Old Master Q
Encyclopedia
Old Master Q is a popular Chinese manhua
created by Alfonso Wong
. The cartoon first appeared in the newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong
in 1962, and later serialized in 1964. The comic is still in publication today.
The series features the now well-known characters such as Old Master Q and Big Potato, as well as Mr Chin, Mr Chiu and Miss Chan, in many different hilarious situations. They are usually portrayed in a variety of social statuses, professions and time periods, ranging from beggars and office workers to actors and ancient warriors, allowing a wide variety of settings and ideas. More outlandish scenarios include close encounters with aliens, ghost sightings and the afterlife
.
In the context of the strips, Old Master Q, Big Potato and Mr. Chin are close friends; Mr. Chiu often play an antagonistic role toward the trio; finally, Miss Chan is often portrayed as a love interest to Old Master Q. The comic is now copyrighted by WangZ Inc, a company established by Joseph Wong Chak (Alfonso Wong
's eldest son) in Taipei
, Taiwan
.
and rock music
. The comic strips sometimes also bemoan the decline of ethical or moral values in modern day living. One can spot characters displaying acts of selfishness or misery, although the comics occasionally display good values like filial piety. The language barrier, mostly between the Chinese language
and the English language
, was not overlooked, either. This is seen in some comic strips showing difficulty in communication between old master Q and foreigners, especially Westerners.
In rare cases, Old Master Q comics would express serious views regarding major political changes taking place in Hong Kong
during the 60's-80's. It had previously criticized overly Westernized Chinese, who were sometimes shown in the comic strips to slant more towards the interests of Westerners than local Chinese. The agreement to hand over power of Hong Kong to China
, following the Sino-British Joint Declaration
of 1984, also became a subject matter, as a few comic strips were published through the late 1980s and early 1990s expressing the characters' fears of handover, frequently represented in a numeral of the year it would take place: 1997. Some of these comic strips had even gone the distance to depict direct assault of what appeared to be a representation of the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China
, which usually takes place near the end of the comic strip. However, the handover was later depicted in more a positive light in the years leading to the actual event, possibly representing a changing perspective from the author.
and Mandarin
cartoon animations, one of which combined live actors and advanced CGI
graphics. The list of Old Master Q movies is as follows, in chronological order:
(Peking) and Tianjin
(Tientsin). The character created by Peng Di resembled Old Master Q which is currently being copyright by OMQ ZMedia Ltd. The character by Peng Di wore similar clothing and had a matching personality to Old Master Q.
A writer from Tianjin published a book in 2001 containing samples of work by Peng Di, which displayed the resemblance between Peng Di and Alfonso Wong's works.
The result of this dispute remains unclear as WangZ Inc. has denied all plagiarism accusations, while a considerable number of mostly professional cartoonists insist that Peng Di's ideas were stolen by Alfonso Wong.
Manhua
Manhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
created by Alfonso Wong
Alfonso Wong
Alfonso Wong is a popular Hong Kong manhua artist. In 1962, using his eldest son's name "Wong Chak" as a pen-name, he created one of the longest running comic strip Old Master Q. He is also referred to as "Alphonso Wong".-Early history:...
. The cartoon first appeared in the newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1962, and later serialized in 1964. The comic is still in publication today.
The series features the now well-known characters such as Old Master Q and Big Potato, as well as Mr Chin, Mr Chiu and Miss Chan, in many different hilarious situations. They are usually portrayed in a variety of social statuses, professions and time periods, ranging from beggars and office workers to actors and ancient warriors, allowing a wide variety of settings and ideas. More outlandish scenarios include close encounters with aliens, ghost sightings and the afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
.
In the context of the strips, Old Master Q, Big Potato and Mr. Chin are close friends; Mr. Chiu often play an antagonistic role toward the trio; finally, Miss Chan is often portrayed as a love interest to Old Master Q. The comic is now copyrighted by WangZ Inc, a company established by Joseph Wong Chak (Alfonso Wong
Alfonso Wong
Alfonso Wong is a popular Hong Kong manhua artist. In 1962, using his eldest son's name "Wong Chak" as a pen-name, he created one of the longest running comic strip Old Master Q. He is also referred to as "Alphonso Wong".-Early history:...
's eldest son) in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Politics and Issues in Old Master Q
While Old Master Q comics primarily focuses on humor, it also reflects changing social trends, particularly from the 1960s to the 1980s. The comics would sometimes feature societal problems in urban life, such as poverty, petty thefts and secret societies. It also poked fun at fashion, contemporary artContemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. The comic strips sometimes also bemoan the decline of ethical or moral values in modern day living. One can spot characters displaying acts of selfishness or misery, although the comics occasionally display good values like filial piety. The language barrier, mostly between the Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, was not overlooked, either. This is seen in some comic strips showing difficulty in communication between old master Q and foreigners, especially Westerners.
In rare cases, Old Master Q comics would express serious views regarding major political changes taking place in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
during the 60's-80's. It had previously criticized overly Westernized Chinese, who were sometimes shown in the comic strips to slant more towards the interests of Westerners than local Chinese. The agreement to hand over power of Hong Kong to China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, following the Sino-British Joint Declaration
Sino-British Joint Declaration
The Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by the Prime Ministers, Zhao Ziyang and Margaret...
of 1984, also became a subject matter, as a few comic strips were published through the late 1980s and early 1990s expressing the characters' fears of handover, frequently represented in a numeral of the year it would take place: 1997. Some of these comic strips had even gone the distance to depict direct assault of what appeared to be a representation of the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
, which usually takes place near the end of the comic strip. However, the handover was later depicted in more a positive light in the years leading to the actual event, possibly representing a changing perspective from the author.
Films
The comic series was made into many CantoneseStandard Cantonese
Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
and Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
cartoon animations, one of which combined live actors and advanced CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
graphics. The list of Old Master Q movies is as follows, in chronological order:
| English Name | Chinese Name | Release Date | Type | Casts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Master Q | 老夫子 | August 3, 1965 | Black & White film | |
| Old Master Q and Big Potato | 老夫子與大蕃薯 | May 19, 1966 | Black & White film | Suet Nay (雪妮), Ko Lo-chuen (高魯泉), Lydia Shum Lydia Shum Lydia Shum Din-Ha, also known as Lydia Sum , was a Hong Kong comedienne, MC, and actress known for her portly figure, signature dark rimmed glasses and bouffant hairstyle. She was affectionately known to peers and fans as Fei-fei... (沈殿霞) |
| Old Master Q Triple Rescue of Foolish-Ming | 老夫子三救傻瓜明 | July 13, 1966 | Black & White film | |
| Old Master Q | 老夫子 | March 8, 1975 | film | Leung Tin (梁天), Betty Ting Betty Ting Betty Ting Pei is a Taiwanese actress who joined Shaw Brothers in 1967. Despite acting in more than 30 movies, nowadays she is known because of the mysterious and controversial death of Bruce Lee in her apartment.-Career:... , Roy Chiao Roy Chiao Roy Chiao was a Chinese actor most famous for playing the minor villain Lao Che in the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Other English speaking film appearances of his included roles in the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Bloodsport, the 1973 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon and the... , Sai Gwa-pau (西瓜刨), Law Lan Law Lan Helena Law Lan is a Hong Kong actress. Law Lan is popularly cast as a type of mystic in many Hong Kong horror movies.-TV series:-Films:*The Kid *Story of the White-haired Demon Girl... |
| Mr Funny-bone | 我係老夫子 | October 2, 1976 | film | Lee Ching (李菁), Wang Sha (王沙) Ngai Tung Gwa (矮冬瓜), Lau Luk-wah (劉陸華) |
| Old Master Q Strange and Interesting Adventures | 老夫子奇趣錄 | November 18, 1978 | ||
| Colour Old Master Q | 七彩老夫子 | July 16, 1981 | cartoon | |
| Old Master Q Water Tiger | 老夫子水虎傳 | July 10, 1982 | cartoon | |
| Old Master Q & "San-T" | 山T老夫子 | August 4, 1983 | cartoon | |
| Old Master Q 2001 | 老夫子2001 | April 5, 2001 | film | Nicholas Tse Nicholas Tse Nicholas Tse is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and musician, and son of actor Patrick Tse. He is a member of the Emperor Entertainment Group... , Cecilia Cheung Cecilia Cheung Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi is a Hong Kong actress and cantopop singer. She is the ex-wife of Nicholas Tse, thus being the daughter-in-law of Patrick Tse and Deborah Lee. She and Nicholas have two sons, Lucas and Quintus Tse... , Alfonso Wong Alfonso Wong Alfonso Wong is a popular Hong Kong manhua artist. In 1962, using his eldest son's name "Wong Chak" as a pen-name, he created one of the longest running comic strip Old Master Q. He is also referred to as "Alphonso Wong".-Early history:... |
| Master Q: Incredible Pet Detective | 老夫子反斗偵探 | December 20, 2003 | cartoon | Eric Tsang Eric Tsang Eric Tsang Chi-wai , MH is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio series on TVB over the course of 10 years.-Biography:Due to his popularity, he is often the MC in events organized by TVB, and is nicknamed "the Prize Master"... , Chapman To Chapman To Chapman To Man-chak is a Hong Kong actor, best known for specializing in comedic roles in films such as Infernal Affairs and Initial D.-Career:To began his acting career in TV soap operas and moved to the big screen in 2000... , Andes Yue Andes Yue Andes Yue is a radio DJ and TV presenter in Hong Kong, nicknamed 發仔 . He went to Centennial College in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to study architectural drafting and worked as TV host for a Cantonese weekend show on multicultural station CFMT-TV in the early 1990s... , Lee Ka-yee (利嘉兒), Dexter Young (楊天經) |
| Old Master Q - Fantasy Zone Battle | 老夫子 - 幻想區域争斗 | 2003 | TV series | |
| Master Q | 老夫子 | 2004 | TV series | |
| The New Unbeatable Old Master Q: Shaolin Detective Agency | 無敵老夫子新傳：少林偵探社 | 2005 | film | Law Kar-ying Law Kar-Ying Law Kar-ying is a Hong Kong-based actor. He was originally a Cantonese Opera artiste. In 1990 he turned to acting in movies. He became popular after being cast in From Beijing with Love, which also starred Stephen Chow, as Da Vinci, an inventor whose list of gadgets include a solar-powered... , Karen Tong (湯寳如) |
| Old Master Q and Little Ocean Tiger | 老夫子之小水虎传奇 | 2011 | film | Deng Chao Deng Chao Deng Chao is a popular Chinese actor, member of National Theatre. He achieved success when he acted as a leading role in the modern comedian drama Cui Hua, Serve Suancai, please. After graduating from Central Academy of Drama, Deng became even greater success from his acting in the historical... , Zhang Hanyu Zhang Hanyu Zhang Hanyu is a Chinese actor.-Biography:Zhang graduated from the Beijing Central Academy of Drama in 1988. He started his career by doing Chinese voice dubbing for films such as Shark Tale, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and Troy... , Elva Hsiao Elva Hsiao Elva Hsiao, also known as Elva Siu, was born on 24 August 1979. She is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer.-Biography:She was educated at John Casablanca's College in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is fluent in both written and spoken English. While in Vancouver, she attended the New Talent Singing... |
- Other actors in OMQ movies include: Hong Wei (紅薇), Connie Chan, Nancy SitNancy SitNancy Sit Ka Yin is a Hong Kong actress on the TVB network. Her acting career dated back to the 1960s, when she was a popular teen idol alongside Connie Chan Po-chu, and Josephine Siao...
, Chu Yau-ko (朱由高), Fen Ni (芬妮) - Other lyricists/singers include: Wong JimWong JimJames Wong Jim was a Cantopop lyricist and writer based primarily in Hong Kong. He was also a well known in Asia as a columnist, actor, film director, screenwriter and talk show hosts. He took part in creative directing positions within the entertainment industry in Hong Kong...
, Joseph KooJoseph KooJoseph Koo Kar-Fai, MBE, SBS is one of the most respected composers in Hong Kong. He used the pen name Moran for Mandarin songs. He is the younger brother of famous Chinese singer Koo Mei .-Career:...
, Leslie CheungLeslie CheungLeslie Cheung Kwok-Wing , nicknamed elder brother , was a film actor and musician from Hong Kong. Cheung was considered as "one of the founding fathers of Cantopop", and "combining a hugely successful film and music career".In 2000, Cheung was named Asian Biggest Superstar by China Central...
Dispute on plagiarism
Some cartoonists and readers claim that the idea of Old Master Q was actually created by Peng Di (朋弟) in the late 1930s and not Alfonso Wong. They allege that the cartoons first appeared in the newspapers and magazines in BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
(Peking) and Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
(Tientsin). The character created by Peng Di resembled Old Master Q which is currently being copyright by OMQ ZMedia Ltd. The character by Peng Di wore similar clothing and had a matching personality to Old Master Q.
A writer from Tianjin published a book in 2001 containing samples of work by Peng Di, which displayed the resemblance between Peng Di and Alfonso Wong's works.
The result of this dispute remains unclear as WangZ Inc. has denied all plagiarism accusations, while a considerable number of mostly professional cartoonists insist that Peng Di's ideas were stolen by Alfonso Wong.
Spin Off
A spin-off series called Q夫子 shows young characters who had similar clothing to their adult counterparts. Each of their names also are related to their counterparts:- Q夫子 names: Q master Q/Young Master Q/Master Q(?) for Old Master Q, "Potatohead" for Big Potato, and "Chin" Mr. Chin.
- 老夫子 names: Old Master Q and Big Potato, and Mr. Chin.