August 23 was a special night for everyone who went to see Beyond in Beijing.

"I just stood on my seat and sang along with them from the beginning to the very end," said Wang Min, a 25-year-old woman from Beijing.

If the constant screaming was anything to go by, the rest of the audience shared her enthusiasm for the Hong Kong band.

The show, held at Beijing's Workers' Stadium, featured many hits written by Wong Ka Kui (Huang Jiaju), the band's former lead singer and guitarist, who died 10 years ago in an accident. It was these - songs like "Really Love You" and "Paradise" - that made the concert memorable for anyone who grew up with the band.

The concert was part of Beyond's 20th anniversary celebrations, which also saw them in eight concerts in Hong Kong earlier this year.

Beyond are to the Hong Kong band scene what Cui Jian is to the mainland rock scene. But Beyond's significance lies beyond their surprising longevity.

With their soft tunes, incisive lyrics, and unending passion, Beyond tower above other Hong Kong bands and their syrupy love songs.

The other three members of the band have to worry though, that many of the people who turn up at their shows are not actually fans of theirs, but of the tragically-departed Wong.

Many of the Beijing audience said they felt Beyond were not complete without Wong, even if his image was displayed by video during the gig.

Born in June 1962, Wong Ka Kui fell in love with music at the age of 13. It was British rock star David Bowie who captured his imagination and made him want to be a rock star.

Wong played in many bands as a teenager, but it wasn't until he met Yip Sai Wing (Ye Shirong) in a studio that Beyond were formed. It was the pairs' mutual love of British rock and roll that brought them together. It wasn't long before they, grouped together with a few friends, were winning "Best Band" awards at Hong Kong singing contests and starting to draw a crowd.

One year later, Wong's brother Wong Ka Keung (Huang Jiaqiang) joined on bass and Wong Koon Chung (Huang Guanzhong), originally a poster designer for the band, joined as guitarist.

It took until 1986 though for Beyond to release their debut album, "Goodbye Ideal" and step out from the underground. In the next four years they released two other albums, "New World" and "Modern Stage" to critical and commercial praise.

But Beyond's success was cut short on June 24, 1993 when Wong fell from a seven-foot-high (2.13 metres) stage while shooting a TV show in Japan. He died six days later.

This proved a turning point for the band, who struggled on recording the songs Wong wrote before he died. It was not until 1999 that they announced they would split up, at their 15th anniversary show.

However, they have always planned to continue playing live - hence the current tour. As drummer Yip Sai Wing said: "The separation never undermined our friendship or our music."

"Our fans can tell, from our music, that we are all right. Although Ka Kui is not here, his spirit always encourages us," said Wong Koon Chung, who now is the band leader and writes most of their songs.

(21st Century August 29, 2003)