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Leaked Tapes Tarnish Reputation of Iconic Director Wong Kar-wai

Published: Nov. 12, 2025  5:11 p.m.  GMT+8
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Wong Kar-wai. Photo: VCG
Wong Kar-wai. Photo: VCG

For 40 years, director Wong Kar-wai cultivated an aura of mystery, rarely appearing in public without his signature dark sunglasses. His films — meditations on time, memory and unspoken longing — were crafted with an almost mythical level of control. But now, the famously enigmatic 67-year-old auteur finds his carefully constructed world pierced by the most modern of weapons: a series of leaked audio recordings.

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This is an AI-generated English rendering of original reporting or commentary published by Caixin Media. In the event of any discrepancies, the Chinese version shall prevail.
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What Happened When
1958:
Wong Kar-wai was born in Shanghai.
1963:
Wong immigrated to Hong Kong with his parents at age 5.
1980:
Wong enrolled in a director-producer training program at TVB in Hong Kong after studying graphic design.
After 1981:
After a year and a half in the TVB training program, Wong left to write scripts.
1988:
Wong directed his first feature film, 'As Tears Go By.'
By 1988:
Wong had spent seven years in the Hong Kong screenwriting system.
By 1990:
'Days of Being Wild' (Wong's next film) was produced.
1994:
'Chungking Express' was released.
1997:
'Happy Together' was released; Wong won best director at the Cannes Film Festival.
2013:
Zhang Ziyi won nearly every major best actress award for her role in 'The Grandmaster.'
2018:
'Blossoms Shanghai' is described as Wong’s recent hit television series (likely referencing the period leading to its production and release).
2023:
Cheng Junnian began posting on social media about his contributions to the script of 'Blossoms Shanghai.'
September 2025:
Cheng began releasing secretly recorded audio clips.
September 16, 2025:
Cheng posted a lengthy message reiterating allegations of unfair treatment.
October 31, 2025:
Cheng posted more than an hour of alleged recordings of Wong and others.
November 8, 2025:
Cheng released additional audio recordings containing politically sensitive dialogue.
AI generated, for reference only
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