april-2012

Suzhou Creek has
inspired both reel
and real life stories;
(below) Zhou Xun in
the fi lm Suzhou River
On location at
Suzhou Creek
Snaking deep through the bowels of
Shanghai, Suzhou Creek provided the
gritty backdrop to the seminal sixth
generation fi lm Suzhou River (2000)
directed by Lou Ye. A tragic fi lm-noir
love story that drew comparisons
to Wang Kar-Wai and even Alfred
Hitchcock, Suzhou River is even more
painful to watch today, considering
the off-screen romance between the
two main actors, Zhou Xun and Jia
Hongsheng, which ended in the suicide
of the latter — not unlike in the fi lm.
Suzhou Creek has undergone a major
facelift since Lou made his fi lm 12
years ago, with the development of the
Moganshan Road Arts District — so you
could say this once-sad place now has
a happy ending. Later this year, Jackie
M OVIE MAGIC IN CHINA
Chan will open his fi rst and only fi lm
museum beside Suzhou Creek, featuring
costumes and other memorabilia from
his long career. Best viewing spot: the
Garden Bridge (Waibaidu Qiao) at the
{ 89 }
The Garden
Bridge is a
Shanghai
landmark
northern end of The Bund, which is
featured in Suzhou River, Empire of
the Sun (1987), Lust, Caution, and The
Founding of a Republic (2009), starring
Tang Guoqiang and Jackie Chan.