April 1, 2013 will mark the 10th anniversary of singer/actor Leslie Cheung’s (張國榮) death. Among the many commemorative events in Hong Kong, the “Miss You Much Leslie” exhibition at Times Square features a 6-meter statue of Leslie and a large transparent archway which housed 1.9 million paper cranes made by Leslie’s fans from all over the world. Leslie’s long-time partner, Daffy Tong (唐鶴德) made a rare appearance yesterday at the opening ceremony, speaking about his love for the great legend. Dressed in black and white, Daffy appeared solemn and in low spirits on the way to Times Square. However, upon seeing Leslie’s fans, he smiled and waved to them. Accompanied by Leslie’s former manager, Florence Chan (陈淑芬), Daffy climbed on stage and thanked the fans and Florence for their effort. Together with Florence, Daffy pulled the ribbon, revealing Leslie’s 6-meter-high statue. In the hands of the statue was a large red paper crane which signified Leslie receiving the fans’ well wishes. The large paper cranes exhibition, with 1, 900, 119 paper cranes sent in by fans from all around the world, has already broken the Guinness Book of World Records. Daffy accepted the certificate on behalf of Leslie, thanked the fans for such a gift, and said that Leslie would have been greatly touched by it as well. Eternal Love The quiet and low profile Daffy is a man of few words, but his support and love for Leslie has never been in doubt. When he lost Leslie in 2003, he had said, “Life has an end, but my love is endless” to express his eternal love for the legend. A few days ago, Daffy also expressed how much he missed Leslie by quoting Song dynasty poet, Su Shi (蘇軾)’s poem, River City <江城子>, which talks about a husband mourning his wife’s death. Daffy is grateful towards Leslie’s fans for their gestures over the years. Daffy is also touched by the fans’ concern for him. In the past years, Daffy has always chosen to escape the painful reminders that were triggered near Leslie’s death anniversary. Although flying to America, this did not lessen Daffy’s pain. Daffy said, “Through the passage of time, my wounds may be healing but I have too many wounds for all to heal!” Daffy further revealed his life these past few years has been simple and dull. Besides playing ball and meeting friends for meals, he spent most of his time at home. Having lost his most loved, Daffy now has also learnt to treasure the people around him. Daffy used a line from Leslie’s song, “This Life, This Time” <今生今世> to express his everlasting love for Leslie, “I want to meet him and embrace him in his next life.” Florence Chan revealed to the press she has often updated Daffy of the events the fans have planned to commemorate Leslie. Because Daffy preferred not to draw attention to himself, he showed his support through other means such as lending Leslie’s trophy and stage costumes for the exhibition. But the fans have finally touched Daffy so much that he had decided to make an appearance for the opening ceremony. Creds: Ming Pao
