Artist Alfonso Wong, creator of the iconic Hong Kong comic Old Master Q, has died at the age of 92.
Old Master Q Comics released a statement earlier this week saying that Wong “quietly passed away” after suffering from organ failure. He died at 5.57am on New Year’s Day in the United States, where he had lived since the 1980s.
Published since 1962, the hilarious comic strips explore the weird and wacky lives of eponymous character Old Master Q (also known as Lao Fu Zi) and his friends Big Potato and Mr. Chin. It’s since become one of the longest-running comic strips in the world, and it’s a staple of Hong Kong pop culture.
Tributes to the man have been pouring in on social media, even in Singapore. “Goodbye Mr. Wong, thank you for enriching my childhood,” one Facebook user wrote. “Thank you for the many wonderful memories,” another netizen said.
One oddly endearing common thread among the tributes by Singaporeans? Most grew up reading the comics while waiting in line at barbershops and hair salons. And not just those who can read Chinese, mind you — it’s a shared experience among folks of all races across Singapore.
Weird, but true. Try asking your friends and family — most of ’em would recall that enjoying the antics of Lao Fu Zi was an essential part of getting haircuts. I mean, for a character who doesn’t have that much hair, he sure is a constant presence at hair salons.
But why, though? Ng Hing Kee Book & Newspaper Agency — which published the first volume of Old Master Q comics in the ’60s — explained the phenomenon to Coconuts Hong Kong.
“Novels and comics were everywhere back then. Kids would ask to have their hair cut every time new issues of Old Master Q were published, because all barbershops had copies,” said Ms. Kong, who’s worked at Ng Hing Kee for 30 years.
Kong explained that reading the comic would help children sit still while having their hair cut, which was especially important when clippers were being used.
That actually makes a lot of sense, and it’s not hard to see how the trend of stocking Old Master Q comics at barbershops spread to the rest of Southeast Asia. In the days following Wong’s death, we went around Chinatown speaking to various hairdressers (and a Chinese bookstore owner) about why the comics are so prevalent in their shops — and how his legacy may (or may not) continue to live on among the scissors, clippers and razors.
Mdm Zhang | Lee Kee Book Company
“(The books in my store are) sold out already, people read it in barber shops because it helps to pass the time while they wait for their turn. But it’s always the kids who like reading those kind of comics; that hasn’t really changed over the years. A lot of uncles I know rarely keeps Old Master Q now, and those who still do have them are for the young ones to enjoy.”
Mdm Luo | Star Poo Kin Thong
“The kids love it; the stories are amusing and they would grab one book each time they come by. Even the working adults would read Old Master Q to get a good laugh since everyone’s stressed out from how poor the economy has gotten — like my daughter (laughs). But even then, I don’t keep the books anymore since my daughter has misplaced them somewhere.”
Mdm Huang | B&B Salon
“The books themselves are funny. His stories are short and straight to the point, and it’s easy to put down the book and pick it up again, because an entire story can just be a maximum of two pages worth of panels, making it easy to move on to the next page with a brand new scene. It’s just too bad he passed on because I loved reading them as a kid. But I doubt many people today would read it, especially in the salons and barbers, since reading materials there are usually magazines and such.”
Mdm Liang | Hawaii Five O His Hair Cut Inn
“The comics have always been popular with the male demographic. When I was younger, it was usually the uncles and their sons who would read those books, as they’re funny. The females preferred fashion magazines then. Master Q is an iconic Chinese character, and it’s sad the author has passed on because he has a really straightforward sense of humour with the comics — which is why people enjoy them so much.”
Mdm Chen | My Place Hair and Beauty Salon
“I grew up with Old Master Q, hence I would keep a small stack of comics I’ve amassed over the years for the customers here. But since it’s usually the kids who read those comics nowadays, my collection has been slowly disappearing, sadly. Recently, the customers who come over for a haircut don’t touch those books anymore, but I still have what’s left of my collection in a corner if they ever want to read it again.”
With text by Coconuts Hong Kong; additional reporting by Joel Ng.
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