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Hong Kong's "movie king" Tony Leung Ka-fai today (April 27, Toronto time) presented a pair of "Bruno Magli - Love" shoes to Mrs Sonja Bata, Founding Chair of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, as the latest addition to the museum's "Walk of Fame" collection.
The presentation took place at the Bata Shoe Museum with the presence of the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Canada, Mr Bassanio So, Senator Vivienne Poy, and Mrs Bata's daughter, Ms Rosemarie Bata.
Best known to Canadians for his role in the 1992 French hit film, "The Lover", Leung has scored tremendous success in many films including "Reign Behind a Curtain", "Farewell China" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart".
The presentation marked the latest addition to the museum's "Walk of Fame" collection, which houses world's famous people's footwear from every arena: artists and authors like Picasso and Margaret Atwood; performers like Mikhail Barishnikov and Glenn Gould; film stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Gloria Swanson; politicians like Indira Gandhi and Winston Churchill; as well as sports figures like Donovan Bailey and John McEnroe.
"We're thrilled to accept celebrated Hong Kong film star and stage actor Tony Leung's shoes," Mrs Bata said. "Tony wore this pair of shoes in his stage performance of "Love in a Fallen City" in Hong Kong. This is the first pair of shoes in our collection from a famous Hong Kong artist. We're delighted to add this pair of shoes to our celebrity collection."
Leung said at the presentation that he was proud to have his shoes on display together with famous people like Madonna and Princess Diana. "The glory goes not only to me, but to the people of Hong Kong," he said.
The Bata Shoe Museum is a place dedicated to the history of footwear. It was established in 1995 by the Bata family under the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation.
After the shoe presentation, Leung joined Senator Poy, Director So, Mrs Bata, and Fredric Mao, the artistic director of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, to officiate at the opening ceremony of the Asian Heritage Month at the University of Toronto. A segment of "Love in a Fallen City" to be staged by the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre in Toronto from this Friday was featured before Mao started his panel discussion on "Eileen Chang - From Novel to Stage", jointly with Professor Antje Budde and Professor Jessica Li of the University of Toronto.
Today's activities are part of the Hong Kong cultural celebration organised by the HKETO to recognise the Hong Kong's arts and culture in the Greater Toronto Area, and to pay tribute to the strong Hong Kong community in Canada.
Ends/Friday, April 28, 2006
Issued at HKT 11:22
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