Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

Wax museum in Hong Kong

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
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXiānggǎng Dùshā Fūrén Làxiàngguǎn
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHēung góng douh sāa fū yàhn laahp jeuhng gún
JyutpingHoeng1 gong2 dou6 saa1 fu1 jan4 laap6 zoeng6 gun2

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, is 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 Madame Tussauds museums in Asia, the other being the Shanghai branch, which opened in 2006 and the third branch at Bangkok which opened in 2010.[1] The Hong Kong branch houses nearly 100 wax figures of internationally known personalities, with Asian figures taking up more than a third of the total, of which sixteen were Hong Kongers.[2][3] The wax figures are featured in a range of themed settings such as Hong Kong Glamour, Music Icons, Historical and National Heroes, The Champions and World Premiere.

History

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 in the Asia-Pacific region. When the "Madame Tussaud's Touring Attraction" ran in Singapore and Australia, proving to be highly popular, the Tussauds Group decided to open a permanent outlet in Asia to cater to such demand, and Hong Kong was chosen for its proximity to the Asian markets.[1]

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong opened 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 sixteen were Hong Kongers. Asian celebrities and superstars have often graced the unveiling of their wax likenesses with sizeable 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.[4] 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.[5] 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 and 11 years old.[6]

Wax figure making process

The wax likeness of singer and movie star Andy Lau.

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.[7] Most important is to capture the look of the celebrity 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.[7]

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[7] and cost about HK$1 million each.[8]

Unique figures

  • The figure of Miriam Yeung, unveiled in 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.[9]
  • The figure of Connie Chan, unveiled in August 2006, was the first figure to appear in full Chinese regalia. The model's costume was inspired by the musical Only You, set in the Yuan Dynasty, in which Chan formerly starred.[10]
  • The figure of Bae Yong-joon, unveiled in May 2006, is the first Korean star to be included in a Madame Tussauds exhibition.[11]
  • The figure of Andy Lau, unveiled in 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.[8]

Featured personalities

The list of featured celebrities sorted according to on-site themes are:[2]

Hong Kong Glamour

  1. Jackie Chan
  2. Jay Chou
  3. Bruce Lee
  4. Michelle Yeoh
  5. Ayumi Hamasaki
  6. Brad Pitt
  7. Cher
  8. Eddie Murphy
  9. Elle Macpherson
  10. Gérard Depardieu
  11. Hugh Grant
  12. Joanna Lumley
  13. Kelly Chen
  14. Mel Gibson
  15. Meryl Streep
  16. Naomi Campbell
  17. Cecilia Cheung
  18. Aaron Kwok
  19. Angelababy
  20. Johnny Depp
  21. Carina Lau
  22. Li Bingbing
  23. Kendall Jenner
  24. Hu Ge
  25. Leo Wu
  26. Huang Xiaoming
  27. Leo Ku (added on 4 April 2007)[12]
  28. Janice Vidal (added on 18 July 2007)[13]
  29. Angelina Jolie (added on 27 Sep 2007)[14]
  30. Donnie Yen (added on 30 April 2010)[15]
  31. Jet Li (added on 28 Sep 2010)[16]
  32. Louis Koo (added on 28 January 2011)
  33. Kim Woo-bin (added on 22 Sep 2018)
  34. Pia Wurtzbach (The First Filipino Wax Figure to join the list on 25 March 2019)[17]
  35. Jackson Wang (added on 29 July 2019)[18]
  36. Zhu Yilong (added on 20 September 2021)
  37. Cate Blanchett (added on 10 August 2022)
  38. Catriona Gray (The 3nd Filipino Celebrity Wax Figures added on 7 September 2023)
  39. Chris Hemsworth (added on 23 October 2023)
  40. Anne Curtis (The 4nd Filipino Celebrity Wax Figures added on 1 December 2023)
  41. Elon Musk (added on 25 April 2024)

The Sports 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 in December 2007)[19]
  9. Stephen Curry
  10. Maria Sharapova
  11. Wayne Rooney
  12. Alexander Ovechkin
  13. Li Na
  14. Su Yiming
  15. Lee Chong Wei
  16. Sun Yang
  17. Cristiano Ronaldo
  18. Manny Pacquiao (The 2nd Filipino Celebrity Wax Figure Added On November 24, 2021)

Historical figures and national heroes

  1. Diana, Princess of Wales
  2. Luciano Pavarotti
  3. Mahatma Gandhi
  4. Nelson Mandela
  5. Bill Clinton
  6. George W. Bush
  7. Barack Obama (added on 20 Jan 2009)[20]
  8. Mikhail Gorbachev
  9. Saddam Hussein
  10. Yasser Arafat
  11. Tony Blair
  12. The Duke of Edinburgh
  13. Elizabeth II
  14. Charles III
  15. Camilla
  16. The Princess Royal
  17. Prince of Wales (added on 7 Aug 2007)[21]
  18. Princess of Wales (added on 5 Oct 2013)
  19. Adolf Hitler
  20. Sir Winston Churchill
  21. Julia Gillard
  22. Yayoi Kusama (added on 19 October 2016)
  23. Rembrandt van Rijn
  24. Pablo Picasso
  25. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  26. Deng Xiaoping
  27. Jiang Zemin
  28. Li Ka Shing
  29. Lee Kuan Yew
  30. Shigeru Yoshida
  31. Hu Jintao
  32. Albert Einstein
  33. John Howard
  34. Marie Tussaud
  35. Sun Yat-sen (added in July 2007)[13]
  36. Mao Zedong (added in July 2007)[13]
  37. Yang Liwei (added in July 2007)[13]
  38. Donald Tsang (added on 7 April 2008)[22]
  39. Narendra Modi[23]
  40. Sukarno (became the second statue of Sukarno, the first statue of Sukarno was in Madame Tussauds Bangkok, added on 5 June 2014)[24]
  41. Joko Widodo(He became the fourth Indonesian wax figure on added on 1 May 2017)
  42. William Shakespeare[25]
  43. Donald Trump (added on 26 April 2018)[26]
  44. Leonardo da Vinci
  45. Steve Jobs
  46. Bill Gates
  47. Xi Jinping (added on 16 September 2017)
  48. Peng Liyuan (added on 16 September 2017)

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. Hyun Bin
  10. Charlie Chaplin
  11. Humphrey Bogart
  12. Macaulay Culkin
  13. Marilyn Monroe
  14. Alfred Hitchcock
  15. Kim Hyun-joong
  16. Bae Yong-joon
  17. Connie Chan
  18. Kim Soo-hyun
  19. Amitabh Bachchan
  20. Bruce Lee
  21. Lee Jong-suk
  22. Suzy
  23. Leon Lai Yi
  24. Mark Chao
  25. Benedict Cumberbatch
  26. Emma Watson
  27. Robert Pattinson
  28. James Dean
  29. Audrey Hepburn
  30. Nicole Kidman
  31. Liam Hemsworth
  32. Yim Si Wan
  33. Jennifer Aniston
  34. Varun Dhawan
  35. Kareena Kapoor Khan
  36. Joe Chen
  37. Salman Khan
  38. Katrina Kaif

Music icons

  1. Leslie Cheung
  2. Anita Mui
  3. Elvis Presley
  4. Freddie Mercury
  5. Lady Gaga
  6. Madonna
  7. Michael Jackson
  8. Rihanna
  9. Kylie Minogue
  10. Cai Xukun
  11. Lang Lang
  12. Mick Jagger
  13. Miriam Yeung
  14. Teresa Teng
  15. The Beatles
  16. Siwon Choi
  17. Zhang Yixing
  18. Nichkhun Horvejkul
  19. Tina Turner
  20. Wong Ka Kui
  21. Twins
  22. Joey Yung
  23. William Chan
  24. Z.Tao
  25. Jam Hsiao
  26. Jackson Yee
  27. G.E.M.
  28. TVXQ
  29. Taylor Swift
  30. Ariana Grande
  31. Shawn Mendes
  32. Justin Bieber
  33. Ed Sheeran
  34. Hua Chenyu
  35. Agnez Mo
  36. Jacky Cheung

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.[27]

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.[28] The museum opens all year round from 10 am to 10 pm daily and it is divided up into seven themed sections: Glamour, Behind the Scenes, History and Heroes, Music, Film, Speed and Sport. Admission fee is RMB 135 (US$20) for adults and RMB 100 for students.[29] Madame Tussauds Shanghai is the Tussauds Group's sixth waxwork museum after London, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, New York City and Hong Kong.[28]

See also

  • flagHong Kong portal

References

  1. ^ a b c "History of Madame Tussauds: 1980-2000s". Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 14 January 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2007.
  2. ^ a b The Tussauds Group (2006). Madame Tussauds Hong Kong Guidebook. Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.
  3. ^ "News: Press Clippings". Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
  4. ^ "Aaron Kwok's figure unveils at newly revamped Madame Tussauds Hong Kong". Xinhua News Agency. 22 May 2006.
  5. ^ "Bret Pidgeon – General manager Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and Shanghai". South China Morning Post. 7 April 2008. p. FB Business, Technology.
  6. ^ "Madame Tussauds Hong Kong: General Admission". Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 14 August 2006. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
  7. ^ a b c Madame Tussauds Hong Kong Guidebook (2006) – "Studio Secrets: Wax Figure Making Process".
  8. ^ a b Gentle, Nick (6 February 2005). "Fans to turn the tables on heart-throb Andy Lau". South China Morning Post. p. FT News, Education.
  9. ^ "She's made to measure with a giggle". South China Morning Post. 17 August 2006. p. FT News, Education.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "Leo Ku Comes Face to Face with his Cartoon Creation "Kubi" as Madame Tussauds..." Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  13. ^ a b c d "Vidal does a double take, then waxes lyrical". South China Morning Post. 21 July 2007.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "Donnie Yen figure revealed as Ip Man". Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  16. ^ "Welcome Jet Li to its A-List kung fu superstars". Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  17. ^ "Madame Tussauds Hong Kong Unveils Pia Wurtzbach as The First Ever Filipino Wax Figure". Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Jackson Wang Unveiled His World's First Lifelike Wax Figure". Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Ronaldinho wax figure arrives Hong Kong (Chinese)". 21 December 2008. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008.
  20. ^ Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. "President Barack Obama Takes Office". Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 3 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  21. ^ "Prince William joins royal family in Madame Tussauds HK". Xinhua News Agency. 7 August 2007.
  22. ^ "Hong Kong's Donald Tsang gives trademark bow tie to wax figure". Xinhua News Agency. 7 April 2008.
  23. ^ "PM Modi joins world leaders at Madame Tussauds". ABP Live. 20 April 2016.
  24. ^ "Presiden Soekarno Hadir di Madame Tussauds Hongkong" (in Indonesian). kompas.com. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  25. ^ "Madame Tussauds Hong Kong to feature Jokowi wax figure this summer". thejakartapost.com. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  26. ^ Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. "Wax Donald Trump Presidential Inauguration". Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Shanghai's house of wax all set". China Daily. 25 April 2006. p. Industry updates section.
  28. ^ a b Xu, Xiaomin (2 May 2006). "Meeting Stars Face-To-Face in Shanghai". China Daily.
  29. ^ "Madame Tussauds Shanghai: General Admission (Chinese)". Madame Tussauds Shanghai. Archived from the original on 14 July 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2008.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.
  • Official Site
  • Press Clippings: May 2006 — Present (English and Chinese)
  • A video clip on Madame Tussauds Hong Kong
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