Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong (香港杜莎夫人蠟像館) is the famous wax museum founded by Marie Tussaud of France. Featuring near to 100 celebrities in its ten sections. It is located on The Peak which is serviced by the iconic Peak Tram (or shuttle bus/taxi).

Sections and celebrities at Madame Tussauds

• Art Gallery – featuring Yayoi Kasuma
• Fashion Zone – featuring Johnny Depp, Wu Lei, Angeal Baby, Robert Pattison, Z.Tao, and Kendall Jenner
• Historical and National Heroes – Donal Trump, Xi Jingping & Peng Liyuan, Joko Widodo, Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, The Royal Family, Soekarno, and Narendra Modi
• Hong Kong Glamour – featuring Huang Xiaoming, Pia Wurtzbach, Kim Woo-Bin, Aaron Kwok, Li Bingbing, Wallace Huo, and Benedict Cumberbatch
• World Premieres
•  Kung Fu Zone – Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen, and Bruce Lee
• K-Wave Zone – your favorite K Pop stars
• The Champions – Stephen Curry, Liu Xiang, Yao Ming, Cristiano Ronaldo, and David Beckham
• Music Zone – Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, G.E.M, Lady Gaga, Teresa Teng, Miriam Yeung, and Michael Jackson
• Animated World – Hello Kitty, Hulk, Iron Man, Balala the Fairies, McDull & Madame Park, Yo Kai Watch

Nearby Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

• The Peak Tower – containing many touristy shops and restaurants
• Sky Terrace 428 – viewing platform at the top of Peak Tower
• Hong Kong Sky Tour – interactive tour
• The Peak Galleria – shopping
• Victoria Peak’s Lions Pavilion – free viewing platform
• Victoria Peak Garden (25 min walk)

Wikipedia Says

History

In the late 1990s, Madame Tussauds had outlets spanning worldwide in major cities such as London, Amsterdam and Las Vegas, but none was in the Asia-Pacific region. When the “Madame Tussaud’s Touring Attraction” ran in Asian cities of Singapore and Australia, proving to be highly popular, the Tussauds Group decided to open a permanent outlet in Asia to cater to such demand, and Hong Kong was chosen for its proximity to the Asian markets.

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong opens at The Peak in 2000, and features nearly 100 wax figures of internationally known personalities and local celebrities to date – with Asian figures taking up more than a third of the total, of which sixteen were Hong Kongers. Asian celebrities and superstars have often graced the unveiling of their wax likenesses with sizeable groups of their fans tagging along. In September 2005, it began its renovation in its effort to bring an interactive and immersive entertainment experience to visitors. It re-opened at a cost of HK$20 million (US$2.6 million) on 18 May 2006, adding a further 700 square metres (7,500 sq ft) of exhibition space on three floors and five themed areas. Visitors can journey through the attraction, stopping to mingle with the ‘stars’ in a range of themed settings including Hong Kong Glamour, Music Icons, Historical and National Heroes, The Champions and World Premiere.

As of 2008, the museum is headed by Bret Pidgeon, who is currently the general manager of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and Shanghai. He has worked for eight years for Madame Tussauds in New York previously. The museum is accessible from Central via minibus, taxi or Peak Tram and opens all year round from 10 am to 10 pm daily. Admission fee is HK$140 (US$18) for adults and HK$70 for children aged between 3 and 11 years old.

Wax figure making process

In over one or more sittings, a highly-skilled sculptor from Madame Tussauds Studios who is given direct access to the celebrity will record the colours of the hair and eyes, and over 500 precise body measurements are referenced. Most important is to capture the look of the celebrity to reflect the personality of each unique individual. The next task is to make a clay model of the head and body which is used to create a mould. Wax cast of the head and hands are made from the mould, and the eyes are inserted. Each eye is hand-painted to achieve a perfect match of the original. Real human hair is then inserted painstakingly strand by strand.

The head and hands are coloured using a blend of oil, water and acrylic colour. From the mould, the body is cast in fibreglass, and the head and hands are fitted to the fiberglass body and dressed in clothes that are often donated by the celebrity. The pose, clothes and expression on the face all contribute to making the figure as realistic as possible. The whole process usually takes up to six months by a team of 20 people to create and cost about HK$1 million each.

Unique figures

The figure of Miriam Yeung, unveiled on November 2006, is the first in the world designed to giggle via in-built sensors. Miriam is well known for her fun-loving and bubbly personality, and Madame Tussauds want to capture that essence in her figure.

The figure of Connie Chan, unveiled on August 2006, was the first figure to appear in full Chinese regalia. The model’s costume was inspired by the musical Only You, set in the Yuan Dynasty, in which Chan formerly starred.

The figure of Bae Yong-joon, unveiled on May 2006, is the first Korean star to be included in a Madame Tussauds exhibition.

The figure of Andy Lau, unveiled on April 2005, was the outlet first animatronic model that was crafted out of silicone rather than wax. Lau’s animatronic heartbeat was modelled on a similar system installed in a replica of Brad Pitt at Madame Tussauds Amsterdam.

Madame Tussauds Shanghai

The second Asian outlet is located in the Chinese city of Shanghai. Attracted by Shanghai’s growing reputation and tourism volume in East Asia, the Tussauds Group approached Shanghai authorities to discuss the possibility of opening its second Asian location in early 2004. The Shanghai authorities agreed with the proposal and Madame Tussauds Shanghai (上海杜莎夫人臘像館) was opened on 1 May 2006 on the 10th floor of the New World Department Store at West Nanjing Road.

The Shanghai outlet houses nearly 75 wax figures of local and internationally known celebrities to date, and will add more in its second and third phases. The museum opens all year round from 10 am to 10 pm daily and it is divided up into seven themed sections: Glamour, Behind the Scenes, History and Heroes, Music, Film, Speed and Sport. Admission fee is RMB 135 (US$20) for adults and RMB 100 for students. Madame Tussauds Shanghai is the Tussauds Group’s sixth waxwork museum after London, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, New York City and Hong Kong.

Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Tussauds_Hong_Kong

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