James Wong Jim (February 21, 1940 - November 24, 2004), whose real name was
Wong Jum-sum, an alumnus of La Salle College, was best known as a master of
Canto-pop lyrics in Hong Kong, but was also well known as a talented
columnist, composer, actor, movie director, scriptwriter, talk show hosts and
various other creative positions in the field of entertainment and mass media
in Hong Kong. He died of lung cancer at the age of 64 in 2004.
Education
Wong was born in Panyu, in what now is part of Guangzhou, China and migrated
to Hong Kong with his family in 1949. He completed his secondary education at
La Salle College. In 1963, he graduated from Chinese Department, Faculty of
Arts of the University of Hong Kong. Wong obtained the degree of Master of
Philosophy from the University of Hong Kong in 1983 for his study in Cantonese
opera. In May 2003, in the midst of his fight with lung cancer, he completed
his doctorate study at the Department of Social Science, University of Hong
Kong. The title of his thesis was Hong Kong Popular Music (1949-1997).
Career and Contributions
 Wong
had participated in a variety of media fields including advertisement, movie
and music. He was best known for his achievements as a lyricist of Cantonese
songs in Hong Kong. Beginning from the 1960s, he was the lyricist for over
2000 songs, collaborating with composer Joseph Koo (aka Gu Gaa-fai) on many
popular TVB TV drama theme songs, many of which have become classics of the
genre. His works had pushed the development of Canto-pop to unprecedented
popularity. Joseph Koo, might be one of his closest friends, but James Wong
acknowledges that Koo is the exact opposite of him, saying that he (Wong) is
handsome (in nature), while Koo has a terrible reputation, he curses or uses
vulgar while Koo doesn't know how to curse!
At the same time of being well known and praised for his creative works in the
entertainment and advertisement fields, Wong was also famous for his vulgar
and indelicate image. His vulgar includes jokes that lightly touch on adult
topics. In one of his last concerts, he sung ones of his songs intended for
advertisements. This one, Leung Go Gau Sai So has one particular line where he
emphasizes the word for mother, lo-mo. On that night he also said he loves
si-lai (married women, he said, his mother was a si-lai and he loves si-lai so
badly, his si-lai at home said he could only one si-lai. His charismatic
nature blends perfectly with his jokes that makes everyone laugh until they
fall off their chairs. He had a series of best-seller books on adult-oriented
jokes. He was regarded as the one breaking the cultural barrier to taboos in
Hong Kong during the conservative environment in 1970s.
Wong hosted several TV programs, mostly interviews or talk shows oriented
towards adults, on both TVB and ATV. One of the talk shows called Off-guard
Tonight, co-hosted by Wong and his close friends Chua Lam and Ni Kuang on ATV,
is particularly remembered.
Since 1990s Wong's creative works had become less popular, and many
entertainment company had introduced less Wong's songs. Some TV shows hosted
by Wong was also unpopular. Wong had decided to turn back to Hong Kong
University to take the Doctor degree, about the popular culture of Hong Kong.
His essay is now in the library of Hong Kong University.
Important Works in Lyrics
- Below the Lion Rock
- Shanghai Beach, theme from the popular TV series, The Bund
- Ask Me
- Forget Us in the Water
- Tao, theme to the Tsui Hark-produced, a Chinese Ghost Story
- A Laugh in Blue Sea, theme to Tsui Hark's The Swordsman
- A Man Has to Stand Up, theme to Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China
series about Wong Fei-hung, and set
to a traditional tune, On the General's Orders
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