Wong Yuk-long
Tony Wong Chun-Loong** (born March 27, 1950), [1]original name Wong Chun-Long, early pen name Wong Xuan-Sheng, is a Hong Kong comics artist and publisher, founder of Jade Dynasty Publications (formerly Tony Wong’s Publishing Group) and Jade Dynasty Comics. He is known as the godfather of Hong Kong comics and the creator of the martial-arts classic _Dragon Tiger Gate_, with publications influential across Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Mainland China.
Early Life
Born in Xinhui, Guangdong, Wong moved to Hong Kong at age 6 and grew up in Kwun Tong resettlement estate. He attended St Joseph’s Primary School and St Benedict’s School, dropping out at 13 to work as an unpaid intern at *Times Comics Daily*. He lived on food and lodging provided by the paper, earning pocket money by submitting short comics. At 15 he briefly partnered with friends in a small business before returning full‑time to comics.
Founding Diamond Press
In early 1970, after working for Ding Siu‑Heung’s Eastshore Publications, Wong self‑funded Diamond Press. His first titles included _The Little Rascal_ (later _Dragon Tiger Gate_), _Little Demon_, _Little Snake King_, _Wrestling Little Demon King_, and _Flying Axe Fairy_. _The Little Rascal_ became a runaway success, pioneering Hong Kong’s “martial-arts comics” genre with its youthful heroes, catchy kung-fu moves, gang conflicts, and graphic violence.
Government concern over youth copying comic violence led to the 1975 Indecent Publications Ordinance, forcing the title’s rename to _Dragon Tiger Gate_ and a shift to fantastical foreign gangs and toned-down content to comply with censorship.
Wong introduced an apprenticeship system—“Three Swordsmen,” “Four Generals,” and later the “Imperial Guards”—alongside factory‑style assembly‑line production methods, streamlining comic creation.
In September 1977 he launched the comic newspapers _Gold Daily_ and its sister _Life Daily_, offering new artists a publication platform.
Jade Wong Group Era
By the mid‑1980s, Wong acquired the Shangguan Xiao Bao and Xiao Wei companies, establishing a near‑monopoly in Hong Kong comics. Under the Tony Wong Group, titles such as _Chinese Hero_, _Shaolin Soldiers_, _Tony Wong Comics_, _Longevity Boys_, and _Bizarre Anthology_ thrived.
Wong diversified into publishing, printing, color separation, and distribution. In 1986 the group went public (IPO price HK$1.18), peaking at HK$4 before the 1987 stock crash. [2]Wong later admitted in his memoirs to a peak net worth of HK$1 billion, which plunged to HK$0.06 after the crash, leaving debts of HK$500 million.
Between 1988 and 1990 Wong and associates falsified accounts to divert over HK$30 million public funds, leading to an ICAC prosecution and a 4‑year prison sentence in January 1991.[3] He was released in 1993. Meanwhile Sing Tao Group financed a share repurchase that made it the new majority shareholder, renaming the company Culturecom Holdings.
Jade Dynasty Era
After release, Wong founded Jade Dynasty in 1993 with protégé Kei Man-Kit, recruiting old collaborators. Initial success came with _The Legend of the Son of Heaven_, but later titles saw declining sales.
In 1998 he dismissed Kei Man-Kit and restructured, launching _The Chronicles of the Divine Soldier_, which revived fortunes and led to the reissue of _Dragon Tiger Gate_ in 2000 as _New Dragon Tiger Gate_.
Wong remains executive producer while main artist duties pass to Kwong Ban-Keung, Hu Siu-Kuen, and Lam Yip-Hing.
In 2007 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Newcastle (USA) and the World Outstanding Chinese Award.
Personal Life
Wong married fellow comics artist Annie Ma Meng-Ni in 1971; they had three children before divorcing in 1987. He later dated actress Gigi Lai (1988–1990) and had a child with ATV actress Sandy Lee without marrying. In 2013 he was linked to actress Lam Hei-Tung, and in 2017 proposed to Cass Fong; they married in February 2019.
Selected Publications
- _World of Laughter_ (1963, with brother)
- _Judo Boy_
- _Little Demon_
- _Demon Girl_
- _Superman’s Son_
- _Golden Boy_
- _The Little Rascal_ (1969; retitled _Dragon Tiger Gate_)
- _Dragon Tiger Gate_ (1975)
- _Dragon Tiger Gate New Story_ (1979, with Cheung Man-You)
- _Drunken Fist_ (1981)
- _Buddha’s Palm_ (1982)
- _Legend of the Son of Heaven_ (1993)
- _Bravery Gate_ (1994)
- _Dragon Tiger V_ (1995)
- _001_ (1996)
- _The Son of Demon_ (1996, art by Qiu Fu-Long)
- _Legend of the Son of Heaven II_ (1996)
- _The Great Swordsman_ (1997)
- _Dragon God_ (1999)
- _The Condor Heroes_ (1999)
- _Emperor of the Underworld_ (1998)
- _New Dragon Tiger Gate_ (2000–present)
- _Thunderbolt Fantasy_ (2000)
- _Tales of the Divine Soldier_ (1999–2005)
- _Heroes Eighteen_ (2022)
- _Phoenix’s Majesty_ (2024)
References
External Links
- Comprehensive Tony Wong Gallery (Archived)