How and why did films from Hong Kong -- a former British Crown Colony and map-speck -- become so popular? Post-WWII, creative freedom was scarce in Asia, but Hong Kong was a safe space for filmmakers seeking to profit from overseas Chinese markets and Chinatowns worldwide. Both Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest set up massive operations in Hong Kong and let the celluloid slip.
By the 1980s, Hong Kong's Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan were famous throughout...