Emperor Cinemas' grand opening in Beijing features top talent from film industry

Founder and chairman of Emperor Group, Albert Yeung Sau-shing, orchestrated a star-studded event on Friday to celebrate the grand opening of Emperor Cinemas' flagship store in Sanlitun, Beijing.

The event featured an impressive lineup of talent, including three prominent mainland directors, Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, and Guan Hu, and four renowned actors, Jackie Chan, Ge You, Zhang Guoli, and Nicholas Tse Ting-fung, as well as the acclaimed actress Cya Liu Ya-se.

Jackie Chan made a special trip from the United States to attend the event, underscoring his support for his friend Yeung.

The opening ceremony for the second cinema in the city also welcomed special guests such as Fu Ruoqing, Chairman of China Film Co. Ltd.; Mani Fok Man-hei, COO of Emperor Entertainment; Han Zhi, Director of Retail at Swire Properties; and other senior executives from Swire Properties.

A highlight of the event was the eye-dotting ceremony for the lion dance, performed by Yeung and Tse, symbolizing the cinema's prosperity.

Yeung expressed his confidence in the mainland China film market, noting that the Sanlitun store had been operating successfully since the end of last year and frequently topped Beijing's daily box office rankings.

The grand opening was particularly poignant for Yeung, who was moved by the presence of heavyweight guests, including Fu Ruoqing and the top directors and actors. He humorously noted that the commitment of these industry leaders, including Tse—who took a break from his concert rehearsals to attend—was a testament to their support.

Following the ceremony, Tse discussed his filmmaking journey with Fok and Liu, highlighting his diverse experiences from The Stool Pigeon to Raging Fire and Customs Frontline and how Emperor Cinema has supported his cinematic dreams.

Fok, known for her viral social media clips, joked with Tse about potentially switching careers to filmmaking. She humorously suggested that her boss should invest in her directorial debut and cover all actor fees from Emperor Entertainment, proposing that the film could premiere exclusively at Emperor Cinema.

Liu, attending the opening as an award-winning actress, expressed her affection for the cinema, describing it as feeling like home. She shared her joy at the positive reception of her film See Her Again in Hong Kong and expressed her hopes to work on more Hong Kong-style productions in the future.