This column serves not only as a tribute to a great man with a great name, but it captures all those moments in China that make you stop for a second and do a double take. We have transmogrified “Oh snap!” to bring you “Bo Zaaaang!”
Venturing out to Mong Kok, an area of Hong Kong infamous for its expansive open air market, on the weekend can be hazardous to one’s health. One has to be prepared to fight a wall of flesh for that must have item. You think shopping for Christmas presents on Christmas Eve in the U.S. is bad? Multiply that maddening crowd by ten, and you have Mong Kok on a regular Saturday. However, those intrepid warriors going up to Mong Kok from this weekend forward might find it a little more difficult to find their favorite bootleg item, namely DVDs. Yes, those delicious slivers of happiness were recently the object of a crackdown. Secretly, many are mourning the loss of this naughty little treasure, but one must keep moving forward…moving forward to Shenzhen that is!
It seems that the intrepid Hong Kong Customs Special Task Force got wind of the location of a DVD burning syndicate and went CSI Miami on them. I just wonder who played the part of the overtly dramatic Horatio? Finding a ginger cop in Hong Kong must be tough! In the end, after the flashy pans and obligatory close-ups, a total of 5,000 DVDs plus 1,200 DVD-Rs were seized which makes for the largest bust of its kind in the record books. Time to break out that bottle of bai jiu from Uncle Chan’s liquor cabinet. According to the Business of Cinema, the total value of what was confiscated amounted to HK$200,000 and the movies ranged in title from “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Invasion, and Lust, Caution.” Hmm, The Invasion and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry? Maybe folks won’t be missing their DVDs after all.
Image: China Daily
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