which would be directed by Chen Kaige, the Chinese director who was famous for his film "Yellow Earth". It was the second time that Leslie was offered to act in the film, which he had read the novel 10 years ago. In this film, there was a controversial theme, which was about homosexuality and Leslie said that he did not care whatever role he was offered as long as the script was good. It was that theme which had attracted him and also the chance to work with one of China's leading directors and cinematographers who were too good to forego. "It was a very rare opportunity for a Hong Kong person to work with the top guys in China", he said. "Hopefully, there will be more of this case. I think Hong Kong movies are going downhill. They are too commercial. I hate them. But this script was excellent and I thought it would be a good idea to work with them. After all, 1997 is drawing near," he said.

Many Hong Kong artistes had worries as to what would happen to the Hong Kong film industry when the British Authorities returned Hong Kong to People's Republic of China. While his days of being wild were simmering to more serious times, Leslie had no qualms about the way he wanted his life and career to go. In addition, there were really too many offers from Hong Kong for e.g. the request from Raymond Wong. Chen Kaige's first choice of actor to play in "Farewell My Concubine" was John Lone. John Lone, a Chinese actor, who had his career in Hollywood, was also keen in the role in "Farewell my Concubine".

Leslie did not like to fight with others and so he stepped back. John Lone's representative faxed John's willingness to cut the remuneration from US$1,800,000 to US$1,500.000. Beaming with happiness, Ms. Hsu Feng was rumored to have increased the capital for investment cooperation between Tomson (Hsu Feng's company) and John Lone. However, the cooperation ended in a disaster due to the harsh supplementary conditions of John's proposal. Then one day, Chen Kaige received a Hong Kong magazine from a friend. On the cover page was a photo of Leslie playing the role of "Dan" in the Beijing opera "Qishuanghui". There was a short caption below the picture, "Kaige, aren't you fascinated"? Chen Kaige decided to have Leslie for the film. They asked Leslie again for the second time. "All right" - Leslie thought that what they wanted was to make a good film based on the good script and he finally accepted Chen Kaige's offer. Before their collaboration, Leslie watched several Chen's films and he realized that Chen had his own dream. Somehow Leslie found it amazing and he remarked that if something was meant for you, then it would be yours in any way. "I believe in fate - it seems like some kind of strange power, trying to grab me back." It was an offer that he could not refuse. "I never thought that I would return to Hong Kong", he said.

Leslie related how he woke up one morning and he could not take the lifestyle there anymore. The man who usually chooses his words so carefully, casually adds a four letter expletive word to emphasize just how boring his life was? Leslie was lucky as the value of his house was appreciating though there was a downward trend in the prices of houses in Vancouver. He stayed in Vancouver for 9 months and he was bored with life there. He thought it was too early to have such a peaceful life. Leslie was attracted to changes in life. He focused more on acting after winning a HKFAA award. He happily retired from his singing career and went on to the silver screen.

Leslie visited Patrick Tse Yin's house in Vancouver and he had close friendship with Patrick's wife, Deborah and her son, Nicholas. At Patrick's house he met his old friend, Cha Siu Yan, a DJ from Hong Kong and they hugged each other. When Cha Siu Yan learnt that he was returning to shoot Hsu Feng's "Farewell My Concubine", she clapped her hands because in her opinion, Leslie was really too young to retire. Cha Siu Yan met Leslie when he wasn't well known. After he became popular with the song "Monica", Leslie specially ordered a new designed mirror from Germany for her and presented it to her on the anniversary reception of the weekly magazine she was working for. She was flattered by his action and the guests envied her. When Leslie was holding his first concert, she was involved in the preparation of a booklet. It was a delightful experience. He was punctual and he prepared different sets of outfits to match the background of each particular area. Leslie chose the magazine which Cha Siu Yan was working on taking exclusive pictures of his new house. Leslie invited her to drink pork liver soup made by his beloved nanny, Luk Che. However, they did not see eye to eye over work matters and soon developed conflicts and both parties had issued letters from their respective lawyers. Their friendship came to an end at one time but it was rekindled for unknown reasons. Cha Siu Yan felt that she owed Leslie too much for she had asked him to be on the cover page of the inaugural issue of her self-invested weekly magazine and he had accepted without any hesitation. He also borrowed his eldest sister's house as the location in which he had made many carefree but gracious poses. Cha Siu Yan was invited to attend his farewell concert but she declined as she strongly disagreed with his decision to retire. She also declined the invitation to the party after the concert. Cha Siu Yan said happily, "See you in Hong Kong, Leslie".

Back to Film

'Film is his world' - Leslie decided to return to Hong Kong in September. Once more, he packed his bags to face a dramatic change of lifestyle. He gave his collie to a friend because he knew that the collie dog would lose its natural beauty in the climate of Hong Kong. Leslie acted in the "The Banquet" movie which was directed by Tsui Hark and three other Hong Kong directors together with other Hong Kong actors who were not paid as it was on a charity basis. All proceeds from "The Banquet" would go to the flood victims. The movie was produced within 7 days. Leslie only appeared in two scenes. He played as the big brother of the new Pepsi star, Aaron Kwok in one scene. "The Banquet" was screened for the first time on 30 November 1991. Then Leslie signed a contract with Raymond Wong's Regal Film, stipulating that he would act in 6 films for Regal and would earn HKD 5 million per title inclusive of monthly salary and Leslie could choose the script and director with the possibility that he might direct one of the films. His 7th brother - Eddie Cheung Fat Wing who is one of Hong Kong's famous 'feng shui' masters remarked that Leslie should not return to Hong Kong as he felt something bad for Leslie. Leslie still often flew to Vancouver and lived there for some time.

"Days of Being Wild" was nominated for many categories including the nomination of the best actor award for Leslie. A reporter informed Leslie who was at Vancouver at that time. Leslie faxed his hand-written reply to the reporter as follows:

Leslie flew back to Hong Kong to act in "All's Well that Ends Well", a film produced by Regal to usher in 1992 Chinese New Year. The first place in Hong Kong that he went to was Ken Qi Salon as he was a loyal customer. He said that the Canadians did not care much about appearance, but being an actor, he did care about his appearance. He created a new image by wearing glasses which was different to his previous style before he went to Canada. He also visited Landmark and Prince's Building - his favourite places for shopping. In the making of "All's Well that Ends Well", Leslie met Stephen Chow, the top comedian actor at that time, as well as his old friends - Maggie Cheung and Sandra Ng and his ex-girlfriend, Teresa Mo. Stephen Chow was a quiet guy behind the scene. He admired Leslie and the two became good friends. Stephen received HK$8 million to act in this film, while some actors including Andy Lau remarked that Stephen was overpaid then. However Leslie remarked that Stephen deserves the amount because the Hong Kong box office record was held by him.

When Leslie returned to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong film entertainment was under the pressure of mafia gangs. Many film companies were extorted by 'mafias' for smoothes, during the shooting process on the location. Two negative reels of "All's Well That Ends Well' were seized by five masked men. They broke through to the editing studio at one o'clock in the morning. Eight studio employees were forced to enter a workroom and were tied up. Then the editing official was forced to show where the negative film was located. After getting the film negative, they ran away. The cause for the negative film robbery by the 'mafia' was because someone wanted to 'borrow' Leslie from Regal to act in his film. The request was not accepted and hence the robbery. Tsui Hark said that this was the very first time that such an event happened in the film history of Hong Kong. The following day, Clifton Ko (director of "All Well that Ends Well") received a threat through a phone call to discontinue the making of this film.

Protestation was demonstrated by a number of producers, directors, crews and artistes. The legislative assemblies appealed to the government to handle this matter seriously. Demonstrators gathered at Central District and moved on to the police station in Wan Chai District. A senior director suggested a competent party to probe and investigate into this matter thoroughly and also to collect data of all firm companies in Hong Kong, identifying its benefactors. The data gathered could be used as a guide for further investigation. In other words, it was time for the film companies to reveal their complete identities. It was fortunate for the producer of "All's Well that Ends Well" that the stolen negative films were not edited. Clifton Ko had to re-shoot some of the missing scenes on a secret location.

Healthy Image

Leslie was chosen as one of the 10 'healthiest' celebrities, The "Healthy Image Campaign" organized by Commercial Broadcasting conveyed important messages to the younger generation in the local community. A sum of $230,000 was raised for the environmental protection group, "Green Power" through the "Healthy Image Campaign". The two-month long campaign reached its climax at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Excitement mounted among the audiences (as most of whom had already casted their votes in the campaign) as their names were being announced.

The appearance of Leslie was a surprise treat for the audiences. "I think the Healthy Image Award is quite different from the others that I had earlier received, and I'm very pleased that I won," the former pop idol said.

Ms. Winnie Yu, director and general manager of Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting said that there were important messages behind the campaign. "The award was partly aimed at keeping up with the social trend in environmental protection, but we also wanted to encourage artistes to pay more attention to their style and image," Ms. Yu said. She added that the morale of today's youngsters was very low with many suicidal cases. "We wanted to present them a more optimistic and a healthier outlook on life".

Two Losses

On 7 December 1991, Leslie with a group of artistes from Hong Kong attended "Golden Horse Award" in Taiwan. In this year, the Asia Pacific Film Festival" was also held in Taipei at the same time with the "Golden Horse Award". Leslie was nominated as the 'best actor' at the "Golden Horse Award Presentation" and at the "Asia Pacific Film Festival Award Presentation". It was often the case that if an artiste was nominated at two award presentations, he/she would receive an award at either one presentation. At the Golden Horse Award Presentation, Jackie Chan and Brigitte Lin were the presenters. Brigitte made a mistake and announced that Leslie Cheung was the winner. However, the winner was a Taiwanese actor. Once again, Leslie was disappointed with the "Golden Horse Award" result and he was very embarrassed. Then came the "Asia Pacific Film Festival Presentation". "Days of Being Wild" was accorded many awards. Everyone at the back stage knew the result. Alan Tang, the producer of "Days of Being Wild", after receiving an award smiled at Leslie with his thumb up. Tina Lau (seated next to Leslie) told Leslie to "Get ready! It's your turn now". However, to Leslie's surprise the winner was a Korean actor. "It is really embarrassing that everybody thought I would win but I didn't", said Leslie.

The Old Feeling

Leslie confided to Teresa Mo that sometimes friends misunderstood him and he wanted to clear the misunderstanding. He said that he would talk and explain to them. He found that they could understand each other better after talking and the friendship would last longer. He said that Anita Mui had misunderstood him before. For example, he took her to a press conference. She told him that she was not happy with him as he had left her alone, even for a while. Teresa Mo advised that it was good that Anita could talk to him so frankly. Leslie responded that she cared for him and she wanted to be with him all the time. Leslie and Teresa soon became very good friends again during their collaboration in the movie "All's Well that Ends Well". At that time, Teresa Mo was just divorced and was very depressed. Leslie tried to comfort her by taking her out to dinner and parties. In a Chinese Club, Leslie asked Teresa, "Do you like this place?" Teresa answered "Yes" and then Leslie signaled to the captain and told him, "Whenever Teresa Mo comes here for dinner, charge it to my account by all means". Then there was another incident that Teresa would never forget when Leslie invited her to a Christmas party. Leslie found her very down-hearted at the party and he then told her "I'll be with you every Christmas for the rest of our lives". Teresa was very touched. Leslie said that Teresa was still his lover in a way, his best friend and also his younger sister. Leslie used to call Teresa "Honey" and she called him "Son". They also shared funny things when they were playing 'mahjong'. Leslie and Teresa were perfect partners and they were very fast players too (only smart guys play fast). They liked to sing Chinese opera songs during the 'mahjong' game. Their friends would complain that they were too fast and too noisy. Brigitte Lin 'protested' after two rounds of the game, "I feel dizzy, I couldn't stand you two any more". Carina Lau heaved a long sigh of relief after finishing the game. So, Leslie warned those friends who were not smart enough not to play 'mahjong' with them. Leslie loved Daffy so much that they could not be separated. Teresa Mo knew all these facts and hence it was very difficult for her to rekindle the same old feeling when she was Leslie's girlfriend, but she treasured their friendship very much.

Although Leslie had left the music industry, it was very obvious that he had opened a way to Hong Kong singers in the 90s. Leslie's first and second albums in Korea sold about 300,000 copies and 150,000 copies respectively. As a result of Leslie's success, the albums of the Four Heavenly Kings were able to achieve a good sale record of between 15,000 to 20,000 copies. As for Leslie's first album in Korea, the sales figure for his Chinese albums was close to 10 times than that of the Western albums. This was because the radio stations (which had a great influence in the music industry) hardly played any Chinese songs at all. Hence, 10,000 Chinese albums were considered equivalent to 100,000 Western albums being sold. According to the rationale, the sales of Leslie's albums had virtually amounted to 3,000,000 which was really an amazing record in Korea.

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