Liang Liren

Leung Lap Yan (born 22 April 1948 – died 11 July 2020), was born in Mainland China with ancestral roots in Meizhou, Guangdong. He once served as a Red Guard during the later phase of the Cultural Revolution and later stowed away to Hong Kong. After arriving in Hong Kong, he enrolled in the first class of the Television Broadcasts Limited Artiste Training Programme, then transitioned to become a screenwriter one year after graduation. He went on to become a veteran television and film creator in Hong Kong and the Chinese‐language media, regarded as a founding pioneer of modern drama in Hong Kong.

Leung also worked as chief columnist and editorial manager in several pro‐establishment Hong Kong newspapers, including Oriental Daily, The Sun, Wen Wei Po, and Sing Pao, and served as president of Sing Pao. He invented and developed the Quick Code and Q9 Chinese input methods, promoting them to Mainland China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. He passed away in a Guangzhou hospital on 11 July 2020 at age 72.

Biography

Leung served in senior management roles at Rediffusion Television, Asia Television, Television Broadcasts Limited, and Singapore’s MediaCorp, as well as in creative leadership at various Chinese‐language broadcasters. He wrote and oversaw the production of over a hundred classic Chinese‐language television dramas, including RTHK’s “Below the Lion Rock” and “Childhood,” ATV’s “Land of Love,” “Chameleon,” “Heroes in the Forbidden City,” “I Am from Chaozhou,” “My Date with a Vampire,” TVB’s “The Legendary Lover,” “My Date with a Vampire,” “The Grand Canal,” “Genghis Khan,” Singapore dramas “Wanderer’s Path” and “Mist over Malaya,” and Taiwan’s China Television production of “Justice Bao.” He was widely known as a “golden‐pen screenwriter” and a “legendary drama scribe.”

Leung pioneered the “writer‐led production” model in Hong Kong and Singapore television, establishing the importance of originality and creative leadership in drama production. He created Hong Kong’s institutionalised screenwriting system and the “cross‐structure” screenplay blueprint still used in Hong Kong television. He mentored a generation of top screenwriters, including Chang Hua‐biao, Chan Ching‐yi, Wai Ka‐wai, Lam Chiu‐wing, Lai Man‐cho, Cheng Tan‐sui, Kou Chi‐sum, Man Jun, Szeto Wai‐chun, Chan Sap‐sam, Chow Yuk‐ming, and Ku Tat‐chiu.

Leung co‐founded the Hong Kong Screenwriters Association and served as its vice‐chairman. He continued training new screenwriting talent across Hong Kong and Mainland China, organising workshops and classes to nurture fresh creative voices.

He also discovered and cast many future stars—Chow Yun‐fat, Nick Cheung, David Chiang, Cecilia Yip, Mabel Kwong, and Tony Leung Ka‐fai—creating standout roles that launched their careers. Leung wrote lyrics for several classic Cantonese songs and was the lead creative on “Below the Lion Rock,” a cultural touchstone.

His father was a former KMT officer; during the Cultural Revolution Leung’s family was labelled “rightists,” and he himself was sent to the countryside before swimming and stowing away to Hong Kong. He detailed these experiences in his memoir “The Great Escape from Hong Kong.”

Leung was a vocal pro‐Beijing, pro‐establishment commentator, writing frequent columns in Oriental Daily, The Sun, and Wen Wei Po to promote central and SAR government policies.

As an inventor, he collaborated with Lau Man‐kin to develop the Quick Code and Q9 input methods, founding Q9 Technology Holdings Ltd. and serving as its chairman and CEO.

Leung underwent a kidney transplant shortly before his death; he suffered complications, fell into a coma, and passed away on 11 July 2020 at age 72.

Political stance

Leung was known for his outspoken pro‐Beijing views. He published numerous controversial opinion pieces opposing democratic reforms, criticizing the pro‐democracy camp as “ineffective,” opposing judicial independence on grounds of “moral risk,” and denouncing LGBTQ+ rights. His writings often triggered significant public debate.

Career timeline

• 1978–1981: Programme Planning Manager, Rediffusion Television
• 1983–1986: Director, Drama Department, Singapore Broadcasting Corporation
• 1986–1989: Assistant Director, Production Department, Television Broadcasts Limited
• 1994–1995: Lived in Taiwan; developed first edition of Quick Code input method
• 1995: Founded Q9 Technology Holdings Ltd.
• 1997–2000: Vice‐Chairman, Hong Kong Screenwriters Association
• 2003–2005: Director of Production and Chief Drama Consultant, Asia Television
• 2005–2006: Chief Editor, Oriental Press Group
• August–October 2008: President, Sing Pao Daily News
• July 2020: Passed away

Selected works

Major screenwriting credits include “Wanderer’s Path,” “Generals of the Yang Family,” “Heroines of the Yang Clan,” “Heroes in the Forbidden City,” “I Am from Chaozhou,” “Mist over Malaya,” “My Date with a Vampire,” “Justice Bao,” and “Papa, My Two Families.”

He wrote lyrics for songs such as “Who’s in My Dream” and “When Will My Debt of Love Be Paid,” and authored the wealth‐advice book “From Rags to Riches: Leung Lap Yan’s Guide.”

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20071117195822/http://www.hkswg.com/member_detail.asp?id=80 – Hong Kong Screenwriters Association profile
• https://web.archive.org/web/20100823120531/http://news.qq.com/a/20100818/000962_1.htm – Interview excerpt from QQ News