#cantopop

[ongawdclub]

J a c k i e

C h a n

[haveyouheardthisband]

[nostalgictechinc]

Faye Wong 王菲  – Sing and Play 唱遊 Booklet Photoset (1998年)

[romantamsxiangshi]

Translation of Anita Mui's 1991 "似是故人来" (It Seems an Old Friend has Returned)

My first sapphic translation! Anita Mui, the Madonna of Hong Kong, has a very special place in my heart. She sang many Golden Age anthems, starred in just as many Golden Age dramas, and was named the "big sister of HK's music industry." Though she never disclosed her sexuality, she was named a queer icon for her androgyny, sexually explicit lyrics, and performance of genderqueer roles. (Think Lady Gaga.)

似是故人来 is the theme song of the 1991 双镯, or "The Two Bracelets," a lesbian love story set in the countryside of southern China. The movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by Lu Zhaohuan, and was directed by Huang Yushan. 似是故人来 was composed and produced by Luo Dayou, with lyrics by Lin Xi, both of whom operated under strict censorship and limited knowledge of the film's plot. According to Luo, Anita Mui was 2.5 hours late to the recording session (which I think is kinda gay), but finished the recording in 30 minutes.

Translation:

同是过路 同做过梦 We walked the same roads towards the same dreams.

本应是一对 We were supposed to be a couple.

人在少年 梦中不觉 I was too young, I didn’t know I was dreaming.

醒后要归去 Now I’ve awakened, and I wish to return.

三餐一宿 也共一双 Three meals, one house, the two of us together.

到底会是谁 Who will you be in my future? (1)

但凡未得到 但凡是过去 I don’t think you’ll ever understand. It’s in the past, after all. 

总是最登对 But I’ve always loved you. (2)

台下你望 台上我做 You’ll watch me from the audience, I’ll perform for you onstage.

你想做的戏 I’ll give you whichever story you wish. (3)

前事故人 忘忧的你 Old friend, you who forget your sorrows,

可曾记得起 Do you ever remember me? (4)

欢喜伤悲 老病生死 Joys and sorrows, life and death: 

说不上传奇 What are those stories next to ours? (5)

恨台上卿卿 或台下我 I hate those lovers onstage, and I hate myself offstage. (6)

我不是我跟你 I hate that I am not with you. (7)

俗尘渺渺 天意茫茫 This land is so barren. Heaven knows no shame (8)

将你共我分开 To separate you from me. 

断肠字点点 风雨声连连 My broken heart beats in my every word. This storm will never end.

似是故人来 Old friend, I thought you were coming back. (9)

何日再在 何地再聚 When will we be here again? Where shall we meet again?

说今夜真暖 This evening was so warm.

无份有缘 回忆不断 We don’t share a destiny, but I’ve never stopped thinking of you. (10)

生命却苦短 This life is so short.

一种相思 两段苦恋 One lovesickness, two bitter hearts.

半生说没完 I’ve spent half a life spent describing you to others. (11)

在年月深渊 望明月远远 Each year is an abyss, I wish upon the moon. 

想像你忧怨 And I remember all your sorrows.

俗尘渺渺 天意茫茫 This land is so barren. Heaven knows no shame

将你共我分开 To separate you from me. 

断肠字点点 风雨声连连 My broken heart beats in my every word. This storm will never end.

似是故人来 Old friend, I thought you were coming back.

留下你或 留下我在 Did I leave you behind? Or did you leave me behind,

世间上终老 To grow old in this world? (12)

离别以前 未知相对 Before we parted, did we know how much we loved each other? 

当日那么好 Those days were so lovely. 

执子之手 却又分手 I hold your hand, just to let it go again.

爱得有还无 I don’t know where to find our love. (13)

十年后双双 万年后对对 In ten years, we’ll be together. In ten-thousand years, we’ll be together.

只恨看不到 I only wish I could see it happen.

十年后双双 万年后对对 In ten years, we’ll be together. In ten-thousand years, we’ll be together.

只恨看不到 I only wish I could see it happen.

Translation notes:

(1) 到底会是谁 translates directly to "Who will it be, really?" When placed in conversation with the previous line, this line could mean, "Who will be my partner?" (referring to a love interest the speaker does not yet know/recognize) or "Who will you be?" (referring to the speaker's uncertainty towards their current love interest, and how their love interest seems foreign to them now). The lack of subjects, objects, and pronouns leaves a lot of room for interpretation, so I chose the angstier version.

(2) 总是最登对 translates directly to "Always the right one," or "Always correct." I take this to mean that the love interest has always been the right person for the speaker--hence, "I have always loved you."

(3) 你想做的戏 translates directly to "Whichever play you want to see," referring to the previous line concerning the actress/audience interaction. I chose "I'll give you whichever story you wish" because it sounded better (subjective?) and felt congruous to a number of lines besides just the previous, as well as to the song's meta context. This song was part of a broader love story/movie, after all.

(4) 曾 (ceng) implies something ancient: translated literally, the line is "Have you already remembered?" or "I/you/[subject] already remember." Considering how the protagonists of the movie view their queerness as a sorrow that must be forgotten/left behind, I decided to place this line in conversation with the previous, and go with "do you remember me?"

(5) 说不上传奇 translates directly to "They can't be considered legends," which I believe is a line meant to minimize life/death/old age/illness next to the speaker's love. I thought it was a bit awkward to refer to life/death as legends, so I used the term "stories" and added "next to ours" to match the full effect of the line and its relationship to the previous line. I converted this line into a question because a simple sentence in English doesn't quite have the same power as a short sentence/fragment in Cantonese. Questions do, though, because they feel more accusatory.

(6) The 卿 of 卿卿 (qing qing) can be translated any number of ways: "ministers (of the law)", "wives/ladies," or "lovers." There's a certain heterosexual rigidity implied in the word, which I think any English translation loses.

(7) 我不是我跟你 is the line that confused me the most, because it defies both Chinese and English grammar structures. I tried translating it literally at first: "I am not me with you," or "I am without you," or "Without you, I am not me," before deciding to go with the laziest route. Let me know if there's a better translation, please--I'm still confused.

(8) 天意茫茫 translates to "Heaven's will is wild and vast." The original line implies unknowability, but I used a pretty heavy hand in choosing the word "shame" instead. My academic justification is that shame, accusation, and frustration echo throughout this whole song, and my translation pays tribute to that. My honest justification is that I liked the angst.

(9) There is no object in this line--the speaker just says, "I thought an old friend was coming back"/"It's as if an old friend is coming back." But I liked the addition of an object.

(10) 份 (fen) could mean "to share" or "to separate" or "to share by separating" (e.g. splitting food between people). In this case, I thought it would sound strange to write "splitting a destiny."

(11) 半生说没完 translates to "half a life is not enough." The speaker doesn't clarify what they need the time for: whether to spend with their lover, to talk about them, etc. "Describing you to others" was a big creative liberty of mine, but it's also something that feels very sapphic, and emphasizes the speaker's loneliness.

(12) 终老 has the implications of taking care of one's parents when they are old: a duty, and an emotional labor. Growing old alone, without anyone to take care of you, is a very sad thing in Chinese culture.

(13) 爱得有还无 also translates to "I don't know whether this love exists" and "I don't know whether I have this love." But considering the importance of location, and the importance of journeying/coming/going, I chose "where to find."

[don-dake]

喺4月30號呢日，

本應該係河國榮先生59歲嘅牛一，

一個小小嘅貼文向佢致敬。

On what would have been Mr Gregory Charles Rivers's 59th birthday this April 30th, a little post in tribute to him.

相 ①–②：80年代尾。啱啱嚟到香港冇幾耐，後生嘅河國榮。

Photos ①–②: The late 1980s. A young Rivers, still fairly new to Hong Kong then.

同太太Bonnie。兩人結婚卅幾年，夫妻一向恩愛。因為太太早有心臟病所以兩人早已決定唔要生仔。河太最終病情惡化比先生早先逝去。河國榮 (根據朋友口供) 哀傷過度，到最後決定跟隨太太。太太過咗身兩個月左右，好遺憾，河國榮選擇自盡。

With his wife Bonnie. The two had been lovingly married for over 30 years and decided not to have children because of Bonnie's heart condition. His wife's illness eventually took a turn for the worse. Rivers (according to friends) was overwhelmed with grief and regrettably, decided to join his wife barely two months after her passing.

同佢收養嘅狗仔。河生河太都好鍾意狗。有一陣仲收養咗總共十三隻狗仔添！

With his rescue dogs. Mr Rivers and his wife loved dogs and at one time had as many as 13 rescue dogs under their care!

喺呢部視頻裏面，你可以聽到河國榮翻唱緊由鄭少秋原唱嘅 《笑看風雲》 (首歌係我其中最鍾意嘅一首，仲覺得歌詞好有意義，我曾經翻譯過歌詞嘅意思，請參考一下)。雖然原片係由一個大陸歌唱比賽得到嘅，本片只得聽緊河國榮唱，冇得睇佢表演。但係有繁體字歌詞可以跟埋。

我特登揀咗冇比賽場面嘅視頻上載，因為覺得呢啲歌唱比賽嘅樣式好煩厭；感覺上睇得觀眾同評判嘅面孔多過睇得到台上表演緊嘅參賽者！但係如果想睇原片比賽視頻嘅話，都得！

In this video, you can hear Rivers performing a cover of Adam Cheng's 《笑看風雲》 (this song is one of my favourites, I found the lyrics very meaningful and did a translation before, please do check it out). Although the original video came with footage and is taken from a Mainland Chinese singing competition, this video only has audio, but it has lyrics in Traditional Chinese to follow along with.

I deliberately chose to upload a video without competition footage because I find these singing competition shows' format really annoying; feels like you'll often see more of the audience and judges' faces than the contestant on stage! But if you wish to view the original footage, here it is!

河國榮生前一直有個當粵語歌星嘅夢想。雖然始終冇機會當一個正式嘅歌手，但係多得佢多年嚟一直有好多港星朋友嘅幫助，都得到不少機會上台唱歌，甚至有機會舉辦小型演唱會添！佢小型演唱會賺嚟啲錢通常一部分都會捐到寵物救護中心。

During his lifetime, Rivers's biggest dream was to be a Cantopop star. Although he never did become one, thanks to his celebrity connections, he did get opportunities to sing on stage on several occasions, even managing to organise his own mini concerts with celebrity pals, of which part of his earnings often went to pet rescue shelters.

[letsmakefingerfive]

SHIRLEY KWAN albums

Shirley Kwan is the person who shaped Cantopop and city pop at the same time of her debut. She was signed under Polygram in Hongkong - Japan and debuted in late 80's. Although right after her debut, she withdraw in Japan, she still managed to create a name for herself not just in Hongkong and Japan, but also in Taiwan whom she was popular and was remembered.

[dailylesliec]

[TRANSLATION] Art and Piece Issue 16 - Dora Ng about Leslie Cheung

"If you ask me what I miss most about him, I think it’d be that really kind and approachable feeling."

FLOATING BY, SWEEPING PAST, THEN REMEMBERING AGAIN

Dora Ng - Costume Lead, "He's a Woman, She's a Man"

I am Dora Ng, I love fashion, am a movie costume director/ lead, and had the privilege of snapping a few design shots for Gor-Gor. In the blink of an eye, twenty years have passed. My relationship with him can probably be described as... honest acquaintances. Actually, we only worked together a few times, but the first collaboration was already the most well-known one: He’s a Man, She’s a Woman.

Being in the industry for so many years, I can’t deny that a superstar like Leslie felt very distant at first. It’s only when I got to know him that I found his friendliness and warmth could melt the ice between person and person. I first worked with him on “He’s a Man”, and at the time we frequently discussed our worries about the budget being quite small. He generously said, “Come to my house and pick out some clothes then!” He was completely serious - it was both surprising and touching. To be blunt, Gor-gor’s home was a sea of clothes, but he never hurried us or questioned us. The most memorable time was when we spent over two hours there but still hadn’t finished our work. He ended up saying, “Since this is the situation now, how about you stay for dinner together?” It was just a simple sentence. An outsider might find it hard to understand how meaningful that was, but Gor-gor was that person who is always willing to help you; always willing to give you patience, time and space.

He wouldn’t stop chatting with you, and would try his best to make you relaxed. That’s still something unforgettable for me. Other than the two He’s a Man films, I also worked with Gor-gor on Okinawa Rendez-vous and Anna Magdalena. I especially remember that Leslie refused to wear big brands in Anna Magdalena and suggested wearing regular clothing instead. He was very clear on the fact that the character was an ordinary magazine editor and not Leslie Cheung. However, my most unforgettable memory of him is still the filming of Who’s The Woman, Who’s The Man. I took a few design shots of Leslie so we could be more coordinated in changing outfits for different scenes. I remember for one of those pictures, I was really nervous while holding the stack of clothes at the side, waiting for Leslie to change. Gor-gor, being the caring and attentive person that he was, started chatting with me and then suddenly stretched out his arm and patted me on the head. He said one sentence: “Don’t worry, you have your market too.” Even for the hotel scene in He’s A Man, Gor-gor saw that I looked very nervous, so he pushed me on the bed and tickled me, saying repeatedly, “Smile a little, don’t be so nervous!” Leslie in the mid-90s was the most popular superstar - he could have just sat and waited, but he was always so caring to everyone and everything around him. He was always very sensitive and thoughtful towards us.

I definitely have feelings of regret and sadness, especially when I knew that Leslie was planning his directorial debut while filming the He’s a Man series and Anna Magdalena. Yee Chung Man and I both had the opportunity to work on that film, but when the opportunity disappeared, that feeling of sorrow and missing him was really hard to describe. If you ask me what I miss most about him, I think it’d be that really kind and approachable feeling - no wonder everyone called him “Gor-gor”.

Gor-gor, floated by, swept past, and remembered again - that memory always feels warm in my heart.

T/N: Translated the lyric “飄過掠過再記起” from the song “妳在何地/Where Are You” as “Floating By, Sweeping Past, Then Remembering Again”.

Translated by me (@dailylesliec on Twitter/Tumblr), do not repost without credit. If you like this translation, consider following me or buying me a Ko-fi. For the formatted PDF version of this article, click here.

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

A Thousand Dreams Of You • 深情相擁 [Endless Embrace] • 夜半歌聲 [Midnight Singer] • 今生今世 [In This Lifetime] • 當愛已成往事 [Bygone Love] • 一輩子失去了妳 [Losing You Forever] • 追 [Chase] • 眉來眼去 [Make Passes] • 紅顔白髮 [The White-Haired Beauty] • 何去何從之阿飛正傳 [Choice]

Spotify ♪ YouTube

[tulmultuous]

Does anyone know where I could find the instrumental insert of 鐵血丹心 in the TVB commercials for loch 2024?

Which has that song title as part of the show title, making it much harder.

Here, have the original sung by Roman Tam and Jenny Tseng too

or was it

世間始終你好. no, no it is not but this is also a banger.

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Denise Ho

Singer and pro-democracy activist Denise Ho was born in Hong Kong in 1977. Ho rose to stardom as a Cantopop singer in the 90s. She had a string of hit songs in the 2000s, and won several awards. Ho came out as gay in 2012, becoming a high-profile gay rights advocate. She was an outspoken supporter of the Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement, and the 2019 anti-government protests. In late 2021, she was arrested for "conspiracy to publish seditious materials", and again in 2022 for "colluding with foreign forces".

Image source: United States Congress

[sixplusfive]

MIRROR Time (2023.12.28) | 1.04 Acting cute so your leader pays for stuff 💁🏻‍♀️

Source / Notes / Disclaimers under the cut

Official Source (raw):

https://viu.tv/encore/mirror-time

Notes:

None for now~

Disclaimer:

Translations may contain inaccuracies! Cantonese is not my first language, and I don’t have full cultural context cause I don't live in Hong Kong.

Askbox is open to corrections if any~

[haveyouheardthisband]

[romantamsxiangshi]

Translation of Anthony Wong's 1994 我们不是天使 (We Are Not Angels)

Anthony Wong-Ming was one half of Tat Ming Pair, the experimental duo that made some of Hong Kong's most well-known queer anthems during the Golden Age. He sang in both Cantonese and Mandarin, but began releasing more Mandarin music in the late 1990's, after Tat Ming Pair's (amicable) split.

我们不是天使 is my first Mandarin-English translation. When I first heard the song, I was struck by the bitterness in Wong's voice. Mandarin is the language of mainland China, as well as the language of the CCP rhetoric that Wong mentions (and mocks). In 我们不是天使, Mandarin is made--quite literally--into the embodiment of Wong's many political and personal turmoils.

It's also worth noting that Wong grew up Christian, but walked away from his church upon realizing its attitude towards homosexuality. His music is rife with religious motifs: Angels, Heaven, and eternity positioned next to political oppression, which is then positioned next to the viscerality of queer love and longing. I love this song to pieces, and it's actually been the soundtrack to some of my own writing.

Translation:

生命该尊敬自强 They tell us to live a life of respect and self-improvement (1) 爱情该地老天荒 They tell us that proper love should outlast the heavens and earth (2) 他们都不可能说谎 And they wouldn't lie, right? 要是我爱得疯狂 If my love is half-crazed and reckless 要是我不懂隐藏 If I don't know to hide it 是否我还没有成长 Does this mean I am still a child? Have not yet grown into myself? 如果真爱不一定光明 Well, if my love cannot bring light (3) 就让黑暗将天地埋葬 Then I would let darkness bring ruin to the heavens and earth

不希望天天向上 i've never harbored hopes of rising above this (4) 只知道生命无常 After all, I know my life isn't long, 这是我孤独的信仰 And that's religion enough for this lonely man. 是人间没有天堂 Is there truly no heaven between our bodies? 还是我没有翅膀 Or was I born without the wings 飞不出欲望的围墙 To flee from my desire? 总是堕落在谁的胸膛 I've only/always known the depravity of crashing into another's arms 总是让这个世界失望 The world has only/always been ashamed of me

我们不是天使 We are no angels 我们只是孩子 We are just children 寻找可以安躺的海港 Looking for safe harbors 不管天地苍茫 I don't care how vast the heavens and earth are 不怕迷失方向 I'm not scared of losing my way 总有互相拥抱的臂膀 We only/always have each other's arms to fall into 我们不是天使 We are no angels 我们终将飞逝 And in the end, we'll lose ourselves 沦落在五光十色里流浪 But maybe we can lose ourselves in a million colors (5) 难道他们想像的天堂 Tell me, is their heaven 是一个没有欲望的地方 A land without desire?

不希望天天向上 i've never harbored hopes of rising above this 只知道生命无常 After all, I know my life isn't long, 这是我孤独的信仰 And that's religion enough for this lonely man. 是人间没有天堂 Is there truly no heaven between our bodies? 还是我没有翅膀 Or was I born without the wings 飞不出欲望的围墙 To flee from my desire? 总是堕落在谁的胸膛 I've only/always known the depravity of crashing into another's arms 总是让这个世界失望 The world has only/always been ashamed of me

我们不是天使 We are no angels 我们只是孩子 We are just children 寻找可以安躺的海港 Looking for safe harbors 不管天地苍茫 I don't care how vast the heavens and earth are 不怕迷失方向 I'm not scared of losing my way 总有互相拥抱的臂膀 We only/always have each other's arms to fall into 我们不是天使 We are no angels 我们终将飞逝 And in the end, we'll lose ourselves 沦落在五光十色里流浪 But maybe we can lose ourselves in a million colors 难道他们想像的天堂 Tell me, is their heaven 是一个没有欲望的地方 A land without desire? 难道我们垮掉的翅膀 No wonder our broken wings 早已被这个世界遗忘 Have been forgotten by this world

Translation Notes:

(1) 尊敬自强 (cultivating the the spirit of self-improvement and shaping moral character) is a phrase lifted from the CCP's patriotic education campaign, and refers to a moral uprightness that is nationalistic by nature.

(2) A more accurate translation would be, "outlast the end of the earth and the ruin of the heavens." I thought this was a bit clunky, though, and "heavens and earth" fit more nicely with all the other lines that refer to something vast.

(3) A more accurate translation would be, "if my love is not bright," but I thought the action implied in "bringing light" stood in clearer contrast to the line about "ruining the heavens and earth" with darkness.

(4) 天天向上 (ascend every day) is another phrase lifted from the CCP, and also refers to cultivating your moral uprightness/spirit. Ironic, because it refers to ascension (to Heaven) in a very literal way.

(5) A more accurate translation would be, "five brilliances and ten colors," but I thought that was too clunky. I could be missing out on some nuance, though--let me know if I am. :)

Fun fact: Anthony Wong co-founded the Big Love Alliance and Renaissance Foundation, two LGBTQ+ rights organizations. Go check them out if you want to support his non-profit work!

[saebaragi]

kpop stans having a hard time understanding that cpop doesn't target the international market will always be funny to me

[letsmakefingerfive]

LESLIE CHEUNG