Got reminded once again that the reason I got pulled into the fandom was how insightful I found his interviews and how much I love reading his farewell letters
#HouMinghao
sara retweeted
Pang Bo asks him to choose an archive (themes of the event) Hou Minghao selects the “Melody Archive.”
PB: “This is also one of the important works you’ve been doing this year.”
🐱: “Yes, yes. Melody Archive.”
PB: “For the Melody Archive, when you think back to the ‘Golden Age’, what's the first impression or melody that comes to mind? Or, if you're someone who frequently goes to KTV, which songs do you find yourself singing most often?”
🐱: “Oh, there are so many! Actually, a lot of the songs I love and have saved in my playlists are older songs. I think old songs are timeless classics and you never get tired of listening to them. When I think of “Golden Age,” the first thing that comes to mind is the Four Heavenly Kings. Then, moving forward to around the time I was born, there were artists like Jay Chou laoshi, Lin Junjie laoshi (JJ), David Tao laoshi, and Wang Leehom laoshi. So many of their songs are in my playlists.
If I had to give some examples... Well, each of them have so many outstanding and classic songs. For instance, there's Jay Chou's ‘Black Humor’ (黑色幽默).”
PB: “Is there a song of his you'd most want to sing when you go to KTV?”
🐱: His songs, actually, I...
PB: “Know all of them?”
🐱: “It's not that I can sing all of them, but that I'd love to try them all! But because of many…how do I put it…there are many occasions at public events when I've wanted to sing Jay Chou laoshi’s songs.”
PB: “But there are work-related restrictions, right?”
🐱: “Exactly! And then, for example, so there's ‘Black Humor’ by Jay Chou; ‘A Thousand Years Later’ (一千年以后) and ‘River South’ (江南) by JJ Lin; and David Tao laoshi has so many as well, like ‘Melody’, ‘Too Beautiful’ (太美丽), and ‘Who Do You Love?’ (爱我还是他). There are just so many wonderful classics.”
#HouMinghao | W Gala
sara retweeted
He has to pick a challenge to do and the first one he sees is “character profiling” and he goes—
🐱: “I think I’ll skip the character profiling, my drawing skills really aren’t great.”
PB: “I wouldn’t choose drawing either. I draw minimalistically, like stick men.”
🐱: *sighs*
“This is too hard. I can do these, ‘guess the word’ or ‘character profiling.’ I can do either of these.”
Pang Bo explains that for character profiling, he’d have to sketch the next livestream guest to give the audience a preview. For guessing the word—
PB: “The two previous guests chose this. You’d have to act out the word. Like if it’s Mona Lisa, you’d have to act out Mona Lisa.”
🐱: “Then nevermind!” 😆
PB: “Which do you want to do?”
🐱: “I feel that since the next guest is my good friend, I want to leave everyone with a little cliffhanger here and give you a tiny sneak peek.”
PB: “You’re going to challenge yourself and do character profiling?”
🐱: “Yes. But profiling isn’t asking for a profile drawing but through description too, that’s okay, right?”
PB: “Description is fine too. You can describe it.”
🐱: “First of all, we were on the same show. They’re a singer and also a very outstanding actor/actress.”
PB: “So you’ve eliminated me.”
🐱: “Yes, they have not been a host before, don’t have stand-up comedy experience!” 😆
PB: “Boy or girl?”
🐱: “A girl. And recently, released a new single. And in her single, there’s a little classic move. I can demonstrate it briefly, but of course I haven’t had much practice, but it’s just a sneak peek for everyone. I believe everyone can guess it. It’s—”
*demonstrates*
“I think they can guess it. Those who know will know.”
Pang Bo then hands him the tablet to see if anyone got it correct in the comments.
🐱: “Yes there is. There really is.”
#HouMinghao | W Gala
I love how “unlocking new identity” has become part of his branding. Casetify, ROG, and ElleMen have all picked up on those keywords. It just goes to show how intentional he is about what he’s doing. He’s not just chasing hype, he’s building an identity and making sure everything he does aligns with it. Can’t wait for him to unlock his director identity next! 😌
PB: “Before we let you go, I'd love for you to share one last thing with everyone. Time really does fly, and we're already approaching the end of the year. A new year is just around the corner. Earlier, Mix was sitting here talking about how, when it comes to “Golden Age”, we should always keep looking forward because the next one might be the best one yet. So, what are your hopes or wishes for yourself, or even for the world, as we enter the new year?”
🐱: “I think I'll start with myself. I hope to continue discovering different sides of myself. This year, I unlocked a new identity as a singer through my concert tour. That experience was incredibly moving for me.”
PB: “Elaborate some more?”
🐱: “I’ll elaborate some more. It's actually been a dream of mine since I was little. I think I was around 15 or 16, definitely before I became legal.”
PB: “We first met on the show #Tenday back in 2024. We didn't know each other very well before that. I knew you were an actor, of course. But the show itself was exhausting and stressful. Even so, you and Rong Yao would still find time to pick up a guitar, play a little, and sing together.”
🐱: “Yes, exactly!”
PB: “So I always had the impression that you must be very...”
🐱: “Right! I think because we hadn't really had much exposure to each other on music before, people might have thought I simply liked music, or liked it a little. But actually, I'm passionate about it (酷爱). It's something I truly love (挚爱).”
PB: “I know! I only found out later. After we finished filming the show and I got my phone back, I thought, oh, so that's what it is!"
🐱: “That’s right. So I feel like it was all part of fate's arrangement. I'm also incredibly grateful to all the fans who have supported me throughout this journey, as well as the many shows and stages that have given everyone the opportunity to see this side of me. This dream has been more than a decade in the making, perhaps even 15 years or longer, and I've finally been able to make it come true. For me, it's not only the fulfillment of a dream, but also an entirely new beginning.
I've also experienced so many touching moments this year. Including participating in…in some shows. Throughout all the ups and downs, and every step of the journey, my fans have always been by my side. Even throughout the entire filming process, they've constantly shown concern for every aspect of my well-being, from my physical condition to my emotional state. They've been there with me through all my ups and downs, sharing in my happiness and sadness. I feel that along this journey, I've gained not only music and the fulfillment of a dream, but also the people who have continuously stood by me and accompanied me along the way.
As for my hopes for the coming year, I want to continue creating great film and television works, as well as music. I hope everyone can look forward to it.”
#HouMinghao | W Gala
sara retweeted
PB: “So, compared to your age, you’re actually a little more old-fashioned.”
🐱: “mmm” 🙂↕️
PB: “Because the songs you're mentioning are probably ones you discovered by listening to them later as you grew older, rather than following them from the moment their CDs first came out.”
🐱: “Yes, exactly. Sometimes you might be moved by a live performance and then go back and listen to the original recording. That's when you realize, wow, the CD version has such rich sound quality! And I think the music from that era doesn't feel dated at all when you listen to it today. It almost feels like a brand-new single or album released right now. You never get the sense that its age imposes any limitations on how it sounds. It still fits perfectly with contemporary musical tastes. That's why I think so many of the veteran artists from that era were actually way ahead of their time with their music.”
PB: “Yes. And sometimes, the things those songs describe aren't necessarily specific events. They're more universal experiences, things that could happen to anyone, or even just certain emotions.”
🐱: “Right, or a particular sentiment or feeling.”
PB: “And then, at just the right moment in your life, a song reflects what you're going through. It resonates with you and might even bring you comfort or healing. Then you look back and realize, wow, this song actually came out 30 years ago!"
🐱: “Exactly, exactly. Emotions are universal.”
#HouMinghao | W Gala
sara retweeted
Pang Bo asks Hou Minghao to think of what role he’ll play in the castle tonight and he replies okay. He then asks what Hou Minghao thinks of when he hears “Golden Age.”
🐱: “My first thought was of the ’80s and ’90s, the golden age of Hong Kong cinema.”
PB: “You actually watched them when you grew up, right?”
🐱: “Yes, but I still think it’s very classic.”
PB: “Which are special to you?”
🐱: “For example, ‘A Better Tomorrow’ (英雄本色) and ‘In the Mood for Love’ (花样年华).”
PB: “So you don’t limit yourself to a particular genre.”
🐱: “No, I don’t. Not at all. But I feel like that was a period when Chinese cinema was full of creative inspiration, and there were also so many classic works by veteran filmmakers that are still worth learning from. // I think what made that era special was the creative freedom. Filmmakers could let their imaginations run wild and experiment so freely. Even though 20 to 30 years have passed, those films still feel timeless and remain classics today.”
#HouMinghao | W Gala
