[FIELDWORK] Let the Bullets Fly, Kaiping Diaolou

Let the Bullets Fly , DIR. Jiang Wen (2010)            Kaiping Diaolou, Jiangmen , Guangdong, China Kaiping Diaolou cluster in Jiangmen Let the Bullets Fly is a 2010 Chinese action comedy film directed by Jiang Wen. The story starts with a bandit named Zhang Mazi, who impersonated official Ma Bangde to assume the position of county governor in Goose City. Out of a sense of justice, he fought with the local mobster boss, Master Huang, to protect the people’s safety. The film’s main plot was shot in the Kaiping Diaolou Cluster in Jiangmen, Guangdong, China. Kaiping

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[FIELDWORK] PACIFIC RIM, KOWLOON BAY

Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro, 2013 Pacific Rim was released by Warner Bros in 2013.Hong Kong is set as a background for the final combat scene between the protagonist, Warriors and antagonist, Kaiju which appears in the later stage of the film. The scene transitions to the cityscape of Hong Kong showing the transporting of Warriors into the lake of Kowloon Bay. The iconic night cityscape of Hong Kong can be seen in the background such as the tower for Bank Of China, the ICC tower and IFC, capturing the notable and iconic nightscape of Hong Kong. The sense of

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[FIELDWORK] INFERNAL AFFAIRS, GUANGDONG INVESTMENT TOWER

Infernal Affairs, DIR. ANDREW LAU AND ALAN MAK(2002)      Guangdong Investment Tower, Central and Western District, Hong Kong It is a story about Lau and Yan, who are both a mole, but on two opposing sides– the police and the gangster. The movie at the beginning gave the two characters a close up shot, representing that their faith is completely different. It is an exciting story between the searching and fighting against the two, and their “boss” behind Hon Sam and Wong Sir. There is a significant place which appears frequently in the movie. The “Guangdong Investment Tower” is

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[FIELDWORK] MADE IN HONG KONG, WO HOP SHEK CEMETERY

MADE IN HONG KONG, DIR. FRUIT CHAN (1997)        Wo Hop Shek Cemetery, North District, Hong Kong Made in Hong Kong, premiered in 1997, is an independent film written and directed by Fruit Chan. It narrates the story of a group of marginalized and disadvantaged young people in Hong Kong society — low-rent triad Autumn Moon, his retarded friend Sylvester, and his lover Ping, a patient with fatal kidney disease. Although they struggle to live, they are all driven to death in the end. With the film closely related to death, the Wo Hop Shek Cemetery1 is a critical

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[FIELDWORK] THE WAY WE ARE, Tin Shui Wai

THE WAY WE ARE, DIR. Ann Hui (2008)            Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long District, Hong Kong   The Way We Are, directed by Ann Hui, introduced the daily life of the grass-root family Cheung as a secondary student living with his mother Guai in a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai. Guai as a widow, worked in the supermarket while Cheung was waiting for the results of the exam. Their lives seem simple, but it is very fulfilling. An older woman, Leung, had just moved to Tin Shui Wai for a while and working in

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[FIELDWORK] FALLEN ANGELS, YUE MAN SQUARE

FALLEN ANGELS, DIR. WONG KAR WAI (1995)           Yue Man Square, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong Fallen Angels (1995) is a film which encompasses crime, romance and comedy. Two almost unrelated romantic storylines interlace with each other in the same locations. The first story commences with a female who is the agent of the killer (main character), cleaning a dingy and messy room. Obsessed with the killer, she fantasizes with his objects and the place he often goes. Events in the first story take place in Yue Man Square and the places nearby Kwun Tong, including the symbolic

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[FIELDWORK]RAISE THE RED LANTERN, QIAO FAMILY COURTYARD

RAISE THE RED LANTERN, DIR. ZHANG YIMOU (1991) Qiao Family Courtyard, Shanxi Province, China First released at Venice Film Festival in 1991, RAISE THE RED LANTERN tells a story about a female college student Songlian unwillingly marrying the landlord Chen as the fourth concubine during the Warlord era. After the marriage, Songlian experienced a lot of infighting with other concubines. In Chen’s rule, whenever he wanted to spend a night with someone, he let servants hang red lanterns over one’s room door. In that case, the red lantern symbolizes power in Chen’s family. In a series of chaotic events over

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[FIELDWORK] LIMBO, MEI KING MANSION

Limbo, DIR. CHEANG POU SOI (2021)            Mei King Mansion, To Kwa Wan District, Hong Kong Cham Lau finds and saves Wong To, who is running away from gang members and drug dealers, in Mei King Mansion. Scenes from Sun Entertainment Culture’s Limbo 2021, directed by Cheang Pou-soi.. Sun Entertainment Culture released Limbo in November 2021.  The film is a noir horror thriller set in a fictional country that has a large resemblance with Hong Kong.  Most scenes are shot in Kwun Tong and To Kwa Wan.  The first act of the movie takes place a black-and-white Aberdeen,

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[FIELDWORK] THE RED DUST, A TRADITIONAL APARTMRNT IN CHANGCHUN

THE RED DUST, DIR. YIM HO (1990) A Traditional Apartment, Changchun The most iconic scene on the balcony Apartment: conflict generator between private space and public space At a mere mention of romance movie, commonly, the first impression upon the plot is its core structure – a narration centred at a couple, a trinity or a more complex relationship, accompanied by extensions and developments to broader scenarios. Multiple devices would be employed to improve the tension of the film. This article would focus on the contributions of the locale in romantic movie. Discussions would base on the Red Dust directed

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[FIELDWORK] I’m Livin’ It, the McDonald’s

I’m Livin’ It, DIR. Danny Wong (2019)            McDonald’s, Yaumatei (supposed, as it is artificially constructed with reference to several real McDonald shops), Hong Kong  Figure 1. McDonald’s is the only working shop with bright light and neon board in the streets. Scenes from I’m Livin’ it 2019, directed by Danny Wong. I’m Livin’ It (2019), named after McDonald’s advertising slogan “I’m Lovin’ It,” is a Hong Kong drama film directed by Danny Wong. Focused on a special group of lower-class vagrants, “McRefugees,” namely Bowen, Sam, and Uncle Wait alike, who stay overnight in the McDonald’s,

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