Tragic Hero - Chow Yun Fat (1987) - Lower Shing Mun Reservoir Main Dam

Chai discovers that A-lok's death was the result of him being double-crossed by Big Eye (Lam Chung) so he takes the latter to a secluded place to confront him. The location is on top of the dam wall at the lower Shing Mun Reservoir in Tai Wai. I located this one quite quickly because it was one of the places I used to ride to on my motorbike a few years back. The building in the background of the third image is part of the Fu Shan Crematorium. You can see it in my own image at the bottom (taken 2017).

Summons to Death - Tang Ching (1967) - Shatin Inn, Tai Po Road

Head pirate, Gin Te-biu (Lo Wei) meets up with his old pirate chums and arranges to meet one of them at the Shatin Inn the next day. However, he has been double-crossed and the police turn up to arrest him.

Shatin Inn was apparently used in quite a few films over the years - it opened in 1955 and only recently closed down in September 2024 for reasons I will get into below. However, I've only ever seen it once previously on the blog and that was for a scene with Chow Yun Fat and Sylvia Chang in All About Ah Long.

We see the venue in its heyday below, when the Tai Po Road was the only way into the Shatin Valley from Kowloon, and all traffic on the road went by the Inn. It was famous for its satay sticks, but by the time I last went (about 10 years ago) it was quite expensive and way past its sell-by-date. One of the contributors to its downfall was the reconstruction of the road system here back in the early 2000s. The changes turned that part of the old Tai Po Road into the singular access road for Shatin Heights up in the hills. This meant most traffic was rerouted away from the restaurant's location unless it was heading up into the Shatin Heights residential area. No doubt the Covid restrictions imposed between 2020 and 2024 also had a major impact on the place's footfall.

The top image below shows the view across the Shatin valley from Tai Po Road. Sadly, the New Territories hasn't looked like this for a long time. You can see the most recent Streetview from the same place here but the tree growth prevents you from seeing the hundreds of highrises that have sprung up.

View from the rear of the restaurant

Just Heroes - David Chiang (1989) - Chik Wan Street,Tai Wai

Wai (David Chiang) needs to deliver his fish to a restaurant, but he's late because he stopped off at the cemetery. By the time he arrives at his destination the fish are a bit worse for wear and the restaurant owner (played by Bill Tung) doesn't want them anymore. This scene was filmed at a well-known restaurant in Tai Wai that looks to still be operating. The restaurant is called 新強記 and many years ago was famous for its roast goose and had a big neon sign on the roof which read "新強記燒鵝大王" (basically saying "roast goose king"). You can see the sign in the first image below. That massive bright sign could be seen from the KCR train as it trundled into Tai Wai from Kowloon and at night was like a  beacon letting you know the train had exited the tunnel.

I don't remember ever eating here, although I have been inside to use the toilets (I used to pass by every day for a few years when taking my kids to school up the road) and the stench in there was enough to put me off ever wanting to try the food. I'm sure they have since cleaned up ther act (and toilets).

Just Heroes - David Chiang (1989) - Hung Mui Kuk Road,Tai Wai

On their way to the restaurant, the truck passes under the KCR railway track at Tai Wai. These days the buildings in the background haven't changed, but the area immediately around the railway bridge is virtually unrecognisable following the redevelopment of Tai Wai station.

Hitman - Jet Li (1998) - Tai Wai Joyful Town, Tai Wai

Previously known as 青龍水上樂園, and later as Tai Wai Joyful Town (大圍歡樂城), this place was still around when I made my first trip to Hong Kong in 1995. You could see the large wheel and waterslide from the KCR train as it passed by Tai Wai. Although I seem to remember that by 1995 the waterslide had closed and was left to rot. Anyway, the whole thing was eventually closed down to make way for the extension to Tai Wai Station that would encompass the newly built Ma On Shan Line (since joined to the West Rail and renamed the Tuen Ma Line). It now has a monstrosity called The Pavilia built above it.

This is the location where Lo takes Fu for his first proper "hit", but having inadvertantly befriended the target's young son, has second thoughts and ends up protecting the man he was supposed to kill. The buildings in the background of image 3 belong to Man Lai Court.

To Be Number One - Ray Lui (1991) - Star Seafood Restaurant, Tai Wai Road

The establishing shots for the restaurant where the hit on Ng takes place was filmed in Tai Wai. As you can see from the image it was called 海福酒樓 (hoi fuk tsau lau). I think this was the real name rather than a name used for the film, but I could be wrong. Anyway, this same venue is now a "Ming Sing" seafood restaurant (aka Star Seafood). The filmmakers used some hoarding (top image, left hand side) to hide the fact that this street is a bit more modern than the 1960s-era they are trying to portray. This part of the film is one where the film strays quite far from Ng's real life. In the film, he is shot by some hired kids and a bullet hits his leg, causing his "limp". In reality, he was attacked in a punishment/warning attack and his leg was deliberately targeted with a large teak pole.The attack shattered and splintered his leg bones in several places and left him with a permanent disability.

Le Monocle Rit Jaune - Paul Meurisse (1964) - Chik Chuen Wai, Tai Wai

Also known as Tai Wai Village, Chik Chuen Wai (積存圍) is the original walled village on which Tai Wai is founded. It's such an obscure location for a foreign movie because it is hidden away, even today with all the subsequent development. Anyway, in the film the characters are still in Macau and are trying to get back to Hong Kong but are ambushed in the village by gun-wielding gangsters. You can see the aftermath in the final image. Surprisngly, or not, quite a few of the buildings on screen are still around as is the village gateway seen in the second image.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Amah Rock, Tai Wai

Here's the first bit of geographical shenanigans. As the pair are enjoying the views across the harbour, there is a quick edit and all of a sudden they turn around and see Amah Rock! Anyone familiar with Hong Kong will know that Amah Rock is located about 10km away in the Shatin valley, near Tai Wai, and is certainly not visible from Hong Kong Island or even Kowloon side.  Anyway, Dr Wong explains the legend to George.

My Son A-Chang - Bruce Lee (1950) - Tai Wai Railway Bridge

My Son A-Chang (aka The Kid or 細路祥) was one of Bruce Lee's early childhood films, one of around 20 that he featured in during his childhood in Hong Kong.

It's been more than a decade since I last watched this, but I do remember these stills are from the very end of the film as A-Chang (Bruce) and his family head off into the sunset along the old KCR railtracks. I've got quite good at this stuff in the intervening years so I can now tell you with 100% confidence that I know exactly where the filming spot is/was. This was the rail bridge crossing in Tai Wai where the track crosses, what was, a small river but is now part of the much larger concreted nullah.

Surprisingly, the rail track hasn't moved much since the film was shot (at least not at this location) so the point where the rail bridge now crosses the waterway is basically the same place it crossed over in the images below. What has changed significantly of course is the surrounding area, that is basically unrecognisable. In most of the images below the low wall of the railway bridge can be seen next to the actors.
 

Walking towards the bridge. View looking NE towards Ma On Shan

SW end of the bridge looking back towards the gap between Beacon Hill and Lion Rock

Looking north, the flat area above now contains a small industrial estate

This image clearly shows the old river before redevelopment turned it into a nullah

The flat area behind is now the main area of Tai Wai

The final view looking NE from the bridge as they bid farewell

Once again the Google Maps marker gremlins don't seem to want to let me put a pin on the place where it needs to go, so in case it doesn't get rectified here is a nice view of the current version of the bridge, as viewed from the neighbouring road bridge.

The Killer - Chow Yun Fat (1989) - Lower Shing Mun Road, Tai Wai

As Ah Jong makes his way to the hospital, one of the roads he drives along is the Lower Shing Mun Road. You can see the grass covered dam wall in the background. I'm not sure where he thinks he's going because it's a dead end. However, in movieland it takes him to the hospital.

All About Ah Long - Chow Yun Fat (1989) - Shatin Inn, Tai Wai

Sylvia and Ah Long head off to the Shatin Inn for a drink and a chat and it's here where Sylvia finds out the truth about Porky. The Shatin Inn is a real place and was quite famous for its satay sticks. I haven't been out this way for a couple of years so I have no idea whether or not it has survived the pandemic measure. At the time the film was made the place was on the main Tai Po Road between Kowloon and Shatin, but the whole road system here has since been remodelled and that old part of Tai Po Road now forms the dead end route up to Shatin Heights i.e. it no longer benefits from through traffic coming down Tai Po Road.

Vanessa - Olivia Pascal (1977) - Mong Fu Shek, Tai Wai

Well, after never having seen Mong Fu Shek throughout 100+ foreign movies over the 8 years of this blog, all of a sudden it pops up twice in quick succession (the recent other occurrence here). This was part of a sequence showing Vanessa and friend returning from the plantation via a muddy road. I'm a bit stuck for the right angle on this but I think it is being viewed from the north east. This means the muddy track you see could very well be the forerunner to the current concreted catch-water that makes up part of the Maclehose Trail Stage 5.

On that note, I am still on the lookout for locating a copy of Brian Salt's 1960's Mong Fu Shek film starring Nancy Kwan, so if anyone has any leads please feel free to share via comments or email. 

Aorm Aok Jao Praya - Arunya Narmwong (1972) - Mong Fu Shek, Tai Wai

I think this might be another first for this blog courtesy of this Thai film. This time it is an image of A-Mah rock, known locally as Mong Fu Shek (looking for husband rock). I must admit to being a bit confused about the angle of view (I think possibly from the East but I can't tell), but it is unmistakably the famous rock that sits in the hills above what is now Tai Wai. However, in the film, the two lovebirds are viewing it from a nearby temple. I don't recognise the temple and it makes me think that it may have been one back in Thailand, just edited in later.

Anyway, it's nice to see it finally feature in an international film, albeit very briefly. That's about it for this film, only a few locations but most of them never seen here before.

Shirley's World (TV Series) - Shirley MacLaine (1972) - KCR railway, Tai Wai

The opening scene of Evidence in Camera is a really nice shot of the northbound KCR train rumbling through what is now Tai Wai in the southern part of Shatin District. Some examples of these old green carriages can still be found at the Hong Kong railway Museum in Tai Po. It's still my favourite HK museum despite being quite small, so if you get the chance to go then I recommend you do.

From the angle of the track and the fact that I can't see the old bridge that used to cross Keng Hau Road, it looks as though the camera was positioned somewhere along Tai Po Road near the Shatin heights section.