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tion to know about him through this 1997 concert in which he danced in
exhibition,” she adds. red high heels while singing his song
Ellie also has an Instagram page Red (紅). I was so amazed! How could
named WindOfLeslie in which she a man dance so delicately in high
writes about her thoughts on Cheung’s heels? How could he be so androgy-
songs and films using her pseudonym. nous? He was even more feminine
than a woman!” Ellie says.
A Life Enlightenment Journey The Cantopop king has never hid-
“I would say he has enlightened my den his true self. He was the first idol
whole life. I always get a bit emotional to come out as gay in Hong Kong and
when I talk about him. Loving him is confessed his love to his childhood
the best decision I have ever made in friend Daffy Tong Hok-tak in the 90s.
my life,” the teenager says with teary Even for today, he is still a huge gay
eyes. icon as it is not common for celebri-
“He has always stayed in my heart ties to come out publicly in the city.
as I have been listening to his songs “He dared to hold Tong’s hand
since I was small. But I became a die- while paparazzi were taking a picture
hard fan after watching a video of him of them! He has been encouraging
Ellie holding up one of the performing in red high heels at an ex- more people to express themselves.
poster of her exhibition of Leslie hibition,” she says. He has helped me to get rid of limits
Cheung Kwok-wing. (Photo cour- The daring star has been an indis- set by the world and freed my mind,”
tesy of Ellie) pensable part of Ellie’s life since she she says.
“ went to an exhibition named “Ambig- “He is ‘the avant-garde’ in Hong
uously Yours: Gender in Hong Kong Kong pop culture! Many people tell
Loving him is the popular culture” when she was 12 in you to be yourself nowadays, but he
best decision I have 2016. already did it twenty years ago - lov-
Organised by M+ West Kowloon ing himself and doing what he loved,”

ever made in my life Cultural District, the exhibition was she says.
When asked if she would like
about gender ambiguity through
” showcasing costume designs, music to go back to the past to meet
and films in pop culture.
Cheung, she says: “Of course I
“At that exhibition, I watched his would like to meet him, but I be-
collections at home so I decided to sell
some, hoping more Cheung’s fans can
share the joy,” she says.
“It is not easy to find these items!
Sometimes I have to find them
through overseas second-hand shop-
ping websites. For the poster of Happy
Together (春光乍洩) designed by the
Cannes International Film Festival,
I had to translate the film name into
French and find it on the internet,” she
says.
“It was really exhausting to or-
ganise the exhibition on my own,
but I definitely did not regret it,” she
says determinedly. “As a young fan of
Cheung, I feel like it is my responsibil- The red high heels Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing wore be-
ity to let more people of my genera- ing exhibited in the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.