Skip to content

Hong Kong 1962 · Bangkok · Angkor · Wong Kar-wai

in the mood for love

A film set in Hong Kong and made mostly in Bangkok, about two neighbours who keep a secret. It ends with one sealed into a temple wall. Here are the places, and the secrets they kept.

Maggie Cheung in a black lace dress, her hair pinned up, glancing to one side
Maggie Cheung at the Shanghai International Film Festival in July 2007, seven years after the film. Roger Wo · CC BY 2.0
Maggie CheungSu Li-zhen · 2007
Tony Leung in a dark jacket, looking down
Tony Leung at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007, seven years after the film. gdcgraphics (Flickr) · CC BY 2.0
Tony LeungChow Mo-wan · 2007

Angkor laterite · hollow 1 of 6

Lean in and whisper.

Hong Kong, 1962 · the Shanghainese neighbourhood

Two rooms, one wall apart.

Chow and Mrs Chan rent rooms next door to each other among Shanghainese families who kept their own language, food and music in Hong Kong. Wong wanted it close, like chamber music. The rooms were a set; the rest was found in old buildings where nobody lived any more. The hotel where they meet to write was a military hospital, gone by 2001.

Where we read it

13 Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Goldfinch Restaurant: the one real dinner

The restaurant where Chow and Mrs Chan have their first meal together is Goldfinch in Causeway Bay, one of the few places in the film shot in Hong Kong itself.

Time Out called it the Hong Kong-style steakhouse of both In the Mood for Love and 2046. It stood at 13 Lan Fong Road.

Goldfinch closed in late 2018 after a rent rise.

The restaurant has closed. Lan Fong Road is a short public street off Yun Ping Road; walk it from Causeway Bay MTR.

Where we read it
The tiled front of Goldfinch Restaurant at night, its name in gold Chinese characters
Goldfinch Restaurant on Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay, at night in September 2015, three years before it closed. Momaxmedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
A Causeway Bay street corner with a curved white building and painted road markings
Lan Fong Road at Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, in July 2020. Wpcpey · CC BY 4.0

The dresses

Twenty or more, and they change with the years.

Maggie Cheung wore twenty to twenty-five dresses, all made to measure, refitted as the shoot ran on for almost two years. Nobody had to research them, Wong said: their mothers dressed like this. Switch the year.

In 1962 the dresses still have sleeves.

Where we read it

Bang Rak, by the Chao Phraya

Which city?

Hong Kong’s old streets were hard to find by the time Wong came to film, so he went to Bangkok. Three corners of one district by the river play the film’s Hong Kong. Turn the labels.

Hong Kong, 1962, as the film tells it.

  1. A long two-storey wooden building on a narrow lane, umbrellas and a food stall in front
    Charoen Krung Soi 36 in May 2020: the old wooden marine police quarters at number 120, with a street stall below. Chainwit. · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Their street · Hong Kong, 1962

    The lane outside the building where they live

    A lane off Charoen Krung plays the street outside the building where Chow and Mrs Chan live.

    Where we read it
  2. A narrow city road lined with parked cars, shophouses and overhead wires
    Charoen Krung Road outside Assumption College, a short walk south of the corner with Surawong Road, in December 2018. Chainwit. · CC BY-SA 4.0

    The walk home · Hong Kong, 1962

    The corner where they walk back under street lights

    Chow and Mrs Chan walk back towards their rooms where Surawong Road meets Charoen Krung.

    Where we read it
  3. A yellow colonial building on a river bank, towers behind it
    The Old Custom House on the Chao Phraya at the end of Charoen Krung Soi 36, seen from the river in January 2019. Supanut Arunoprayote · CC BY 4.0

    Rain · Hong Kong, 1962

    The riverside where it rains

    The rain scene is filmed beside the Custom House on Charoen Krung.

    Where we read it
Where we read it
Viator · Ad / affiliate

Bang Rak and Charoen Krung on foot

Bangkok

Live marketplace results for walking and food tours of Bang Rak and the old Charoen Krung riverside. None is built round this film; check each route for Soi 36 and the Custom House.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours

Charoen Krung Soi 36 · 1888

Rain at the Custom House.

  1. 1950s
    A black-and-white view of a three-storey colonial building above boats on a river
    The Custom House in the 1950s, when it was the Marine Police headquarters. Unknown photographer · Public domain
  2. 2022
    A riverside building wrapped in green scaffolding, high-rises behind
    The Custom House under green scaffolding in January 2022, during the restoration. Chainwit. · CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Now
    A yellow colonial building on a river bank, towers behind it
    The Old Custom House on the Chao Phraya at the end of Charoen Krung Soi 36, seen from the river in January 2019. Supanut Arunoprayote · CC BY 4.0

Wong filmed the rain scene beside the Custom House on Charoen Krung.

The building was completed in 1888 to a neo-Palladian design by the Italian architect Joachim Grassi.

Restoration began in 2019; the building was raised about ten feet on 420 jacks.

It reopens as The Langham, Custom House, Bangkok, with 75 rooms and suites and a branch of T’ang Court; stays begin on 20 December 2026.

Being restored as a hotel, The Langham, Custom House, taking guests from 20 December 2026. Until then, see it from the river or the end of the lane.

Where we read it
The Langham

The Langham, Custom House, Bangkok

Bang Rak, Bangkok · From $660 a night, stays from 20 December 2026

The 1888 Custom House where the rain scene was filmed, restored as a 75-room hotel at the river end of Charoen Krung Soi 36, with a branch of T’ang Court. Reservations are open for stays from 20 December 2026; AFAR reports rates from $660 a night.

See the hotel

The people

Who made it.

  • Maggie Cheung in a black lace dress, her hair pinned up, glancing to one side
    Maggie Cheung at the Shanghai International Film Festival in July 2007, seven years after the film. Roger Wo · CC BY 2.0
    Maggie CheungSu Li-zhen, Mrs Chan · 2007
  • Tony Leung in a dark jacket, looking down
    Tony Leung at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007, seven years after the film. gdcgraphics (Flickr) · CC BY 2.0
    Tony LeungChow Mo-wan · 2007
  • Wong Kar-wai in dark glasses, smiling
    Wong Kar-wai at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2008, in the dark glasses he wears in public. karen in toronto (Flickr); crop by Tabercil · CC BY 2.0
    Wong Kar-waiWriter and director · 2008

Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bing shot it; Doyle left during the shoot and Lee took over. William Chang shared the Cannes technical prize with them. The music is Shigeru Umebayashi’s Yumeji’s Theme and Nat King Cole.

Where we read it

  • Cinematographers, the change of cinematographer, the technical prize shared with William Chang, Yumeji’s Theme and the Nat King Cole songs.

    Wikipedia: In the Mood for Love

The Palais des Festivals building lit up at night
The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes at night, December 2014. The film had its premiere here in May 2000. Jorge Láscar · CC BY 2.0

1 Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes, France

Cannes, 20 May 2000

The film had its premiere in competition at Cannes on 20 May 2000.

Tony Leung won Best Actor, the first Hong Kong actor to do so, and the film took the Technical Grand Prize for Christopher Doyle, Mark Lee Ping-bing and William Chang.

The crew left Angkor with only days to spare: they were due back in Hong Kong to finish the film, with Cannes looming.

The Palais is the main home of the Cannes Film Festival. This building was unveiled in 1982.

The Palais stands on the Croisette by the old port; the outside and its steps can be seen from the street all year.

Where we read it
A bronze handprint plaque on a curved harbour rail, the Hong Kong Island skyline beyond
The rebuilt Avenue of Stars in January 2019: handprints now sit along the harbour rail, with Hong Kong Island across the water. Wpcpey · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Three hands on the harbour rail

Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and Wong Kar-wai all have handprints here: numbers 68, 70 and 72 in the sequence.

The promenade was redesigned by James Corner and reopened in 2019, with more than a hundred handprints moved into the wooden handrails.

Wong was born in Shanghai in 1958 and grew up in Tsim Sha Tsui after his family moved to Hong Kong when he was about five.

Two handprints cast in a bronze star set into paving
Tony Leung’s handprints on the old Avenue of Stars pavement, 2007. Since 2019 the prints have been set into the harbour rail. edwin.11 (Flickr) · CC BY 2.0

A public harbourside promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui. The handprints are set into the rail along the water.

Where we read it
  1. 20–25dresses made to measure for Maggie Cheung
  2. 15months of shooting
  3. 3days at Angkor, where one was planned
  4. 20 May 2000premiere at Cannes
Where we read it

Angkor Wat, Cambodia, 1966

Seal it in the wall.

At the end Chow finds a hollow in a wall at Angkor Wat, whispers into it, and seals it with mud. The film kept six secrets about where it was made. Whisper into a hollow to hear one; then seal it.

No of six sealed. Choose a hollow and whisper.

The wall is quiet.

The five towers of Angkor Wat rising over a long stone gallery
Angkor Wat from outside its outer wall, December 2019. Balon Greyjoy · Public domain

Angkor Archaeological Park, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat

At Angkor Wat Chow whispers into a hollow in a wall, as a monk looks on, and seals it with mud.

The crew looked at Bangkok’s temples first. A Thai production manager suggested Angkor; Wong wanted something of nature and history to balance the ending.

Permission came within 48 hours. They planned one day over the Cambodian new year and stayed three.

Built between 1113 and 1150 for Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat is the largest religious complex in the world. Unlike most Angkorian temples it faces west.

Entry needs an Angkor Pass, sold by Angkor Enterprise at its ticket office, on its website and in its app. The temple faces west; the causeway crosses the moat from that side.

Where we read it
A stone causeway with a carved balustrade running beside a green moat
The sandstone causeway over the moat on the west side of Angkor Wat, 2011. Jorge Láscar · CC BY 2.0

Singapore, 1963 and 2026

The other secret city

In the film Chow takes a job in Singapore. Those scenes were shot in Bangkok, at the end of the shoot.

On 24 and 25 October 2026 the Sands Theatre shows the film with a full symphony orchestra playing the score live, conducted by Joshua Tan.

Where we read it

Go there.

Where it is now

8 places you can visit, from a lane in Bangkok to a temple in Cambodia. The military hospital that played the hotel has gone, so it is not on the map.

Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.

  • General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The restaurant has closed. Lan Fong Road is a short public street off Yun Ping Road; walk it from Causeway Bay MTR.

  • General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A public harbourside promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui. The handprints are set into the rail along the water.

  1. The tiled front of Goldfinch Restaurant at night, its name in gold Chinese characters
    Goldfinch Restaurant on Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay, at night in September 2015, three years before it closed. Momaxmedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

    13 Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

    Goldfinch Restaurant

    The restaurant where Chow and Mrs Chan have their first meal together is Goldfinch in Causeway Bay, one of the few places in the film shot in Hong Kong itself.

    The restaurant has closed. Lan Fong Road is a short public street off Yun Ping Road; walk it from Causeway Bay MTR.

    Where we read it
  2. A bronze handprint plaque on a curved harbour rail, the Hong Kong Island skyline beyond
    The rebuilt Avenue of Stars in January 2019: handprints now sit along the harbour rail, with Hong Kong Island across the water. Wpcpey · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Avenue of Stars

    Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and Wong Kar-wai all have handprints here: numbers 68, 70 and 72 in the sequence.

    A public harbourside promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui. The handprints are set into the rail along the water.

    Where we read it

Stay

Sleep where it rained.

The 1888 Custom House on the Bangkok riverside, opening as a hotel in December 2026.

The Langham

The Langham, Custom House, Bangkok

Bang Rak, Bangkok · From $660 a night, stays from 20 December 2026

The 1888 Custom House where the rain scene was filmed, restored as a 75-room hotel at the river end of Charoen Krung Soi 36, with a branch of T’ang Court. Reservations are open for stays from 20 December 2026; AFAR reports rates from $660 a night.

See the hotel

Go there

On foot.

Walks through Bang Rak and old Hong Kong, and days at Angkor.

Viator · Ad / affiliate

Bang Rak and Charoen Krung on foot

Bangkok

Live marketplace results for walking and food tours of Bang Rak and the old Charoen Krung riverside. None is built round this film; check each route for Soi 36 and the Custom House.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours
Viator · Ad / affiliate

Angkor Wat from Siem Reap

Siem Reap

Live marketplace results for guided days at Angkor Wat. The Angkor Pass is usually extra; check what each tour includes.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours
Viator · Ad / affiliate

Old Hong Kong on foot

Hong Kong

Live marketplace results for heritage and film walks in Hong Kong. Check each itinerary for Causeway Bay and the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours

What’s on

Played live.

The film with its score played by an orchestra, in Singapore.

Checking current event dates…

Take it home

A poster, two books and the record.

An original Italian poster from our store, the BFI Film Classic, Wong’s own book and the 2000 soundtrack.

Printed Originals · Our poster store

In the Mood for Love — Italian poster

A large original Italian poster, 100 × 140 cm, printed for the 4K restoration. Rolled, previously folded; near mint.

In stock

View poster
Bookshop.org UK · Ad / affiliate

In the Mood for Love

Tony Rayns · BFI Film Classics

Tony Rayns, who interviewed Wong about the film in 2000, on how it was made. Published by the BFI in 2015.

Find the book
Bookshop.org UK · Ad / affiliate

WKW: The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai

Wong Kar-wai with John Powers · Rizzoli

Wong’s own large-format book of his films, published by Rizzoli in 2016.

Find the book
eBay · Ad / affiliate

In the Mood for Love: original soundtrack

Various artists · CD, Virgin France, 2000

Shigeru Umebayashi’s Yumeji’s Theme, Michael Galasso’s Angkor Wat themes and three Nat King Cole recordings, issued in France in November 2000.

Live marketplace search · listings and condition change

Find a copy

Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.

Everything the wall keeps

Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.

8 of 8 places · 8 of 8 Moments

  • Goldfinch Restaurant

    13 Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

    • The first dinner

      Chow and Mrs Chan have their first meal together, at Goldfinch in Causeway Bay.

  • Avenue of Stars

    Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    • Three handprints

      Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and Wong Kar-wai each leave their handprints on the Avenue of Stars.

  • Charoen Krung Soi 36

    Charoen Krung Soi 36, Bang Rak, Bangkok

    • The street outside

      A lane off Charoen Krung plays the street outside the building where Chow and Mrs Chan live.

  • The Custom House

    300 Trok Rong Phasi (Charoen Krung 36), Bang Rak, Bangkok

    • Rain

      The rain scene is filmed beside the Custom House on Charoen Krung.

  • Surawong at Charoen Krung

    Where Surawong Road meets Charoen Krung Road, Bang Rak, Bangkok

    • The walk back

      Chow and Mrs Chan walk back towards their rooms where Surawong Road meets Charoen Krung.

  • Angkor Wat

    Angkor Archaeological Park, Siem Reap, Cambodia

    • The secret

      At Angkor Wat Chow whispers into a hollow in a wall and seals it with mud.

  • Palais des Festivals, Cannes

    1 Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes, France

    • Cannes

      The film has its premiere in competition on 20 May 2000; Tony Leung wins Best Actor.

  • Sands Theatre, Singapore

    Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore

    • Singapore, live

      Chow’s Singapore was shot in Bangkok; the real Singapore shows the film with a live orchestra in October 2026.

Privacy