Review of Self-Portrait Lunar New Year 2025 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Han Chong and Photographer Feng Li with models Carina Lau, Anna Ueyama, Bowie Wu Fung, and William Chang
Self-Portrait welcomes Lunar New Year with a vibrant campaign that celebrates the simple things that truly bring people together: eating food and watching TV. Balancing cinematic splendor and speed-of-life reality, the campaign was captured by photographer Feng Li.
Led by iconic actor Carina Lau, the campaign brings together an ensemble cast featuring Anna Ueyama, a close friend of Lau; veteran actor Bowie Wu Fung, best known for his breakout role in the 1953 classic Men’s Hearts; and William Chang, the visionary art director behind Wong Kar Wai’s celebrated films.
Steeped in nostalgia, the campaign draws inspiration from the shared experience of growing up with Hong Kong’s iconic TV dramas. This theme is divided across two acts, each of which capture different facets of festive life in Hong Kong and reflect an intersection of real life and on-screen fantasy.
Set in the bustling heart of Central, the first act unfolds at the famed Yat Lok restaurant, a quintessential venue for celebration. Carina Lau shares the frame with William Chang and Bowie Wu, who takes on the role of a waiter. As bright red taxis weave through the street outside, the shared meal becomes a center for playful connection. The second act shifts to the luxurious Island Shangri-La hotel, where the lines between reality and performance blur. Carina Lau and Anna Ueyama step into roles that mirror their personal and on-screen lives, exuding opulence and star power – but not without a sense of humor.
“This year’s campaign celebrates the golden era of television and pays homage to how these stories not only sparked imaginations but also brought families and people together,” reflected the brand’s creative director Han Chong. “It tells the story of connection, entertainment, and timeless style, all of which continue to inspire everything we do at Self-Portrait.”
Self-Portrait’s Lunar New Year campaigns are always some of the very best of the season, thanks to the way Chong balances his own personal connection to the holiday with a creative and collaborative approach to visual storytelling. Balancing the real connecting power of traditions with the on-screen fantasies that spark and inform them, this latest campaign is another great example of that successful approach.
Self-Portrait Creative Director | Han Chong
Photographer | Feng Li
Models | Carina Lau, Anna Ueyama, Bowie Wu Fung, and William Chang
Stylist | Monica Mong
Hair | Ken Hui Kan Hung & Xu You Hua
Makeup | Yooyo Keong Ming
Location | Hong Kong