It’s been 20 years since Leslie Cheung, one of the first Cantopop stars in Hong Kong to open up about his sexuality, jumped to his death from a balcony at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. He left a note saying that he was suffering from depression. Life hadn’t been easy for the queer singer, who openly admitted to his bisexuality and relationship with Daffy Tong at a time when Hong Kong was still very conservative about non-heteronormativity.
Two decades on, the city’s love for him hasn’t faded. His death date this year was honoured by an exhibition, the broadcasting of his films, concerts and television shows, and a tribute concert by Canto-pop star Janice Vidal. Cheung’s sexual orientation and flamboyant public persona, which were considered controversial back then, are now celebrated by the city: his gender-fluid looks, such as the skirts and red high heels he wore in what would prove to be some of his last concerts; his queer film roles, including in the 1997 Wong Kar-wai drama Happy Together and Chen Kaige’s 1993 film Farewell, My Concubine; and his song Chase for the gender-bending 1994 film He’s a Woman, She’s a Man. Plus, of course, he was a hugely successful singer.
While his achievements in the film and television industry (2021), or, the most popular Taiwanese film of 2020—a similar impact has not been evident in the music world.
