In the 80s and early 90s of the 20th century, the Hong Kong film and television industry ushered in a brilliant golden age. In this era, countless talented, handsome and dashing actors have emerged, among which the most influential are the two male stars Dillon and Tang Zhenye.
As one of the "Shaw Brothers Twin Stars", Dillon is all the rage in Hong Kong, Taiwan and even Southeast Asia with his handsome appearance and profound kung fu foundation. He has starred in many martial arts classics such as "Amorous Swordsman Ruthless Sword", "White Jade Tiger", "Chu Liuxiang", "Tianya Bright Moon Knife", etc., and vividly interpreted the image of the chivalrous man written by Gu Long.
Dillon was extremely charming at that time, and was even known as "the first beautiful man in Xiangjiang", although there were also debates at the time about who was more popular between him and Jiang David, but almost no one would question Dillon's appearance was superior, every time he appeared on the screen, those deep eyes and handsome face could make countless girls' hearts beat faster.
At the same time, Tang Zhenye shined in the TV circle. As one of the high-profile "Wireless Five Tiger Generals", the charm of Tang Zhenye is endless. Although some people think that he is not very handsome, in fact, his colleagues agree that he is the most handsome.
Miao Qiaowei and Huang Rihua invariably said in an interview that Tang Zhenye is recognized as the most handsome of the five tiger generals, and he is also the most popular among girls.
During this period, the Hong Kong entertainment industry seemed to be magical, and the handsome men did not seem to grow old. Dillon and Tang Zhenye are like two bright stars, lighting up the sky of the entire entertainment industry.
However, no one thought that such a dazzling brilliance would eventually be overshadowed by the haze of the years at that time, and they would never have thought that the youthful face would one day be ruthlessly rewritten by time.
With the advent of the new century, a new group of young idols have emerged in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, and Edison Chen and Louis Koo are the most eye-catching of them. Their appearance injected new vitality into the originally silent stage, and instantly became the hottest male idols at the beginning of the 21st century.
Edison Chen is undoubtedly the brightest star of this era at the beginning of the 21st century. Together with Nicholas Tse, he was named the most handsome actor in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. Edison Chen has absolute confidence in his charm, which can be seen from his speech on a variety show in Taiwan.
When the host asked him about his appearance ranking in the Chinese entertainment industry, he replied without hesitation: Only Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro are more handsome than him, although he did not clearly state his specific ranking, but this remark is enough to prove his confidence in his appearance Edison Chen at that time, his eyes were full of youthful vitality, and his smile was so bright that it seemed to be able to melt everyone's hearts.
At the same time, Louis Koo is also gaining momentum in TVB. is different from Edison Chen's publicity, Louis Koo gives people a more gentle and elegant impression. In the TVB period, Louis Koo was not only handsome and chic, but also very good in acting.
Many TV series he starred in have become classics in the minds of a generation, such as "Looking for Qin", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", etc., Gu Tianle's gentle eyes and perfect side face have made countless audiences fall in love with him at this time, and his face is full of vitality and enthusiasm belonging to young people, as if he will never grow old.
In those days, Edison Chen and Louis Koo were like twin stars in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, they were so young, handsome and full of vitality, and the years seemed to have left no traces on their faces.
However, no one thought that the torrent of time would eventually wash away their youthful faces and leave the mark of time.
Behind the bright stars, there are all kinds of unpredictable risks hidden in the entertainment industry. For Tang Zhenye and Edison Chen, their acting careers have both suffered major turning points.
These events undoubtedly changed the trajectory of their lives and changed their image in the eyes of the public.
In 1985, a shocking tragedy in Hong Kong changed Tong Zhenye's life. The news of the suicide of the popular actress Weng Meiling caused an uproar in the entertainment industry, and as Weng Meiling's boyfriend, Tang Zhenye instantly became the focus of public opinion attacks.
Once one of the "Wireless Five Tiger Generals", he became a person who bowed his head and faced endless accusations and doubts, this experience not only brought a heavy blow to Tang Zhenye's heart, but also his acting career went downhill, his acting career began to decline suddenly, and even in his image, he also underwent rapid aging, becoming wide and fat, far from the handsome image of the past.
Time flies, and in 2008, another popular actor, Edison Chen, also suffered a career waterloo. He is embroiled in a city-wide scandal that not only destroys his carefully crafted image, but also forces him to quit showbiz, which he loves so much.
used to be refreshed and full of confidence, but now he can only choose to withdraw from the public eye, completely disappear from the entertainment industry, and can no longer turn over.
These two events are separated by more than 20 years, but they have profoundly changed the fate of the two popular male stars. Their stories show us that the glitz and glamour of Vanity Fair is only fleeting, and that the twist of fate often comes suddenly.
The experience of Tang Zhenye and Edison Chen is not only a personal tragedy, but also a true portrayal of the entire entertainment industry. This makes us understand that no matter how dazzling a star is, it can lose everything overnight.
This blow not only affected their careers, but also seemed to accelerate their aging process, causing them to wave goodbye to their youth prematurely.
The age of 39 seems to be a decisive turning point in most people's lives, especially for celebrities who rely mainly on their appearance.
The life experiences of Dillon and Edison Chen are a good confirmation of this.
During the filming of "The True Color of Heroes" in 1986, Dillon will be 39 and a half years old and gradually enter the process of not being confused. However, the footsteps of the years have already passed quietly, and he who was once known as the "first beautiful man in Xiangjiang" has obvious baldness.
This change is the merciless ridicule of the years for his past glory Looking back at the past, his heroic posture in martial arts classics such as "Amorous Swordsman Ruthless Sword", "White Jade Tiger", "Chu Liuxiang", "Tianya Mingyue Knife" and other martial arts classics is still vivid, but now he has to face the cruel reality of the passing of youth.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is 2020, and another former male god, Edison Chen, is also facing a similar dilemma. An article titled "39-year-old Edison Chen's live broadcast of Zhao Benshan without makeup caused a group of netizens to exclaim" caused heated discussions on the Internet.
Edison Chen, who used to be self-confident and even high-profile claims that only Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro are more handsome than him in the entire Chinese entertainment industry, is now controversial because of the change in appearance, some netizens are full of emotion, once a photo made his career plummet, and now people are embarrassed because of the appearance in the photo.
At the age of 39, it is like an invisible hurdle, standing in front of the once unrivaled male stars, telling them that youth itself is fleeting, and time is the fairest judgment. Whether it is Dillon or Edison Chen, their respective experiences tell us that the most dazzling is not always the case, and the young time will go away in the baptism of the years.
The change at this age stage is not only reflected in appearance, but also a turning point in a life stage. It marks the end of youth and also heralds the advent of a midlife crisis.
For these celebrities who rely on their appearance to eat, this transformation is particularly cruel, and they may face more pressure and dilemma.
With the passage of time, the former male gods have entered middle age and are facing various crises, the most intuitive of which is the change of image. The changes of Louis Koo, Tang Zhenye, and Dillon make people have to sigh the ruthlessness of the years.
After Louis Koo turned 50, the change in his appearance caused a lot of controversy. Fans used to affectionately call him "White Gu", and now he has become "Black Gu". Surprisingly, his entire face became unusually stiff and looked very unnatural.
This change is so great that netizens began to associate him with the bronze mask unearthed in Sanxingdui, Guanghan, Sichuan, and there are even rumors that he is in this situation caused by the failure of medical beauty.
The changes in Tang Zhenye are also quite striking. He used to be the most popular member of the "Wireless Five", however, now he has become fat and greasy. He was once unanimously considered by Miao Qiaowei and Huang Rihua to be the most handsome of the five tiger generals, but now he is very different from the image he had when he was young.
The change in his image seems to be silently telling people about the cruelty of the years.
Dillon's condition is even more sad. This movie star, who was once known as the "No. 1 beautiful man in Hong Kong", now has a face that makes it difficult to associate him with his heroic appearance in the past.
His face is increasingly puffy, his skin is sagging, and even the outline of a beautiful man can no longer be seen, from the "Shaw Brothers Twins" of Shaw Brothers Film Company in the 70s to the "bad old man" described today, Dillon's changes are undoubtedly the most dramatic.
Looking at their aging selves in the mirror, will they also miss the glorious years? As said in the article, time is like a pig-killing knife, and the knife urges people to grow old. This is self-evident in them.
The once powerful male gods now have to face various challenges brought about by the mid-life crisis, the most intuitive of which is the huge change in image.
Although most male stars can't resist the erosion of time, there are a few people in the Hong Kong entertainment industry who are known as a model of "living to old age, handsome to old age". Among them, Zheng Shaoqiu is undoubtedly the most prominent representative.
In addition to Zheng Shaoqiu, Fang Zhongxin, Lu Liangwei, Wu Qihua, Ren Dahua and others are also considered to be more and more handsome, these stars seem to have found a secret recipe to resist the erosion of time and become the "ageless male god" in the entertainment industry.
However, although these "ageless male gods" do occupy a place in the story, they are a minority after all. The passage of youth is so short, once it has passed, there is never going back.
As described at the beginning of the article, most men reach middle age and are unable to avoid problems such as fat fat, baldness, gray hair, and facial paralysis, even the radiant stars are no exception.
From Edison Chen, Dillon, Louis Koo to Tang Zhenye, these former male gods used their own experiences to explain the truth of "the huge contrast between before and after the age of 39". Their stories tell us that the myth of immortality is just a fantasy after all, and that we should really face the baptism of time.
As described in the article, middle-aged men often face a variety of problems, such as fat loss, baldness, gray hair, facial paralysis, etc. These problems are not divided into high and low, whether they are ordinary people or celebrities, they are not immune.
Perhaps, the real charm is not in staying young, but in how to gracefully accept the changes brought about by time. Although an "ageless male god" like Zheng Shaoqiu is enviable, for most of us, it is more important to learn to precipitate their own unique charm in the long river of time.
Finally, we have to admit that most of the "ageless male gods" are beautiful myths. The experience from Edison Chen to Dillon tells us that the gap between the age of 39 and around the age of 39 may be very large, which is the natural law of life.
Facing this reality, accepting it may be the best attitude for us to face the years.