Disrupting the sword
TheWuxialegacy of Adam Cheng and the embodiment of Hong Kong cultural memory
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5675016 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nathan To (Ronin Institute, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 268-275 |
| Publication date | 2019-04-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Celebrity Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1939-2397 • E-ISSN: 1939-2400 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19392397.2019.1601425 |
| OpenAlex | W2936865119 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 13 |
Through the legacy of classic Hong Kong star Adam Cheng, I explore the extraordinary/ordinary paradox of Cheng’s celebrity image embodied in his youxia roles (knight-errant) within the wuxia martial arts genre for television and cinema. In particular, I explore how Cheng’s image can be seen as a nostalgic allegory for the cultural memory of Hong Kong’s Golden Age (1970’s-1990’s).In light of Adam Cheng’s impact on Hong Kong popular culture, I start by focusing on Cheng’s stardom in relation to the early Golden Age (70’s-80s) and the emergence of a cross-media star system of hybrid “actor-singers” that endures as an international exemplar of celebrity success today. Then, by assembling a collage composed of Adam Cheng’s stardom, his “real-life” drama, and the fantasy embodied through his youxia roles, this paper also juxtaposes a critically reflexive gaze that deconstructs the nostalgia embodying Cheng’s celebrity, the fantasy of wuxia, and HK’s Golden Age. For instance, I highlight the classic Hong Kong film, The Sword (1980), and offer an analysis through director Patrick Tam’s auteurial lens and the performativity of swordplay. These intersections interrogate the specific version of wuxia performed in HK television/cinema and the sociocultural dualities often rendered forgotten in historical memory. Ultimately, this paper invites readers to engage the extraordinary and ordinary visions of HK cultural memory, embodied through the nostalgia of Adam Cheng’s celebrity. This welcomes readers to hold delight, caution and reflexivity in equal measure when summoning nostalgic remembrance
Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Drama · Fantasy · Knight · Literature · Movie theater · Sociology · SWORD · Vision · Anthropology · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Cinema and Media Studies · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2024 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |