I am Tina
In 1995, Tina UglyHaira was inspired by the idea that her friend Dakko shared with her, “Why don’t we do this together!” After almost 30 years, she became what we know today – the most experienced drag queen star in Hong Kong, her face is the icon of the local drag show industry.
“I agreed to join was because I love the style of drag, it’s so beautiful you know.”
Dakko – also named Dakkolilian in the drag queen world, is Tina’s best friend and also became a drag queen a few years earlier than Tina. Back then, Tina was just Dakko’s helper in doing his drag show customs and accessories redesign, and makeups. What is essential to know is that making a unique custom from scratch is the required ability for every drag queen, even if some garments are bought from shops, they will still choose to develop some of their own design in an attempt to stand out on stage. Apart from making suitable on-stage outfits, makeup weighs the same importance. That is why – Tina got her diploma in a professional makeup school in 1998 and started to move on to her bright future in drag.
The beginning of the story was when Tina won the 4th prize in a drag queen competition, and she joked about it, “I don’t get it, com’on, I should be the first.” We laughed, but we agreed with what she said. She is a great drag artist, even after so many years her friend who led her to the industry already quit. She still loves this job with her whole heart.
“I don’t follow anyone, I follow myself.” She explained while we asked her why she chose to stay even after two of her best friends quit this job.
Apart from Dakko, Kyla is another best friend of Tina, three of them formed a group named TDK. Tina and her best partners cooperate with each other throughout the years before 2017, successfully promoting TDK to be a term that equals “great quality drag show”.
“We are the advertisement.” Tina said.
Tina did pay a lot of effort to become a famous drag queen at the time she started. She showed us the scar on her thigh and told us she never stopped practising her dancing skill even now she’s already at the age of 52. Just opposite her house, there is a studio which could rent by hours, that is where she holds most of her rehearsal.
“I create most of my dances in everyday life, I absorb inspiration from everywhere, maybe just an action a stranger made in a supermarket, that’s all I need.” Tine shines with her confidence when she says so.
2000 was a very special year in Tina’s memory, the “big party” held that year left Tina with unforgettable excitement. “It was the biggest party we’ve ever had, even until now.” Siren was the company Tina was working for, which had brought her so many miracles.
“They are responsible organiser, when you have an idea like, I want to perform this song and they will prepare you with suitable drag custom and accessories, even schedule the drag stage or contact other drag queens to be your drag show partner.”
An organiser like this, Siren, had prepared a magnificent three-floor drag party at IHG Hong Kong back then in 2000, around 40 drag queens were participating and performing like nowadays in Disneyland. Rather than seeing princesses walking around, audiences got to see their “queens”.
After many years now, Tina no longer has Siren around as the owner passed away a few years ago. “My organiser is now Justin, a Netherlander, who is taking care of my career business.” While talking about income, Tina was saying it straight forward, “not many shows happening this month, I feel like people really have cut their budget of entertainment.”
But Tina’s not worried, she has Justin and her influence on Instagram, she knows that she will stay forever for drag, even when facing struggle, because that’s what she loves.
I been down, but I’m stronger than I thought
“There was a period of time I really disappeared in public, I couldn’t remember how long, but when I came back, it was 2017.”
The fact was Tina suffered from depression and panic attacks for a long time, when she returned, she called her friend Coco, who is also a popular drag queen. “I said I really need to find my confidence back, and Coco said, no problem, she will arrange for me to perform on stage with her.”
Tina paused a little bit to trace back her memory, “It was a rebirth.” At the time Coco introduce her saying the next one is Tina UglyHaira, Tina’s legs were shaking, but as soon as she stood in the middle of the stage, “I suddenly switched my personality into the drag queen Tina, I enjoy their scream and gaze, all of the audience are looking at me, but I am not afraid.”
There was once Tina couldn’t even speak to her friends normally, however on that day, “I raise my hands to dance, like I have never left for so long.”
Tina UglyHaira became Tina’s salvation, made her face to the importance of drag shows in her life, and that is also when she realised, she could use her energy helping more people to recognise the value of drag shows, and even the bright side of LGBT groups.
“You know, before I never thought about taking on such responsibilities, now I do not just charities, but I am having a daughter, it’s similar to the identity of an apprentice, but in the drag world, we teach our daughter everything we know about drag.”
Tina’s daughter, Venom UglyHaira, is the youngest drag queen in Hong Kong, aged 17. “We explore how to make suitable stage music for her, I taught her how to do lip-sing, and I will teach her more until there is no more to teach.”
The moment when Tina said she would like to take the responsibility to change people’s mind about “a drag queen”, she was mentioning the time when she was discriminated by texi drivers back in 2010.
“Yea, they think you are some weird lady-boy so they can’t be bothered to stop for you.”
While Tina was explaining to us over the differences between a lady-boy, transgender guy and a drag queen, we could tell that she is trying hard to not let people misunderstand the nature of their job.
“I am who I am, we are just good actresses, like Chinese Opera – Qing Yi.”
Nowadays, Hong Kong’s drag shows are mainly found in bars and restaurants. Despite the limited number of drag queens in Hong Kong, they continue to showcase the industry’s highlights by selecting comfortable venues and focusing on the quality of their performances. This approach encourages more people to take a moment and learn about their world.
According to the latest statistic from the JMSC, eight dining venues in Hong Kong have held drag shows in the past decade.
Let’s explore the footprints left by these drag queens together.
With a flexible, mobile stage complemented by the diverse and inclusive management mode of Meta Stages Restaurant, the dreams of young performers are realised, including Tina UglyHaira.
Not only can customers of Meta Stages Restaurant enjoy exquisite dining experiences, but they can also immerse themselves in the charm and joy brought by art, music, and culture, all in one place.
Assistant Event Manager Nicole Chiu explains that drag queens can see the audience’s reactions firsthand and interact with them due to the close connection between the restaurant and the stage. Diners are already aware of the exciting performances, so they watch with anticipation. In contrast, if performers were on the street, passersby might just walk past without much time to appreciate the show.
“With a 9-metre-wide stage, compared to the cramped spaces of bars, this venue undoubtedly provides performers with a much broader space for expression.”
The commercial value of drag shows is gradually being realised.
In foreign countries, drag queen performances are quite common. The operators of Meta Stages Restaurant stumbled upon a restaurant specialising in drag performances while travelling in Athens. The actors there wore luxurious costumes and extravagant hairstyles and dazzled the audience with dramatic costume changes, lip-syncing, and dance performances while they dined.
“We hope to create a similar platform at Meta Stages Restaurant, allowing our guests and travellers from all over the world to experience the unique cultural charm of such performances. Its commercial value has also increased accordingly.”
Significantly, most drag performances in Hong Kong were performed by foreigners in the past. Meta Stages Restaurant dares to break this trend by actively inviting local drag queens. Their performances are not only about personal dreams but also about inheriting and showcasing drag culture.
However, some Hong Kong people still hold biases and misunderstandings towards this form of performance, unable to understand why men dress as women or sceptical about the artistic value of such performances. But Nicole believes that drag queen performances are actually highly artistic, and although the form is unique, it can still touch people’s hearts and attract fans from different backgrounds. This has also brought some unique selling points to Meta Stages Restaurant.
“We invite local drag performers from Hong Kong for another reason: they are good at telling authentic “dialect” jokes in Cantonese. Therefore, when there are more Hong Kong people in the audience, they can not only hear these jokes but also deeply understand the humour and meaning behind them. If English is used, some audience members may not fully grasp the meaning of the jokes, causing them to not fully immerse themselves in the joy of the performance.”
What are some interactive details about drag performances at the restaurant?
When the drag queens emerge from backstage, they enthusiastically greet every audience member present before taking the stage to deliver a spectacular performance.
When they see the happy smiles on the faces of the audience, they graciously step off the stage and interact closely with them.
As mentioned earlier by Nicole, the distance between the stage and the audience at Meta Stages Restaurant is relatively close, allowing drag queens to clearly observe the audience’s reactions. Once the performers make eye contact with the audience, they become more proactive in interacting with them, often triggering laughter from others. Therefore, the entire performance atmosphere is filled with joy and relaxation, which is completely different from the serious or formal performance styles outside.
“I’m Vikki Cai, a newcomer to the world of drag shows. I came to the Meta Stages Restaurant to watch a drag queen performance on the recommendation of a friend,” Vikki said.
For Vikki, each performance was like opening a unique Pandora’s box, bringing her endless surprises. When watching these shows, she didn’t delve into their background information beforehand; it was purely out of curiosity, wanting to explore the charm of the drag queen community.
She carefully observed how they perfectly portrayed well-known female celebrities through exquisite imitation techniques, including appearance, movements, speech, and singing. This transformation was breathtaking, and it made her deeply admire the talent and creativity of the drag queen community. After the performances, when they changed back into their casual clothes, she even found it difficult to identify which gentleman had just played which role, further adding to her profound impression of the show.
Vikki excitedly shared, “My favourite part is the presentation of costumes and makeup. By watching these incredibly magnificent looks, I have gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for the diversity and uniqueness of drag culture, and I have had the opportunity to take photos with the drag queens.”
Furthermore, drag shows offer a unique social experience.
The drag show provides a space for the audience to express themselves freely. People can wear their favourite clothes and freely show their personality and style here. This freedom and inclusiveness allow the audience to express themselves authentically and share common interests and values with others.
“This unique service that combines Western dining with drag shows is truly a rare experience for friends who enjoy watching such performances. In the future, I am also willing to use social media platforms to attract more people’s attention to this community so that they can continue to support the performance art industry with the same exploratory curiosity as I did,” Vikki said.
Extra Credits
Advisor Ulrich Gaulke & Foon Lee
Multimedia Director Liu Yuyan
Visual/Text Editors Guan Huangshenyi & Yan Yunyi
Special thanks Tina UglyHaira,
Nicole Chiu & Meta Stages, Vikki Cai