Actors from Hong Kong who were household names in the 1990s and 200s are hot property again, this time in China, where they compete in song-and-dance reality-TV shows.
They were big in Hong Kong cinema in the 1990s and 2000s – and now these male actors are finding a new audience and fans in China. Stars like Jordan Chan Siu-chun and Michael Tse Tin-wah (both 54), made famous in the Hong Kong triad film series Young and Dangerous (1996-2000), have become overnight sensations in China after they won reality competition show Call Me by Fire last month. The show, like Sisters Who Make Waves, features experienced celebrities competing against one another – only this time, it’s only men. Other stars who took part – such as 50-year-old Julian Cheung Chi-lam, Jerry Lamb Hiu-fung (51) and Edmond Leung Hon-man (50) – joined Chan and Tse in spin-off show A Night at Greater Bay Area, which aired after the finale of Call Me by Fire. The latest stars from Hong Kong to make waves on the Chinese reality show landscape are 56-year-old Dicky Cheung Wai-kin and 59-year-old Francis Ng Chun-yu, who are in the second season of Shine! Super Brothers – another competition for older male celebrities. The show, which has been streaming on the YouTube-like platform Youku since November 20, is currently the third most watched variety show in China, according to Maoyan – a Chinese ticketing platform that ranks television programmes in terms of ratings.
