By: Jenny Hong
The Untold Story (1993) is a high grossing Hong Kong crime-thriller centered on an ex-convict, Wong Chi Hang. He started a new life in Macau and took over the Eight Immortals Restaurant not long after he began work there. When the severed hands of unidentified victims flushed ashore on a local beach, the police speculate that this was connected to the disappearance of the previous owners of Eight Immortals Restaurant and suspected Wong. However, they had no evidence- the missing bodies weren’t found and the restaurant was running regularly, doing even better with its signature pork buns (Imdb). This sounds like a mediocre thriller plot, but it shocked me and my family as it did everyone else when it came out. Not only is it set in my hometown, Macau, it is an adaptation based on a real-life tragedy.
Google Street View of the current Victoria Hotel (back view) at Estr. da Areia Preta, Macau, where the Eight Immortals Restaurant used to be.
(Unfortunately, I have never taken a picture of the location (creeps me out) so I can only find the closest thing on Google Map).
The Eight Immortals Restaurant Murder is a massacre involving a family of ten that shocked the population of Hong Kong and Macau. In August, 1985, the police found 8 pieces of floating limbs near Hac Sa (Macau’s local beach) including four right hands, leading the police to speculate that there was at least 4 victims. A couple days later, 3 more limbs were found in scattered trash bags. The leading clue of the case was a missing persons report from a relative of Cheng, the restaurant owner, and he also stated that the family restaurant was suspiciously taken over by Wong Chi Hang after they went missing. The missing persons include Mr. and Mrs. Cheng, their four daughters and son (ages 18-7), Mrs. Cheng’s mother and aunt, and Mr. Cheng’s cousin (Jennifer, CT Times).
The suspect, Wong, was brought in for investigation and it is discovered that he was involved with another brutal murder in Hong Kong under a different name and successfully fled. Later, he illegally migrated to Macau with his wife and son and began work at the Eight Immortals Restaurant. Wong initially admitted that he killed the Cheng family and dismembered their limbs. He stated that the Cheng couple lost a large sum of money when gambling with him but refused to repay him, mocking that he had no solid proof, which triggered him to murder them. In prison, Wong attempted suicide and before that, he wrote a letter to a newspaper stating that he did not murder the family, and was forced to take the blame because of his criminal background and he wanted was to start a new life with his family (Jennifer, CT Times).
There are many puzzles left unsolved in this case- the remaining corpse of the family were never discovered; there wasn’t actual evidence to prove that Wong murdered the family although he had initially confessed. The police also believed that there was an accomplice since Wong was already 50 at the time but no suspect was found. What was the whole truth? The cannibalism in the movie was an exaggerated fact that aroused from the prevailing conspiracy theory that Wong had grounded the remaining flesh of the family to use in his barbeque pork buns because there was never a smell of decomposition despite the summer heat and the bodies were never found (Trivia: the sales of pork buns rapidly dropped every time an adaptation was released).
I have never watched the film since I saw it on TV when I was eight, nor do I dare walk by the alleged location of the restaurant at night. The brutal and gruesome scenes- notably the family slaughter and limb dismemberments terrified me as a child, but what truly haunts me is the cold-blooded murder that happened in my peaceful hometown where crime is rare. If you care to find out if the film horrifies you after knowing what to expect- order some Chinese and watch it here (also streams on Amazon Prime). The plot is no surprise, but you will be startled by the explicit gore scenes, morbid acting and even some ironic comic relief that criticizes the police force.
The Course of Horror 
I always find it more interesting and a much creepier when horror or paranormal movies are prefaced with “based on true events” or anything of the sort. And since you’re actually a native of the place where this occurred, I’m pretty positive that it’s even MORE creepy for you. I would not dare to walk near restaurant if I were you either! But thanks for sharing this with us, maybe I’ll check out the movie.
Drew is right — media “based on true events” is a million times scarier than any plain old ghost story. It’s so easy, when the screen goes dark and the lights come up, to roll your shoulders, take a breath, and think, “Well, time to go back to the real world, where we’re safe.” But when the horror was based on something real, well… you can’t say that, and you have no reason to not step outside more wary of your surroundings. But you can’t live like that, always looking over your shoulder and expecting someone to try to kill you.
So you have to carry on. Try your luck. Hope the odds are in your favor. Make yourself forget.
I found the ambiguity of the case’s closure to be the most unnerving part of your account. If a monstrous crime like this occurred near me, I would want to know that that past is buried for good, and that there is no chance of it happening to me. The fact that the suspect retracted his confession leaves open the possibility that they got the wrong guy and that the true murderer might still be lurking the streets of Hong Kong which I find chilling. I am also surprised that you watched the movie when you were only eight. That must have taken guts of steel, though based on your account I suspect you probably wished you hadn’t seen it.
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