| Bauhinia Heroine | |
|---|---|
 Bauhinia Heroine | |
| Vital Statistics | |
| Hero | Bauhinia Heroine |
| Alias(es) | 紫荊女俠, 香港紫荊女俠, Hong Kong Flower, Bauhinia Woman |
| Identity | Secret |
| Alter Ego | Scion of Rich Family |
| Category | Public Service |
| Location | Hong Kong, China 22° 16' 45.58" N, 114° 9' 46.13" E |
| Status | Active |
| Superhero Activity | |
| Team | None |
| Affiliates | Beijing Bauhinia (copycat) |
| Foes | Poverty |
| Actions | Community outreach |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Female |
| Outfit | Cape (Black), Mask (Blue), Suit (Black) |
| Colors | Black, Blue |
| Symbol | Bauhinia Flower |
| Equipment | HK$ |
| Abilities | Riches |
Bauhinia Heroine is a Chinese Real Life Superheroine in Hong Kong. She was inspired by a 1965 Hong Kong movie of a Robin Hood-type heroine, 黑玫瑰 (The Black Rose), and her outfit is an homage to the one worn by the movie heroine bearing the titular name. However, instead of the black rose, she chose the bauhinia flower as a symbol due to the fact that it is Hong Kong's state flower.
Bauhinia Heroine is known to be the scion of a wealthy family of repute in Hong Kong high society but her real-life identity has never been confirmed. She doles out her inherited wealth directly to the poor of Hong Kong, leaving behind bauhinia flowers as a sign that she has come by.
Bauhinia Heroine is protective of her real-life identity and has stated that if she is ever outed, she would quit her philanthropic actions as an RLSH. Nevertheless, this has not stopped the Hong Kong news media from speculation on her identity. The only facts known about her are what she volunteers. She comes from wealth, is a college graduate, a single businesswoman in her 30s, had previously studied as an exchange student abroad, and has an estimated monthly salary of HK$40,000. Her family is also not aware of her actions as Bauhinia Heroine but she feels that if they were aware, they would still support her in her endeavors.[citation needed]
History
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Origin Story
Bauhinia Heroine first chose to take up the mask after an announcement by the Hong Kong government that all adult permanent residents of Hong Kong would receive a one-time stipend of 6,000 HK$ regardless of income level to help cope with rising rent costs. The Hong Kong government's actions frustrated her as it meant the wealthy who did not need the charity would also receive this stipend and would be ineffectual helping the poor who would need it more.[citation needed]
Public Attention
Bauhinia Heroine came into the public eye online through her Facebook page on March 29, 2011, with the announcements, "Bauhinia Heroine Is Born, Hong Kong Poor Have Hope" and "Operation Give Away HK$6,000 Ready to Go" accompanied by photos of her in costume. She has also made mass donations of food including ramen to a Hong Kong food bank. When she gives money away, they are usually in HK$100 allotments.
After Bauhinia Heroine's existence became public knowledge, her Facebook profile gained around 50 followers within a day and she became a trending topic on Weibo. With the increasing attention, Bauhinia Heroine has stated that she hoped to inspire others to do the same and gave the reason for why she refused press interviews due to a wish to maintain a low profile so as to avoid any troubling consequences such intense scrutiny from the Hong Kong news media might bring. She has professed fear that her philanthropy will be stymied if her identity were ever revealed and she was hounded by the Hong Kong paparazzi, who are well known for their persistence. The other reason she does not wish her identity to be revealed is to avoid any harassment or any other troubling consequences to her family.
Speculation on Real Identity
It is likely due to Bauhinia Heroine's efforts to keep her real-life identity secret and her mysterious nature as she avoids press interviews with most communication through online channels, there has been an effort on the Hong Kong news media's part to uncover her identity using tidbits of information revealed by Bauhinia Heroine.
After admitting to being the scion of a rich family of repute and attended society balls in Hong Kong, there was speculation she was Hong Kong socialite Wan Baobao, the granddaughter of Wan Li, the current Chairman of the NPCSC. When asked if she was Miss Wan, Bauhinia Heroine chose to neither confirm nor deny the question, only stating that her background was similar to Miss Wan's.[citation needed]
Film Version
Since there is an active entertainment industry native to Hong Kong, a Cantonese language film fictionalizing Bauhinia Heroine's exploits starring Chrissie Chow (周秀娜) was announced in October 2012. It is scheduled to be released in 3D in 2013. The star of the film has arrived at promotions for the film dressed up as Bauhinia Heroine. [1][2][3][4]
It is likely that Bauhinia Heroine's popularity will increase exponentially after the release of the film and this may cause an increase of RLSH operating in Asia as the movie is released into the various Asian markets.
It might hopefully even increase interest in RLSH everywhere.
Beijing Bauhinia
There have also been sightings of another RLSH wearing the same outfit as Bahinia Heroine in Beijing. This prompted the Chinese language news media to dub Bauhinia Heroine as the Hong Kong version Bauhinia.
- For more, go to the main article: Beijing Bauhinia
Images
Photo as uploaded to Facebook page
- Bauhinia1.jpg
Photo as uploaded to Facebook page
- Bauhinia2.jpg
Photo as uploaded to Facebook page
- Bauhinia3.jpg
Bauhinia Heroine in the middle of taking from her wealth to give to the poor
- Bauhinia4.jpg
Photo as uploaded to Tencent Weibo page
- BauhiniaChrissie.jpg
Hong Kong actress Chrissie Chow as Bauhinia Heroine
- BauhiniaMovie.jpg
Promotional movie poster for the 2013 film starring Chrissie Chow
- BauhiniaPoster.jpg
Promotional movie poster for the 2013 film starring Chrissie Chow
References
Media Coverage
English Language
Chinese Language
AFinance news article published May 27, 2011
Epoch Times article published June 13, 2011
Oriental Daily article published May 29, 2011
Sohu news article published May 31, 2011