Tony Leung's Douyin debut attracts over 1.6m followers in a day; gets warm welcome by Andy Lau

HONG KONG – Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu Wai has become the latest celebrity to appear on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

The 60-year-old, who is on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, opened an account on Douyin on Monday (Jan 30).

The actor posted his first video that day, introducing himself as someone who is “not very special, will sometimes go into a daze and hide himself occasionally”.

“Many fans think my eyes can talk. Perhaps that is because I am not good at expressing myself with words,” he said in the video. “I feel nervous when I meet someone for the first time, and feel at a loss when there are too many people.”

Looking directly at the camera again, Leung said: “Since my eyes can talk, I will just keep looking at you like this. Besides my eyes which can talk, I also have a heart that wants to meet you.”

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW_xC8StkZg[/embed]

The star of Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021) then urged his fans to follow his Douyin account. He has since garnered more than 1.6 million followers in a day.

Fellow Hong Kong star Andy Lau, who co-starred with Leung in the crime thriller Infernal Affairs (2002), posted a video to welcome Leung to the platform.

Using one of the film’s classic lines, Lau said in the video: “I am entering my third year on Douyin. I thought initially that I would have to wait for you for three years, then three more years and then another three more years.”

The 61-year-old thanked Leung for getting onto Douyin, urging him to share snippets of his life and “compete” in acting together.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.