Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

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Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

The entrance to Madame Tussauds Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese: 香港杜莎夫人蠟像館
Simplified Chinese: 香港杜莎夫人蜡像馆

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, part of the renowned chain of wax museums founded by Marie Tussaud of France, is located at the Peak Tower on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is the first and one of the only two permanent Madame Tussauds museums in Asia, the other being the Shanghai branch, which opened in 2006. The Hong Kong branch houses nearly 100 wax figures of internationally-known personalities and local celebrities in a range of themed settings such as Hong Kong Glamour, Music Icons, Historical and National Heroes, The Champions and World Premiere.

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[edit] History

The Peak Tower at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
The Peak Tower at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

In the late 1990s, Madame Tussauds had outlets spanning worldwide in major cities such as London, Amsterdam and Las Vegas, but none was in the Asia-Pacific region. When the "Madame Tussaud's Touring Attraction" ran in Asian cities of Singapore and Australia, proving to be highly popular, the Tussauds Group decided to open a permanent outlet in Asia in order to cater to such demand, and Hong Kong was chosen for its proximity to the Asian markets.[1]

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong opens at The Peak in 2000, and features nearly 100 wax figures of internationally-known personalities and local celebrities to date — with Asian figures taking up more than a third of the total, of which fifteen were Hong Kongers. Asian celebrities and superstars have often graced the unveiling of their wax likenesses with sizable groups of their fans tagging along. In September 2005, it began its renovation in its effort to bring an interactive and immersive entertainment experience to visitors. It re-opened at a cost of HK$20 million (US$2.6 million) on 18 May 2006, adding a further 700 square metres (7,500 sq ft) of exhibition space on three floors and five themed areas.[2] Visitors can journey through the attraction, stopping to mingle with the 'stars' in a range of themed settings including Hong Kong Glamour, Music Icons, Historical and National Heroes, The Champions and World Premiere.[1]

As of 2008, the museum is headed by Bret Pidgeon, who is currently the general manager of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and Shanghai. He has worked for eight years for Madame Tussauds in New York previously.[3] The museum is accessible from Central via minibus, taxi or Peak Tram and opens all year round from 10 AM to 10 PM daily. Admission fee is HK$140 (US$18) for adults and HK$70 for children aged between 3 to 11 years old.[4]

[edit] Wax figure making process

In over one or more sittings, a highly skilled sculptor from Madame Tussauds Studios who is given direct access to the celebrity will record the colours of the hair and eyes, and over 500 precise body measurements are referenced.[5] Most important is to capture the look of the celebrity in order to reflect the personality of each unique individual. The next task is to make a clay model of the head and body which is used to create a mould. Wax cast of the head and hands are made from the mould, and the eyes are inserted. Each eye is hand-painted to achieve a perfect match of the original. Real human hair is then inserted painstakingly strand by strand.[5]

The head and hands are coloured using a blend of oil, water and acrylic colour. From the mould, the body is cast in fibreglass, and the head and hands are fitted to the fiberglass body and dressed in clothes that are often donated by the celebrity. The pose, clothes and expression on the face all contribute to making the figure as realistic as possible. The whole process usually takes up to six months by a team of 20 people to create[5] and cost about HK$1 million each.[6]

[edit] Unique figures

  • The figure of Miriam Yeung, unveiled on November 2006, is the first in the world designed to giggle via in-built sensors. Miriam is well-known for her fun-loving and bubbly personality, and Madame Tussauds want to capture that essence in her figure.[7]
  • The figure of Bae Yong Joon, unveiled on May 2006, is the first Korean star to be included in a Madame Tussauds exhibition.[9]
  • The figure of Andy Lau, unveiled on April 2005, was the outlet first animatronic model that was crafted out of silicone rather than wax. Lau's animatronic heartbeat was modelled on a similar system installed in a replica of Brad Pitt at Madame Tussauds Amsterdam.[6]

[edit] Featured personalities

The list of featured celebrities sorted according to on-site themes are:[10]

[edit] Hong Kong Glamour

The wax likeness of Andy Lau (劉德華), Hong Kong cantopop and movie star
The wax likeness of Andy Lau (劉德華), Hong Kong cantopop and movie star
  1. Jackie Chan
  2. Bruce Lee
  3. Michelle Yeoh
  4. Ayumi Hamasaki
  5. Brad Pitt
  6. Cher
  7. Eddie Murphy
  8. Elle Macpherson
  9. Gerard Depardieu
  10. Hugh Grant
  11. Joanna Lumley
  12. Kelly Chen
  13. Mel Gibson
  14. Meryl Streep
  15. Naomi Campbell
  16. Cecilia Cheung
  17. Aaron Kwok
  18. Leo Ku (added on 4 April 2007)[11]
  19. Janice Vidal (added on 18 July 2007)[12]
  20. Angelina Jolie (added on 27 Sep 2007)[13]

[edit] Historical and National Heroes

  1. Leslie Cheung
  2. Princess Diana
  3. Luciano Pavarotti
  4. Mahatma Gandhi
  5. Nelson Mandela
  6. Bill Clinton
  7. George W. Bush
  8. Mikhail Gorbachev
  9. Saddam Hussein
  10. Prince Philip
  11. Queen Elizabeth II
  12. Prince Charles
  13. Princess Anne
  14. Prince William (added on 7 Aug 2007}[14]
  15. Adolf Hitler
  16. Sir Winston Churchill
  17. Rembrandt van Rijn
  18. Pablo Picasso
  19. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  20. Deng Xiaoping
  21. Jiang zemin
  22. Li Ka Shing
  23. Lee Kuan Yew
  24. Shigeru Yoshida
  25. Hu Jintao
  26. Albert Einstein
  27. John Howard
  28. Madame Tussauds
  29. Sun Yat-sen (added on July 2007)[12]
  30. Mao Zedong (added on July 2007)[12]
  31. Yang Liwei (added on July 2007)[12]
  32. Donald Tsang (added on 7 April 2008)[15]

[edit] World Premiere

  1. Elizabeth Taylor
  2. Benny Hill
  3. Pierce Brosnan
  4. Andy Lau
  5. Leon Lai
  6. Anthony Hopkins
  7. Jodie Foster
  8. Harrison Ford
  9. Humphrey Bogart
  10. Macaulay Culkin
  11. Marilyn Monroe
  12. Sir Alfred Hitchcock
  13. Bae Yong Joon
  14. Connie Chan

[edit] The Champions

  1. David Beckham
  2. Lee Lai Shan
  3. Muhammad Ali
  4. Yao Ming
  5. Chiyonofuji Mitsugu
  6. Liu Xiang
  7. Tiger Woods
  8. Ronaldinho (added on December 2007)[16]

[edit] Music Icons

Teresa Teng (鄧麗君), Asia pop-singer extraordinaire
Teresa Teng (鄧麗君), Asia pop-singer extraordinaire
  1. Anita Mui
  2. Elvis Presley
  3. Freddie Mercury
  4. Jon Bon Jovi
  5. Kylie Minogue
  6. Madonna
  7. Michael Jackson
  8. Mick Jagger
  9. Teresa Teng
  10. The Beatles
  11. Tina Turner
  12. Twins
  13. Joey Yung
  14. Jimi Hendrix
  15. Miriam Yeung

[edit] Other Asian outlet

[edit] Madame Tussauds Shanghai

The second Asian outlet is located in the Chinese city of Shanghai. Attracted by Shanghai's growing reputation and tourism volume in East Asia, the Tussauds Group approached Shanghai authorities to discuss the possibility of opening its second Asian location in early 2004. The Shanghai authorities agreed with the proposal and Madame Tussauds Shanghai (上海杜莎夫人臘像館) was opened on 1 May 2006 on the 10th floor of the New World Department Store at West Nanjing Road.[17]

The Shanghai outlet houses nearly 75 wax figures of local and internationally-known celebrities to date, and will add more in its second and third phases.[18] The exhibition area is divided up into seven themed sections: Glamour, Behind the Scenes, History and Heroes, Music, Film, Speed and Sport.[18] Madame Tussauds Shanghai is the Tussauds Group's sixth waxwork museum after London, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, New York City and Hong Kong.

[edit] See also

Hong Kong Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b History of Madame Tussauds: 1980-2000s. Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
  2. ^ "Aaron Kwok's figure unveils at newly revamped Madame Tussauds Hong Kong", Xinhua News Agency, 22 May 2006. 
  3. ^ "Bret Pidgeon - General manager Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and Shanghai", South China Morning Post, 7 April 2008, p. FB Business, Technology. 
  4. ^ Madame Tussauds Hong Kong: General Admission. Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
  5. ^ a b c Madame Tussauds Hong Kong Guidebook (2006) — "Studio Secrets: Wax Figure Making Process".
  6. ^ a b Gentle, Nick. "Fans to turn the tables on heart-throb Andy Lau", South China Morning Post, 6 February 2005, p. FT News, Education. 
  7. ^ "She's made to measure with a giggle", South China Morning Post, 17 August 2006, p. FT News, Education. 
  8. ^ "Actress Connie Chan Po-chu checks out her wax model as it is unveiled at Madame Tussauds...", South China Morning Post, 31 August 2006, p. FT News, Education. 
  9. ^ "It was supposed to be all about Korean film star Bae Yong-jun being immortalised...", South China Morning Post, 16 May 2006, p. FT News, Education. 
  10. ^ The Tussauds Group (2006). Madame Tussauds Hong Kong Guidebook. Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. 
  11. ^ Leo Ku Comes Face to Face with his Cartoon Creation "Kubi" as Madame Tussauds.... Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
  12. ^ a b c d "Vidal does a double take, then waxes lyrical", South China Morning Post, 21 July 2007. 
  13. ^ "Waxing historical: Simon Yam Tat-wah and Qi Qi pose with wax figures of their...", South China Morning Post, 28 September 2007, p. FT News, Education. 
  14. ^ "Prince William joins royal family in Madame Tussauds HK", Xinhua News Agency, 7 August 2007. 
  15. ^ "Hong Kong's Donald Tsang gives trademark bow tie to wax figure", Xinhua News Agency, 7 April 2008. 
  16. ^ "Ronaldinho wax figure arrives Hong Kong (Chinese)", 21 December 2008. 
  17. ^ "Shanghai's house of wax all set", China Daily, 25 April 2006, p. Industry updates section. 
  18. ^ a b Xu, Xiaomin. "Meeting Stars Face-To-Face in Shanghai", China Daily, 2 May 2006. 

[edit] External links

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