{ "id": "ep2gk37y3t", "slug": "echoes-of-the-rainbow", "title": "Echoes of the Rainbow (岁月神偷)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014", "label": "Drama films 2010 to 2014", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014.romantic-and-coming-of-age-drama-films", "label": "Romantic and coming-of-age drama films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014.romantic-and-coming-of-age-drama-films" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020: Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Echoes of the Rainbow (岁月神偷), also known as 1969太空漫游, is a 2010 Hong Kong family drama by Alex Law, produced by Mabel Cheung, set in 1969 Wing Lee Street; it won the Berlin Crystal Bear and four Hong Kong Film Awards and saved the street from demolition.", "snippet": "Echoes of the Rainbow (岁月神偷), also known as 1969太空漫游, is a 2010 Hong Kong family drama by Alex Law, produced by Mabel Cheung, set in 1969 Wing Lee Street; it won the Berlin Crystal Bear and four Hong Kong Film Awards and saved the street from demolition.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014.romantic-and-coming-of-age-drama-films", "markdown": "# Echoes of the Rainbow (岁月神偷)\n\n**Echoes of the Rainbow** (岁月神偷; [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese): *Shui Yuet Sun Tau*) is a 2010 Hong Kong family drama directed and written by Alex Law (罗启锐) and produced by Mabel Cheung, telling a semi-autobiographical story of a shoemaker's family in 1960s Hong Kong through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy.[1](https://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/films/echoes-of-the-rainbow) • [2](https://www.scmp.com/article/707936/sunshine-after-rain) It won the Crystal Bear for Best Film in the Generation Kplus section at the 60th [Berlin International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/berlin-international-film-festival) and took four prizes at the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards, and its success helped preserve the Wing Lee Street neighborhood where it was filmed.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602572/awards/) • [4](https://escholarship.org/content/qt751813hj/qt751813hj_noSplash_3ee41fbe869bf1c35aa7dcf9ae15b834.pdf)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / writer | Alex Law; producer Mabel Cheung, with Candy Leung[1](https://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/films/echoes-of-the-rainbow) |\n| Setting | Colonial Hong Kong in 1969, on Wing Lee Street in Sheung Wan, seen through the eyes of eight-year-old Big Ears[2](https://www.scmp.com/article/707936/sunshine-after-rain) |\n| Principal cast | Simon Yam, Sandra Ng, Aarif Lee, Buzz Chung, Evelyn Choi[1](https://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/films/echoes-of-the-rainbow) • [5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/5.-Exhibition-and-Screening/ProFolio/Hong-Kong-Film-Archive-Special-Vicennial-Edition.pdf) |\n| Release | 11 March 2010 (Hong Kong); 16 April 2010 (mainland China); 117 minutes[6](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/332614/info/) |\n| Berlinale | Crystal Bear, Generation Kplus Best Film, 60th Berlin International Film Festival (2010)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602572/awards/) |\n| Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Simon Yam), Best New Performer (Aarif Lee), and Best Original Film Song at the 29th edition (2010)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602572/awards/) • [6](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/332614/info/) |\n| Alternate title | 1969太空漫游 (a reference to *2001: A Space Odyssey*)[6](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/332614/info/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story and setting\n\nThe film follows the Law family, who run a small shoe shop on Wing Lee Street in Sheung Wan in the late 1960s. The younger son, nicknamed Big Ears (罗进二, played by Buzz Chung), is mischievous and neglects his homework; the film opens with him running through the streets wearing a goldfish bowl on his head, dreaming of becoming the city's first astronaut months before [Neil Armstrong](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-armstrong) lands on the moon.[2](https://www.scmp.com/article/707936/sunshine-after-rain) • [7](https://nyicff.org/films/echoes-of-the-rainbow/) His older brother Desmond (罗进一, Aarif Lee) is the family's pride: a top student and gold-medal track athlete at the elite Diocesan Boys' School, who begins a romance with Flora (蔡颖恩/刘芳芳, Evelyn Choi), a girl from a wealthy family preparing to leave Hong Kong for the United States.[2](https://www.scmp.com/article/707936/sunshine-after-rain) • [5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/5.-Exhibition-and-Screening/ProFolio/Hong-Kong-Film-Archive-Special-Vicennial-Edition.pdf) • [8](https://www.netflixmovies.com/echoes-of-the-rainbow-2010)\n\nThe father ([Simon Yam](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-yam)) is a hardworking cobbler; the mother (Sandra Ng) runs the shop and household with a sharp tongue.[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/5.-Exhibition-and-Screening/ProFolio/Hong-Kong-Film-Archive-Special-Vicennial-Edition.pdf) The family's hardships accumulate: extortion by a corrupt beat policeman, increasing competition, a devastating typhoon, and finally [Desmond's](https://www.edgepedia.org/desmonds) diagnosis with a terminal illness.[9](https://fareastfilms.com/review/echoes-of-the-rainbow/) • [5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/5.-Exhibition-and-Screening/ProFolio/Hong-Kong-Film-Archive-Special-Vicennial-Edition.pdf) The parents sustain the family with plain aphorisms such as \"one step of hardship, one step of joy\" and \"we must have faith\".[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/5.-Exhibition-and-Screening/ProFolio/Hong-Kong-Film-Archive-Special-Vicennial-Edition.pdf) The Hong Kong Film Archive notes that the child's point of view softens the weight of the turbulent 1960s, a decade the film recreates through details such as rampant corruption, typhoon destruction, and the elitism of the colonial era.[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/5.-Exhibition-and-Screening/ProFolio/Hong-Kong-Film-Archive-Special-Vicennial-Edition.pdf)\n\n## Autobiographical origins and production\n\nAlex Law based the story on his own childhood; the character of the younger son is his stand-in. \"I used film to record my childhood, my family, and the Hong Kong of the past,\" Law said in a 2011 interview with the *China Business News*.[10](https://finance.sina.cn/sa/2011-10-21/detail-ikftpnnx8789306.d.html?from=wap) Law, born in Hong Kong in 1953, graduated from the [University of Hong Kong](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-hong-kong)'s English department in 1976 and studied film at New York University, where he met his longtime partner and collaborator Mabel Cheung; the two worked together for 26 years, with Law often writing the screenplays for films Cheung directed.[11](https://news.ifeng.com/c/7faZFI0rtGO) In his statement for the Hong Kong Film Archive, Law described the film as having become \"my declaration of love to my city, my farewell letter to the old Hong Kong\".[5](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/5.-Exhibition-and-Screening/ProFolio/Hong-Kong-Film-Archive-Special-Vicennial-Edition.pdf)\n\n**Production details.** The film was a middle-budget production funded by the Hong Kong Film Development Council, shot on location among the traditional tong lou (tenement) buildings of Wing Lee Street, a dilapidated neighborhood then caught in urban renewal negotiations.[4](https://escholarship.org/content/qt751813hj/qt751813hj_noSplash_3ee41fbe869bf1c35aa7dcf9ae15b834.pdf) Law had originally chosen the area because he had shot his earlier film *Painted Faces* there, and found it matched his vision of the 1960s neighborhood.[4](https://escholarship.org/content/qt751813hj/qt751813hj_noSplash_3ee41fbe869bf1c35aa7dcf9ae15b834.pdf) Cheung said the crew had to work hard to persuade the government to let them finish shooting at all, since the street was slated for demolition and the film otherwise would have had to relocate to Malaysia or [Guangzhou](https://www.edgepedia.org/guangzhou).[12](https://ent.sina.com.cn/r/m/2010-03-17/17052900259.shtml) The theme song, 《岁月轻狂》, was written by Law, composed by Lowell Lo (卢冠廷), and sung by Aarif Lee.[6](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/332614/info/)\n\n## Awards\n\nAt the 60th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2010, the film beat 14 other titles to win the Crystal Bear for Best Film in the Generation Kplus (youth) section; the 11-member jury praised its attention to detail, atmospheric lighting, and emotional music.[2](https://www.scmp.com/article/707936/sunshine-after-rain) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602572/awards/) The prize generated unusual excitement in Hong Kong, where it was read as a morale boost for a local industry overshadowed by the booming mainland Chinese market.[13](https://goldsea.com/article_details/small-hong-kong-film-wins-big-attention-for-berlin-prize)\n\nAt the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards the film won Best Screenplay (Alex Law), Best Actor (Simon Yam), Best New Performer (Aarif Lee), and Best Original Film Song; Sandra Ng was nominated for Best Actress and Buzz Chung for Best New Performer.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602572/awards/) The film also received a Huabiao Award for Outstanding Abroad Actress (Sandra Ng) in 2011, a Golden Deer for Best Supporting Actress at the Changchun Film Festival, nominations at the Hundred Flowers Awards in 2012, and was Hong Kong's official entry for the Academy Awards.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602572/awards/) • [7](https://nyicff.org/films/echoes-of-the-rainbow/) Across its run it recorded 13 wins and 19 nominations.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602572/awards/)\n\n## Saving Wing Lee Street\n\nThe film's most tangible legacy is architectural. Wing Lee Street had already been placed on the government's demolition list, and by 2010 negotiations between the Urban Renewal Authority and residents were nearly finished when the film won its Crystal Bear.[10](https://finance.sina.cn/sa/2011-10-21/detail-ikftpnnx8789306.d.html?from=wap) After the award, Hong Kong residents pushed to save the site, and the Town Planning Board kept all the street's tong lau buildings and made the area a preservation site.[8](https://www.netflixmovies.com/echoes-of-the-rainbow-2010) According to scholarly analysis of the case, the film convinced the government to stop the urban renewal project, and the episode cemented the connection between the nostalgic film trend and public discussion of local identity in Hong Kong.[4](https://escholarship.org/content/qt751813hj/qt751813hj_noSplash_3ee41fbe869bf1c35aa7dcf9ae15b834.pdf)\n\n## Reception and afterlife\n\nCritics received the film as an affecting, personal work. The Far East Films review credited the two inexperienced young leads, Buzz Chung and Aarif Lee, with carrying the film's emotional transitions, supported by the established Yam and Ng, and noted Law's subtle critiques of British colonial rule through the corrupt Inspector Brian.[9](https://fareastfilms.com/review/echoes-of-the-rainbow/) On IMDb, users rated the film 7.4 out of 10.[14](https://movieplayer.it/film/echoes-of-the-rainbow_26029/) Baidu Baike records cumulative global box office of US$5.279 million as of 19 May 2024.[15](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%B2%81%E6%9C%88%E7%A5%9E%E5%81%B7/28275) Law also published a semi-autobiographical essay collection of the same title, first issued in mainland China by Lijiang Publishing, though he said the book was not the screenplay and stood apart from the film.[10](https://finance.sina.cn/sa/2011-10-21/detail-ikftpnnx8789306.d.html?from=wap)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Echoes of the Rainbow (Shui Yuet Sun Tau), Asia Pacific Screen Awards](https://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/films/echoes-of-the-rainbow)\n2. [Sunshine after the rain, South China Morning Post (7 March 2010)](https://www.scmp.com/article/707936/sunshine-after-rain)\n3. [Echoes of the Rainbow (2010) – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602572/awards/)\n4. [Contemporary Pan-Chinese Cinematic Urbanism in Taiwan and Hong Kong, eScholarship](https://escholarship.org/content/qt751813hj/qt751813hj_noSplash_3ee41fbe869bf1c35aa7dcf9ae15b834.pdf)\n5. [歲月神偷 Echoes of the Rainbow, Hong Kong Film Archive Special Vicennial Edition](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/5.-Exhibition-and-Screening/ProFolio/Hong-Kong-Film-Archive-Special-Vicennial-Edition.pdf)\n6. [岁月神偷 详细资料, 1905电影网](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/332614/info/)\n7. [Echoes of the Rainbow, New York Int'l Children's Film Festival](https://nyicff.org/films/echoes-of-the-rainbow/)\n8. [Echoes of the Rainbow (2010) on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/echoes-of-the-rainbow-2010)\n9. [Echoes Of The Rainbow (2010) Review, Far East Films (10 March 2015)](https://fareastfilms.com/review/echoes-of-the-rainbow/)\n10. [岁月是最大的小偷, 第一财经日报 via Sina (21 October 2011)](https://finance.sina.cn/sa/2011-10-21/detail-ikftpnnx8789306.d.html?from=wap)\n11. [岁月神偷保住一条老街, 凤凰网](https://news.ifeng.com/c/7faZFI0rtGO)\n12. [羊城晚报：《岁月神偷》偷走你的眼泪, Sina Entertainment (17 March 2010)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/r/m/2010-03-17/17052900259.shtml)\n13. [Small Hong Kong Film Wins Big Attention for Berlin Prize, Goldsea](https://goldsea.com/article_details/small-hong-kong-film-wins-big-attention-for-berlin-prize)\n14. [Echoes of the Rainbow (2010), Movieplayer.it](https://movieplayer.it/film/echoes-of-the-rainbow_26029/)\n15. [岁月神偷（2009年罗启锐执导剧情电影）, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%B2%81%E6%9C%88%E7%A5%9E%E5%81%B7/28275)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2010 to 2014 › Romantic and coming-of-age drama films*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/echoes-of-the-rainbow", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/echoes-of-the-rainbow.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Echoes of the Rainbow (岁月神偷)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/echoes-of-the-rainbow. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Echoes of the Rainbow (岁月神偷)](https://www.edgepedia.org/echoes-of-the-rainbow)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/echoes-of-the-rainbow](https://www.edgepedia.org/echoes-of-the-rainbow). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Echoes of the Rainbow (岁月神偷)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/echoes-of-the-rainbow. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Echoes of the Rainbow, also known as 1969太空漫游, is a 2010 Hong Kong family drama by Alex Law, produced by Mabel Cheung, set in 1969 Wing Lee Street; it won the Berlin Crystal Bear and four Hong Kong Film Awards and saved the street from demolition." }