Did Chua Lam Force Pauline Chan to Film Category III Movies? Assistant Reveals 4 Clarifications

One of "Hong Kong's Four Literary Giants," writer Chua Lam, passed away on the 25th of last month at the age of 85. His life was legendary. On June 30, his assistant Yang Ao posted another article, directly refuting online rumors. Among them was the claim that Chua Lam had forced Pauline Chan to shoot the Category III film The Lotus Lamp Monk. Yang Ao presented four points to clarify the false statements, emphasizing: "Rumors stop with the wise."

Yang Ao stated that regarding the rumor that Chua Lam forced Pauline Chan to shoot a Category III film, since The Lotus Lamp Monk premiered when he was only 7 years old, he has no recollection and can only respond based on information found online. First, Pauline Chan was born in 1973, and The Lotus Lamp Monk was filmed in 1992. “By deduction, Miss Pauline Chan would already have turned 18 at the time of filming.” Second, “Chua Lam's name does not appear anywhere in the film's staff list, so why is he being associated with this film?” He pointed out that Chua Lam only produced the movies Mr. Vampire and Project B, and was not involved in The Lotus Lamp Monk.

Third, as for how Pauline Chan signed her contract, Yang Ao said he had lived in Hong Kong for many years and had never heard such rumors. On the contrary, it only surfaced after Chua Lam's death, making people wonder about the reason behind it. “If it was collected from the internet, please provide the original article as evidence. Otherwise, it is speculation, or even fabrication.” Fourth, Pauline Chan passed away in 2002, while Chua Lam began using social media in 2010, and no one had mentioned this issue before. “Why did this rumor suddenly emerge less than a week after Mr. Chua’s passing? Is someone using this to gain clicks or for sensationalism? Think about it carefully, and the truth will become apparent.”

Additionally, Yang Ao clarified other rumors relating to Chua Lam: “Mrs. Chua’s surname is Zhang, not Fang. Many reports have incorrectly given Mrs. Chua’s name as ‘Fang Qiongwen.’” Chua Lam’s ancestral home was in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, and he was born in Singapore. Yang Ao concluded by stressing that mistakes about one’s identity or name can be understandable when made in haste, but Chua Lam’s character should not be maligned. “I take full responsibility for the content of this article. If there are any errors, they are mine alone. If you have evidence to refute this, please post it in the comments. If not, please do not perpetuate these falsehoods and tarnish Mr. Chua’s reputation.”