AEMS: Publications

My Way

Directed by Cheung Cheuk, 2012, 72 minutes.

Study areas: China, Gender Roles, LGBTQ, Art

Fall of Womenland

“I wish to be a Dan role some day; it is my goal.” – Wing-lun Tam
“But if I continue this profession, I will only be a Dan performer!” – Hau-wei Wong

A Qian Dan (male Dan) is a female character in Chinese opera portrayed by a man. The documentary My Way, director Cheuk Cheung’s debut, depicts the dreams of two Cantonese Opera actors, Hau-wei Wong and Wing-Lun Tam, as they train to become male Dan. My Way follows them over seven years, from 2004 to 2010, as they encounter various difficulties on the road towards their dreams. This documentary makes people think, “Are Wong and Tam on the same path?”

The male Dan is a tradition in Chinese opera, especially well-known in the Peking Opera. One of the most famous male Dan in modern history is Lanfang Mei (1894-1961), who was popular in the early 20th century, not only in China but also in Europe, the United States, and in other parts of East Asia as well. Mei was famous for portraying female characters (“Dan”), usually playing the female protagonist. Because Mei toured around the globe as a male Dan, his popularity left people with the impression that male Dan are a common practice in Chinese opera. However, the practice varies in regional theaters, and Cantonese Opera has no such tradition. In Cantonese Opera, male impersonators are often more popular than female impersonators, but sometimes both the male and female leads are performed by women. One of the most famous couples in Cantonese Opera was Maestra Kim Fai Yam (1913-1989) and Maestra Sheut Sin Bak (born 1926), with whom Wong compares Tam and himself. It becomes an interesting comparison given that Tam and Wong comprise a couple played by men, whereas Yam and Bak are both women. The “ways” that Wong and Tam desire to take are, consequently, not conventional ways.

The two men’s “ways” in Cantonese Opera differ. From the outset, there is not a tradition of male Dan in Cantonese Opera. Hau-Wei Wong’s journey to be a male Dan means he is working against societal pressures. My Way reveals the difficulties he encounters on the stage and in his family. He rarely gets parts on stage, and he has to support himself with side jobs, including being an MC for opera shows, coaching Cantonese Opera in elementary and high schools, and giving lectures promoting Cantonese Opera to the general public. Wong desires not only to preserve Cantonese Opera by being a female impersonator, but also to create a new way for Cantonese Opera. His way could be summarized by a couplet he writes in calligraphy: “Yingzi Rouqing,” meaning “handsome postures [yet with] tender affection,” suggesting a mixture of masculinity and femininity. The question then becomes, is his way possible in Cantonese Opera?

Win-Lung Tam faces different difficulties on his journey to succeed in Cantonese Opera. As a child, his story was documented in the film The Road to a Qian Dan (Po-Ying Lau, 2004), which tracks eleven-year-old Tam’s peculiar success in being a male Dan. In the 2004 footage, Tam is shown as the talented rising star of Cantonese Opera. Even as a child, the documentary shows he is full of passion for Cantonese Opera while other boys his age are attracted to video games. Tam wishes to be a Dan someday, and he works diligently toward that goal. He achieves this goal, saying in an interview in 2010 that his performance as a Dan on stage was “a major event in [his] life.” However, at the age of twelve, physiology failed him on his way to a male Dan. Tam then decides to continue his way towards Cantonese Opera, but as a “Sheng” role, which is a male role portraying characters such as young scholars, old men, and generals. In other words, he had to move away from the Dan role in order to progress, so his path did not take him in the direction of his dreams. Although Wong envies Tam for his apparent success, Cheuk does not shy away from showing the obstacles in Tam’s way. Tam is expected to fulfill expectations from modern society – success in school – and from the traditional system of Cantonese Opera. His daytime life in school, coupled with his evening life on stage, turns him into a candle that burns at both ends. By 2010, Tam has lost the glow that lit up his face in 2004, and fatigue has replaced his enthusiasm. The wooden trunk Tam drags in My Way symbolizes Cantonese Opera for him in 2010 – it is a huge weight that he can barely move. The viewer is left to wonder if Tam will continue on his way in Cantonese Opera.

Gender and sexuality further complicate Wong and Tam’s experiences. Each has his own reasons of dreaming to be a male Dan. Wong says, “If Tam continues his work [to be a Dan], he can be one of the rare male Dan performers in Cantonese Opera.” But Tam claims that he wishes to be a Dan role because “They wear beautiful makeup. They have nice shoes and movements.” Though Tam realizes that his career as a Dan is “doomed” at the age of twelve, he continues his way on Cantonese Opera. His motivations seem caught between a desire to play a woman and to carry on a tradition that now excludes him from doing it. Wong, by contrast, claims that if he cannot play as Dan, he would rather not perform. Unfortunately, Cheuk does not delve into the reason Wong desires to be a Dan, and the audiences can only speculate on this by looking at his perseverance on “the way less traveled.” Where is the way leading each man?

Wong and Tam’s “way” can probably be summarized by their performance as Emperor Guangxu and Consort Zhen that ends the film:
Tam: “Is there happiness left between us? We look at each other, speechless.”
Wong: “But we’ve had a wonderful time. Our love burgeoned when we met. That was a misty evening in the south.”
Tam: “Indeed.”

And the opera, or rather, ‘the way’ goes on.

Even though the appeal of this film for classroom use is somewhat limited because of the subject matter, it’s still an interesting look at two engaging personalities. This would be appropriate for a discussion of gender roles and gender identity in a college (or perhaps AP high school) humanities class. It could also be used as an example of gender roles in theater, where it could be compared to Shakespearean casting practices and the like.

I-In Chiang is currently a PhD candidate in East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She received her MA in Comparative Literature at the UIUC. Her research interests include Chinese cinema, Chinese literature and culture, film studies, and women and gender studies.

My Way is distrubuted by CNEX

Last Updated: March 8, 2016


	My Way Directed by Cheung Cheuk, 2012, 72 minutes. Study areas: China, Gender Roles, LGBTQ, Art “I wish to be a Dan role some day; it is my goal.” – Wing-lun Tam “But if I continue this profession, I will only be a Dan performer!” – Hau-wei Wong A Qian Dan (male Dan) is a female character in Chinese opera portrayed by a man. The documentary My Way, director Cheuk Cheung’s debut, depicts the dreams of two Cantonese Opera actors, Hau-wei Wong and Wing-Lun Tam, as they train to become male Dan. My Way follows them over seven years, from 2004 to 2010, as they encounter various difficulties on the road towards their dreams. This documentary makes people think, “Are Wong and Tam on the same path?” The male Dan is a tradition in Chinese opera, especially well-known in the Peking Opera. One of the most famous male Dan in modern history is Lanfang Mei (1894-1961), who was popular in the early 20th century, not only in China but also in Europe, the United States, and in other parts of East Asia as well. Mei was famous for portraying female characters (“Dan”), usually playing the female protagonist. Because Mei toured around the globe as a male Dan, his popularity left people with the impression that male Dan are a common practice in Chinese opera. However, the practice varies in regional theaters, and Cantonese Opera has no such tradition. In Cantonese Opera, male impersonators are often more popular than female impersonators, but sometimes both the male and female leads are performed by women. One of the most famous couples in Cantonese Opera was Maestra Kim Fai Yam (1913-1989) and Maestra Sheut Sin Bak (born 1926), with whom Wong compares Tam and himself. It becomes an interesting comparison given that Tam and Wong comprise a couple played by men, whereas Yam and Bak are both women. The “ways” that Wong and Tam desire to take are, consequently, not conventional ways. The two men’s “ways” in Cantonese Opera differ. From the outset, there is not a tradition of male Dan in Cantonese Opera. Hau-Wei Wong’s journey to be a male Dan means he is working against societal pressures. My Way reveals the difficulties he encounters on the stage and in his family. He rarely gets parts on stage, and he has to support himself with side jobs, including being an MC for opera shows, coaching Cantonese Opera in elementary and high schools, and giving lectures promoting Cantonese Opera to the general public. Wong desires not only to preserve Cantonese Opera by being a female impersonator, but also to create a new way for Cantonese Opera. His way could be summarized by a couplet he writes in calligraphy: “Yingzi Rouqing,” meaning “handsome postures [yet with] tender affection,” suggesting a mixture of masculinity and femininity. The question then becomes, is his way possible in Cantonese Opera? Win-Lung Tam faces different difficulties on his journey to succeed in Cantonese Opera. As a child, his story was documented in the film The Road to a Qian Dan (Po-Ying Lau, 2004), which tracks eleven-year-old Tam’s peculiar success in being a male Dan. In the 2004 footage, Tam is shown as the talented rising star of Cantonese Opera. Even as a child, the documentary shows he is full of passion for Cantonese Opera while other boys his age are attracted to video games. Tam wishes to be a Dan someday, and he works diligently toward that goal. He achieves this goal, saying in an interview in 2010 that his performance as a Dan on stage was “a major event in [his] life.” However, at the age of twelve, physiology failed him on his way to a male Dan. Tam then decides to continue his way towards Cantonese Opera, but as a “Sheng” role, which is a male role portraying characters such as young scholars, old men, and generals. In other words, he had to move away from the Dan role in order to progress, so his path did not take him in the direction of his dreams. Although Wong envies Tam for his apparent success, Cheuk does not shy away from showing the obstacles in Tam’s way. Tam is expected to fulfill expectations from modern society – success in school – and from the traditional system of Cantonese Opera. His daytime life in school, coupled with his evening life on stage, turns him into a candle that burns at both ends. By 2010, Tam has lost the glow that lit up his face in 2004, and fatigue has replaced his enthusiasm. The wooden trunk Tam drags in My Way symbolizes Cantonese Opera for him in 2010 – it is a huge weight that he can barely move. The viewer is left to wonder if Tam will continue on his way in Cantonese Opera. Gender and sexuality further complicate Wong and Tam’s experiences. Each has his own reasons of dreaming to be a male Dan. Wong says, “If Tam continues his work [to be a Dan], he can be one of the rare male Dan performers in Cantonese Opera.” But Tam claims that he wishes to be a Dan role because “They wear beautiful makeup. They have nice shoes and movements.” Though Tam realizes that his career as a Dan is “doomed” at the age of twelve, he continues his way on Cantonese Opera. His motivations seem caught between a desire to play a woman and to carry on a tradition that now excludes him from doing it. Wong, by contrast, claims that if he cannot play as Dan, he would rather not perform. Unfortunately, Cheuk does not delve into the reason Wong desires to be a Dan, and the audiences can only speculate on this by looking at his perseverance on “the way less traveled.” Where is the way leading each man? Wong and Tam’s “way” can probably be summarized by their performance as Emperor Guangxu and Consort Zhen that ends the film: Tam: “Is there happiness left between us? We look at each other, speechless.” Wong: “But we’ve had a wonderful time. Our love burgeoned when we met. That was a misty evening in the south.” Tam: “Indeed.” And the opera, or rather, ‘the way’ goes on. Even though the appeal of this film for classroom use is somewhat limited because of the subject matter, it’s still an interesting look at two engaging personalities. This would be appropriate for a discussion of gender roles and gender identity in a college (or perhaps AP high school) humanities class. It could also be used as an example of gender roles in theater, where it could be compared to Shakespearean casting practices and the like. I-In Chiang is currently a PhD candidate in East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She received her MA in Comparative Literature at the UIUC. Her research interests include Chinese cinema, Chinese literature and culture, film studies, and women and gender studies. My Way is distrubuted by CNEX Last Updated: March 8, 2016		In This Section: Newsletters Lesson Plans List of K-12 Resources Online Film Reviews > New Reviews > Reviews by Title > Reviews by Author > Reviews by Newsletter Issue Website Reviews Notes From the Classroom Interviews