17th Anniversary of the Death of Leslie Cheung... 'Farewell My Concubine' Re-release Delayed Due to COVID-19 Impact

Movie 'In Ji-gu' Leslie Cheung and Maggie Cheung / Photo by movie 'In Ji-gu' Leslie Cheung and Maggie Cheung still cut

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] The Hong Kong actor and singer the late Zhang Guorong, who gave a passionate performance in the film 'Farewell My Concubine The Original,' was scheduled to be released today (the 1st) but has been postponed due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The film was originally scheduled to be released on April 1, but the release was postponed to May due to the COVID-19 situation.

The 'Farewell My Concubine The Original' team stated, "After the recent escalation of COVID-19 to a serious level and the situation not calming down, we judged that it would be difficult to proceed with the release as planned, so we made this decision."

Meanwhile, Zhang Guorong passed away after falling from a hotel in Hong Kong on April 1, 2003. He was 47 years old at the time of his death, and this year marks the 17th anniversary of his passing.

Since the date of Zhang Guorong's death was also April Fools' Day, many people initially took the news as a joke when it was first reported. After it was confirmed that his death was real, fans in Hong Kong, the Chinese-speaking world, and around the globe were shocked.

Zhang Guorong debuted in 1976 by placing second in the Hong Kong ATV Asia Music Contest and led the golden age of Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s.

He gained recognition with director John Woo's 'A Better Tomorrow' in 1986, and in 1987, he became famous across Asia for his excellent chemistry with Joey Wong in 'A Chinese Ghost Story.' He later left many masterpieces such as 'As Tears Go By,' 'Farewell My Concubine,' and 'Happy Together,' earning the love of the public.