The 5 Billion Dollar Legacy - Margaret Hsing Hui (1970) - Kowloon Government Offices

The Kowloon Goverment Offices in Yaumatei also contain the Kowloon Central Post Office and this is the next location we see on film as the letters are sent to the sorting office. The establishing shot shows a couple of buildings, the one in the background has the name 平安大樓 (ping on dai lau) which, for those who don't know, is the Chinese name of the Alhambra Building on the corner of Nathan Road and Kansu Street. The building in front with the grey paint is the Govt office. Both buildings are still around.

The 5 Billion Dollar Legacy - Margaret Hsing Hui (1970) - Kai Tak Airport

 There are some really fun titles being put out on the Celestial/Shaw Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@ShawBrosCinema). Even though there aren't many Hong Kong locations to be had in this next movie, The 5 Billion Dollar Legacy, it's worth watching for the twists and turns in the plot if you like that sort of thing. The film stars Margaret Hsing Hui as Peifang, one of three illegitimate daughters of a reclusive Hong Kong businessman who has a huge business empire in Tokyo.  He's writing up his will and has tracked down his only family, the three women, with a desire to let them share in his vast fortune.

The girls meet up for the first time on their way to Japan and once there find everything is not quite as it seems. Although most of the film appears to have been shot either in the studio or at a location in Japan, the opening scenes show the father's letters to his daughters as they travel from Japanese postbox to HK via the airport and then a local sorting office, were filmed in Hong Kong.

The film was directed by Japanese director, Inoue Umetsugu (he also directed a few other films on the blog e.g. Sunset, The Yellow Muffler and Operation Lipstick).

These first few images show the Royal Mail truck leaving Kai Tak after picking up the mail delivery.

Temple Hill Lion's Club Pavilion - Now and Then

I remember watching Shatter for the first time many years ago with my grandad - most likely in the early 80s - and being fascinated by an ornate pavilion that features in the film. As a youngster I used to think it would be cool to go there but had no idea at the time that, one day, I would be living not that far away from it. Life can be funny sometimes. What I didn't realise until today is that it is another of the pavilions in Hong Kong funded by the Lion's Club (there are other Lion's Club pavilions on the Peak - the famous one - and another in Shatin). 

Anyway, the pavilion marks, more or less, the end of the Wilson Trail Stage 4/start of stage 5 and so was my destination for a hike this morning. Absolutely tired out from walking up hills in hot, humid weather, I took the opportunity to grab a few comparison snaps for a Now/Then.

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - Yau Ma Tei Police Station

The end of the film sees Tian-li turn herself in at the local police station. In this case it's the oft-used Yau Ma Tei Police Station on the corner of Canton Road and Public Square Street.

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - Kai Tak Airport

Tian-li finally catches up with the mastermind behind Shi's assassination and the subsequent attempts to kill her. She knows he is leaving Hong Kong for Europe and goes to the airport in disguise.

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - Waterloo Road, Kowloon Tong

After a brief interlude whereby Tian-li deals with more would be assassins (including two baldies played by Bolo Yeung and Chih Yuen) by putting one through a cement mixer - it's a bit like the woodchipper scene in Fargo - she heads to the airport in a taxi, dressed as a nun.

This shot shows the taxi driving down the slope at the north end of Waterloo Road. Most of the buildings you see are still around. The only really change is the addition of the north/south flyover that avoids the various traffic lights stops around Cornwall Street.

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - The Peak Cafe

Following another attempt on her life, Tian-li goes to the Peak cafe to make a call to the man she believes is pulling all the strings. The sequence starts with a view to the north, looking over Victoria Harbour, before panning south to focus on the Peak Cafe. The scene then moves to the cafe garden where Tian-li makes her call. As you can see from the images, the Peak Cafe hasn't changed very much since then.

The opening shot shows a nice view of Victoria Harbour

The camera turns anti-clockwise and we catch a brief glimpse west

The Peak Cafe. Upper tram terminus building on the right

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - View of the Harbour

Tian-li's friend, Huang, lives in an apartment bought by her sugar daddy boyfriend, who also happens to be the guy tasked to kill Tain-li. In one scene as she is driving home with her friends we see some in-car point of view shots looking over the harbour from the Peak area. Sadly they're a bit blurry, but it's a nice view.

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - Kowloon Wharves

The contract to kill Shi is subcontracted out to the boss of the guy who is blackmailing Tian-li. They are based in a warehouse at some wharves somewhere. The establishing shot shows us the Kowloon Wharves but in the close ups of the warehouses/godowns, it looks like that was filmed elsewhere (possibly even Movietown). This image is a stitch from a panning shot of the area. This area is now all part of the Harbour City mall complex.

The Lady Professional - Lily Ho Li-li (1971) - HSBC Building Mongkok

The establishing shot for the company run by the gold smuggling gang is the HSBC building in Mongkok. It had only been open a couple of years when the film was shot so was still quite modern for the time. The curved concrete shades above each of the window apertures make it quite distinctive. It's still there. In fact I was in there just the other day withdrawing some dosh.