Wong Hock-Sing, right, and actor Liu Kei-Way 廖奇偉 go over Grandview Film’s production material. San Francisco, 1940s.
World War II escalated while Wong Hock-Sing was on tour in America, and the conflict prevented him from returning to Hong Kong. Stranded in San Francisco while under contract at the Mandarin Theatre in Chinatown, Joseph Sunn Jue hired the actor to star in a series of Grandview Film’s local productions.
During that time, Wong Hock-Sing was tapped by Jue for his directorial debut. After directing eight known Grandview feature films, he returned to Hong Kong after the war and emerged as a prolific director, amassing just under 200 credits in twenty years. He simultaneously acted and served as screenwriter until his retirement from the film business in 1968. Wong returned to San Francisco where he continued his passion for Cantonese opera until his passing in 1994.
Wong’s story is a featured profile in Arthur Dong’s upcoming book, Grandview Film: Cinematic Crossings with Joseph Sunn Jue.
Wong Hock-Sing’s daughter, Elizabeth Ciu, is interviewed by writer Arthur Dong, via Zoom.
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