Back from Beyond: Madame Tussauds immortalizes Hong Kong rocker
Wong Ka-kui’s classic onstage look was a red jacket and electric guitar slung across his shoulder.
This is the way his fans will always remember the tragic lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the legendary Hong Kong rock band, Beyond, so it is only fitting that this is the way that Madame Tussauds Beijing has chosen to immortalize him.
In celebration of his birthday on June 10, and the 25th anniversary of his accidental death, the world-famous attraction recently unveiled a wax figure featuring the star with his iconic look.
“It’s with his favorite clothes and guitar. His fans will experience a whole range of emotions when they see him ‘reappear’ on stage,” says the late-singer’s younger brother and Beyond’s former bassist, Wong Ka-keung, who attended the unveiling ceremony at the wax museum.
“The wax replica is so real that my family and I were moved beyond words when we first saw its picture,” he explains.
“The features, such as the mouth and nose, resemble his very much. The sparkling eyes are almost the same of my elder brother.”
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Beyond made a profound impact on Chinese youngsters. However, at their zenith, tragedy struck. On June 24, 1993, Wong Ka-kui fell from a stage while filming a show at Fuji Television in Tokyo and died six days later.
In 2005, the remaining three members of the band decided to pursue their individual music careers and disbanded.
“It feels wonderful to see my dear elder brother alive again. I don’t know whether it’s OK to hug the wax replica, but I really want to hug him,” says Wong Ka-keung, touchingly.
With permission, he then hugged it and took some photos. Fans posted on microblogging site Sina Weibo that they were moved to see the two brothers’ pictured “together” after 25 years and that they’re glad to see their deceased idol remembered as a wax replica.
“It’s important to have his wax figure here, because it’s another way to keep his memory alive, I am grateful for it,” Wong Ka-keung admits. According to him, Wong Ka-kui loved red and black since he was a child and most of his wardrobe consisted of those two colors.
“In our teenage years, it was his love of music that inspired my love for music as well,” he remembers.
“He was always my best friend. Even now I have a lot to talk with him about,” he adds, “I want to share my joys and sorrows with him. I need his advice to help me solve my problems.”
He recalled that, in the early days, his family was not only annoyed by sounds of him and his elder brother playing guitar, but also worried about whether the two could sup- port themselves financially by forming a band.
As the two persisted in following their musical dream, their mother gradually gave a tacit consent.
To make a wax replica, usually a professional team from the United Kingdom would fly to China and spend several hours taking measurements of the subject’s finest details, such as hands and eyeballs. With a living subject, these can obviously be taken with the subject on hand.
However, in this situation, the team opened a line of communication with Wong Ka-keung to extract as much information as they could about his elder brother. He also provided clothes to the team for them to extrapolate the most accurate measurements possible.
“I remember that he is taller than me and his waist is slimmer,” Wong Ka-keung says.
The team watched Wong Ka-kui’s videos repeatedly to capture the essence of his expressions. They even made replicas of the same earrings, necklaces and rings that he used to wear onstage.
It’s the second wax figure in Madame Tussauds Beijing that has been created based on historical data rather than measurements of the actual subject. The first was Hou Baolin, China’s cross-talk master.
“Wong Ka-kui’s enduring appeal has encouraged a lot of Chinese people. Here, visitors will be able to see wax figures of great people like him and be inspired,” says Wang Rui, general manager of Madame Tussauds Beijing.
Wong Ka-keung organized a concert at the Workers’ Gymnasium in Beijing on June 10 (Wong Ka-kui’s birthday), in memory of the 25th anniversary of his elder brother’s death.
It’s believed to be the first official large-scale concert in memory of him on the mainland. The wax figure and some belongings of Wong Ka-kui were displayed at the stadium during the concert.
The following day, the figure was returned to the wax museum and began its official exhibition.
It’s located in the music display area, which boasts more than a dozen wax figures of singers from home and abroad. The area has recently been improved, and fans will soon be able to enjoy augmented reality interactions with virtual images of their idols.