Uncle Choi () was a popular
manhua
() are Chinese-language comics produced in China and Taiwan. Whilst Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China in some shape or form throughout its imperial history, the term first appeared in 1904 in a comic titled ' ...
in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
. It was created by Hui Guan-man (), and released in 1958. Publication ceased in the mid
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: President of the United States, U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V sign#The V for Victory campaign and the victory-freedom sign, V for Victory sign after his resignation from office fo ...
.
Background
Uncle Choi was the best selling comic in the 1950s to early 1960s. The comic is considered a creative break away from traditional
lianhuanhua. The story was able to adjust with the different time periods and make changes associated with social issues.
[Wong, Wendy Siuyi. 002(2001) Hong Kong Comics: A History of Manhua. Princeton Architectural Press. New York. ] It is also one of the most successful comic to come out prior to the arrival of television broadcasts.
The popularity only faded when the story became over the top with laser guns, spy gadgets and non traditional weapons, which turned off some readers.
Story
The comic began more or less as a comedy. Eventually the story developed into a focus against the
Japanese occupation and the plot became more serious. The character Uncle Choi became a war hero.
Format
Some of the titles read from left to right, while others read from right to left. The book was different in size at 5x7, instead of 3.6 x 5 inches.
Film adaptation
A Hong Kong film adaptation of the manhua, titled ''
The Raid'', was made in 1991. The film was directed by
Ching Siu-tung
Ching Siu-tung (Chinese: 程小東, born October 31st, 1953), also known as Tony Ching, is a Hong Kong action choreographer, actor, film director and producer, who has directed over 20 films, including the critically acclaimed supernatural fantas ...
and
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
, and starred
Dean Shek
Dean Shek (17 June 1949 – 20 September 2021), also known as Dean Shek Tin, was a Hong Kong film actor and producer with over 72 film credits to his name. Shek was perhaps best known as Professor Kai-hsien in the 1978 film ''Drunken Master'', ...
as Uncle Choi.
See also
*
Old Master Q
References
Hong Kong comics titles
Humor comics
War comics
1958 comics debuts
Comic strips ended in the 1970s
Comics set in the 1930s
Comics set during World War II
Hong Kong comics
Fictional Han people
Manhua adapted into films
Male characters in comics
Comics characters introduced in 1958
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