On April 1, 2003, a bombshell hit all the Hong Kong newspapers: "Artiste Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, fell to his death in the evening on the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Central Plaza at the age of 46."
Legendary superstar Leslie Cheung died in a strange manner, and the sudden and tragic news shocked the world. Just when everyone was still speculating whether it was an April Fool's Day joke, the Hong Kong police announced the death of Leslie Cheung.
On this day, April 1, what sudden event made Zhang Guorong instantly collapse? He chose to take a leap of faith, leaving the world with too many mysteries and giving the media tremendous news value. The twisted railings at the scene, as well as the crimson blood stains, were exposed by the media.
Exploring the cause of Zhang's death has also become the hottest topic in all media. Some eyewitnesses claimed that they heard Zhang arguing with his friends at the club at that time, and then the accident happened. At the same time, the media published the well-known suicide note:
Around this suicide note, rumors spread that Zhang was trapped in love, which eventually led to tragedy.
In the face of the media's catching wind and shadow, Tang Hedong had to come forward to clarify: "My feelings with my brother have not changed, and he is definitely not because of emotional problems. You said before the third party, this matter is completely inaccurate reports come." However, his words did not allow the media to stop speculating about the rumors of a love affair.
Until the day of Zhang Guorong's funeral when Tang Heide showed up again, some media had to shut up. Because everyone saw, just the past 7 days, Tang Hede unexpectedly because of excessive grief thin to dehumanization, emaciated to the need to be assisted. Throughout the funeral process, Tang Hede's eyes never left Zhang Guo Rong's statue.
Seeing all this, who would still believe that there is a so-called love affair between the two? And that widely circulated suicide note is actually fake. The last letter was not written by Leslie Cheung, who had always addressed him as "Mr. Cheung" instead of "Cheung".
About the cause of death of Leslie Cheung, in addition to the "love affair", there are "too deep into the drama", "hit the evil" and other more outrageous claims. These rumors are related to the last movie he starred in, "The Other Side".
The media speculated that Zhang was too y involved in the movie and could not detach himself from the role, thus ending his life by jumping off a building like the hero in the movie. A professional actor should not only know how to get into the movie, but also know how to get out of the movie. The idea that you would choose to end your life because you acted in a movie is too far-fetched.
All kinds of strange theories filled the media, is tantamount to Zhang Guorong's blasphemy again. However, in the face of the media's all kinds of nonsense, Zhang Guorong's family has always remained silent, until the day of the funeral. On behalf of his family, Cheung's beloved niece Mak Ka-hin explained his death:
On April 8, the day of Cheung's funeral, tens of thousands of people gathered on both sides of the road at the Hong Kong Funeral Parlour to bid farewell to the legendary superstar. All the elites of Hong Kong's show business circle, including seniors who had retired for many years, also came to the scene.
It is said that only in the year of Bruce Lee's funeral, there was such a scene. On that day, all the white flowers in Hong Kong were sold out just because they were Leslie Cheung's favorite in life.
Depression, is the family's explanation for the death of Leslie Cheung. This statement is also confirmed by Tiffany Chan. Chen Shufen followed Zhang as an agent for more than two decades, she witnessed the pain that depression brought to Zhang's mental and physical say.
"Every time he had an attack, all his tendons hurt as if they were going to tear his flesh apart." And it was often accompanied by severe insomnia, hand tremors and acid reflux. All the torment finally made Zhang break down.
Although Leslie Cheung's private life was infinitely magnified by the media and endlessly talked about and criticized, his psychological problems were mercilessly ignored. How brilliant he was in front of people, how miserable he was afterward. Such a destiny is doomed from the day when Leslie Cheung stepped into the entertainment circle.
On September 12, 1956, Leslie Cheung was born into a wealthy family. His father, Cheung Woon-Hoi, was a famous tailor and foreign clothing merchant. Even famous Hollywood movie stars like Marlon Brando and Garry Glitter used to come to him for clothes.
Cheung's mother, Poon Yuk Wah, gave birth to 10 children in one ****, 3 of whom unfortunately died young. Zhang was the youngest, and was called "Ten Boys" by his family. According to reason, Zhang Guorong should be set a thousand favorites in one, but the fact is not so.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Wu Hai were busy with their business, so they left their children in the care of the child's grandmother. The only time they come back for a family reunion is when they go home for the Spring Festival every year. Even in this rare time, "ten" face only every day drunken father and cold as ice mother.
Zhang Wu Hai was a famous playboy, not only married to two aunts, but also a constant affair. All this makes the life of his wife Pan Yuhua very unpleasant. In addition to her husband's love, nothing seems to make this woman happy, including her own little son.
The old adage of mother and son's love for each other didn't seem to come true for Cheung and his mother. at the age of 13, Cheung left the warmth-less home without looking back, and went to England to study on his own. After finishing secondary school in England, he entered the University of Leeds to study textiles. For this experience, Zhang Guorong later recalled:
If nothing happens, Zhang Guorong is likely to follow his father's footsteps and become a fashion designer. But just after his freshman year of college, his father suffered a stroke that left him in critical condition and he had to return to Hong Kong. Although his father later recovered, his studies were interrupted.
After returning to Hong Kong, he tried to live with his parents, but the relationship soon deteriorated and he moved out of the house. In order to make a living Cheung became a hawker, selling shoes and jeans. As the lowest class in Hong Kong at the time, his future was bleak and his life was in limbo.
In 1977, at the age of 21, Leslie Cheung participated in the "Asian Singing Contest" organized by the TV station, and won the second place in Hong Kong, which made him sign up as a TV artist.
When he first started out, he was an unknown singer who had to sing in bars and restaurants to make a living. One of his worst moments was when he threw his hat at the audience on a whim while singing on stage.
Unexpectedly, the audience did not appreciate, the hat was thrown back to the stage. In the midst of laughter, he insisted on singing the entire song, and then rushed backstage, crying.
In his early years, Leslie Cheung had no audience, and all he got on stage were boos and jeers. It was not until 1983, after years of drifting, that he finally shot to fame with The Wind Continues to Blow.
After he became famous in the singing world, Zhang's movie journey was not smooth. 1986, Zhang made his debut with John Woo in the movie "Heroes", and although he tried his best, he lost all his color in front of Chow Yun-Fat, who was in the middle of his career.
Zhang, who was a big hit in the singing world, was left out in the cold by moviegoers, and he was depressed for a while. John Woo saw his mind and had a long talk with him, hoping that he could see his own strengths, do not be presumptuous. This heartfelt conversation allowed Zhang to rediscover his confidence.
In 1987, he worked with Joey Wong on Sinister Spirit. The movie made Wang Zuxian famous, but Zhang's progress in acting didn't get noticed. Then he worked with Anita Mui on Rouge Buckle. The movie received a huge response when it was released, but the audience's attention went back to Anita Mui, and he was lost again.
In 1990, Cheung finally encountered Wong Kar-wai's "Alfie Wong". After making this movie, at the age of 34, Cheung announced his retirement from singing.
The success of "Alfie's Story" aroused the passion of Leslie Cheung, and he decided to go all out in the movie industry. He then starred in movies such as "The Four Seas" and "Family Affair", and in 1993 and 1994, he starred in "Farewell My Concubine" and "The Golden Bough" respectively.
Especially in the movie "Farewell My Concubine", Zhang played the role of Cheng Dieyi who sang the flower girl, and his exceptionally gorgeous costume, dreamlike singing voice, and androgynous style amazed all the viewers. This movie also became the peak of his acting career. However, the movie, which he considered to be his most successful work, lost many awards due to its sensitive subject matter.
The only movie that brought Zhang Guorong the honor of "movie star" is "Alfie's Story", which tells a story of pursuit and loss. Some say it's Wong Kar-wai's autobiographical movie, but it's like the whole life of Leslie Cheung, including his longing for his mother's love.
In the movie, Xu Zai spends his life frantically searching for his birth mother, but in the end, he finds nothing; and Zhang Guorong, in reality, rarely receives his mother's love and care, and the relationship between mother and son is as cold as a guest. Zhang Guorong recalls:
After he became famous, he bought a high-class apartment and asked his mother to move in with him, hoping to make up for the regret of not having lived with his mother, but the two of them were so uncomfortable that they rarely even spoke. The mother's outward appearance and rawness, let Zhang Guo Rong heartbroken, he can only comfort himself that and his mother did not have a destiny.
Zhang Guorong once said in an interview about his life: "I grew up with my mother-in-law, the sixth sister. She loved me and brought me up. Because I belong to the unrelated with my father and mother."
The "sixth sister" in his words is the maid of the family, who has been taking care of him since he was very young, but the care of the sixth sister could not eliminate the shadow brought by the lack of mother's love. The family life is unfortunate, and his emotional life is also very difficult.
In 1977, Zhang Guorong, who had just started his career, met 17-year-old Mao Shunyun during a movie shoot. The two began dating soon after.
Getting along with Mo was the first love affair for Zhang after he entered the acting world, and he took the relationship very seriously. However, when he took the initiative to propose, the 17-year-old Mo Shun-筠 was so shocked that she never dared to meet him again, and the two broke up as a result.
Since then until 1992, the two collaborated on the "family" and only met again, although they did not become husband and wife, but became lifelong friends. After the death of Leslie Cheung, the blow to Teresa Mo was great, she said in an interview:
Some people even said that if Leslie Cheung and Teresa Mo had been able to make a success of their relationship, it would have changed his life, but it was a pity that Leslie Cheung was gone forever.
Leslie and Tang knew each other from a very young age, but they didn't meet until they were 20 years old. But they didn't have much interaction until they were 20 years old. It wasn't until December 9, 1982 that they met again at a party at the Regent Hotel and soon became good friends who joined hands for life.
Tang was a bank executive known as the "silver gray class", and his professionalism was well known in Hong Kong's financial circles at the time. But he gave up his future for Leslie Cheung.
In 1997, when their relationship became public, Tang was unable to work because of the paparazzi's fervor and had to give up his career. After his resignation, Tang Heide has been taking care of Cheung's personal belongings in addition to taking care of his life and living.
In the "Cross 97 Concert", Leslie gave a song "The Moon Represents My Heart" to two of the most important people in his life - his mother and Donald Trump. Kingston Cheung has always regarded his mother and Donald Tsang as his "greatest loves", but these two loves are unattainable, and one of them has been rejected by the world.
The emotional pain and suffering is not well understood. However, Zhang Guorong in the favorite singing career, also failed to get understanding.
In July 2000, Leslie organized a world tour of "Hot - Love". In order to present an audio-visual feast to the audience, he personally acted as the artistic director and invited fashion guru Paul Gaultier to be the costume designer.
On July 31, Leslie Cheung took the stage at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom. But the next day, he became the target of all Hong Kong. The problem was his long hair, and the Hong Kong media accused him of dressing in a misogynistic way, and of having a "bad sense of humor" about his concert style.
In the face of overwhelming media skepticism, Leslie responded calmly.
The Hong Kong media's attitude of arrogance is tantamount to secondary victimization of the sensitive Leslie Cheung. What public opinion recognizes is not him, Leslie Cheung, but the comments of outsiders.
The manager of the show, Sara Chan, believes that the insults he received from the media after the concert were the main reason why he suffered from depression.
In November 2001, he was invited by director Law Chi-Leung to star in the psychological suspense movie Alien Space, which was the last movie he appeared in.
At the end of the movie, the psychiatrist played by Leslie Cheung, who was overwhelmed by mental torture, went to the rooftop to prepare to end his life. What people didn't expect is that the end of the movie turned out to be a reality and became the end of Zhang's life.
The last two years of his life were arguably his darkest days. He revealed more than once to his close friends around him that he had been given a head drop in Thailand two years ago. Since then he has been frightened, sleepless nights, and nearly collapsed emotionally.
The so-called "headfall" is a kind of witchcraft circulating in Southeast Asia. Although the ghosts and monsters are not believed, it is an indisputable fact that Leslie Cheung has been suffering from mental torture in the last two years of his life.
In order to help himself, he kept looking for monks to exorcise the evil spirits, and he also looked for a psychiatrist, Dr. Philip McLean, to seek treatment. Although he exhausted all kinds of methods, but in the end, he could not escape.
In November 2002, he was hospitalized. That was the first time that Zhang tried to commit suicide because he was overwhelmed by depression, but fortunately, he was discovered by Donald Tsang in time, so that it did not lead to a tragedy. Yet no one was there for him when he chose to take the plunge the second time.
On April 1, 2003, at 11:00 pm, Cheung also met with his agent, Sara Chan, to meet at the Mandarin Hotel at around 6:00 pm. He then called Tang Heide and met up to play badminton together in the evening. From these details, we can see that Leslie Cheung was actually in a pretty good mood that day.
After going out, Cheung also had lunch with designer Mok Wah Ping, a close friend, at the Causeway Bay Hotel***. During this period, Mok Wah Ping also did not perceive any difference in Leslie Cheung.
At 4:00 in the evening, Leslie came to the gym on the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental to exercise as usual. The staff noticed that at this time, Leslie Cheung's mood began to become agitated. In particular, he appeared very troubled after making a phone call from the terrace.
This phone call, in the end, to whom? But so far there is no information to disclose who he was talking to on the phone. Afterward, Cheung left the gym and went to a suite on the same floor, then asked the waiter for a cup of coffee. At this point, it was already time for him to meet up with Chan Suk-fun, as he had agreed to do.
When Chan arrived at the appointment but did not see Cheung, she called him. Zhang told her that he had not parked his car and asked her to wait at the cab stand in front of the hotel. However, when Chen Shufen walked to the cab stand, Zhang Guorong had already crashed.
Subsequently, Cheung, who was lying on the ground, was found by passers-by and was rushed to Queen Mary Hospital. Doctors later confirmed that Leslie Cheung had died before arriving at the hospital. Tiffany Chan said Cheung had been holding out for a long time after his illness. But he had no way out, and at the time of his departure he had only boundless loneliness and helplessness, with not a single loved one around him that he could rely on.
Leslie Cheung's illness is not without reason, the lack of childhood affection, more than 20 years of rough star, not accepted love life and the pressure of public opinion, which is the last straw that crushed him, so that he was overwhelmed. 18 years ago on April Fool's Day, he was like a forever flying "footless bird", landing on the ground. The movie The Movie is a great example of a movie.
"I heard someone say that there is a kind of bird in the world that has no feet, and it keeps flying and flying, and when it gets tired of flying, it sleeps in the wind, and this kind of bird can only go down to the ground once in its life, and that time is when it dies."
"I heard someone say that there is a kind of bird in the world that has no feet, and that it flies, and when it gets tired, it sleeps in the wind.
Zhang Guorong, who took a leap of faith, was tired!
END.
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