(A man brings his child to see the waxwork of NBA star Yao Ming at Madame Tussauds Shanghai on Monday, May 1, 2006. Photo: sina)

The wax figure of the late Hong Kong singer and movie star Leslie Cheung seemed to be the most popular figure in the new Madame Tussauds Shanghai.

It opened Monday at the New World Department Store on West Nanjing Road.

More than 20 fans of Cheung who jumped off from a building in Hong Kong in 2003 brought along bunches of flowers for their idol.

"I came here just for him. But I think his hairstyle should be refined a little," said Yang Yuqin, in her 20s.

Other popular featured celebrities were Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Li Ka Shing and Bill Gates.

"What makes us choose which celebrities should be in the museum is consumer feedback," said Edward Fuller, general manager of Madame Tussauds Shanghai.

After asking which celebrities local people want to meet the most, the museum chose 74 figures including basketball player Yao Ming and Olympic gold medal 110-metre hurdler Liu Xiang.

The exhibition area is divided up into seven themed sections: Glamour, Behind the Scenes, History and Heroes, Music, Film, Speed and Sport.

"This is just the first phase of three. We will have more wax figures in the future," the manager said at the opening ceremony.

Many visitors arrived long before the opening time.

"We arrived early as my daughter was excited for a long time; here there are many of her idols," said a woman surnamed Ma. "But I think the price is a little high."

Most visitors said the 125 yuan (US$16) price of an adult ticket was a little expensive but none of them said they had hesitated before making the purchase. Throngs of visitors meant the museum was crowded just an hour after its opening. People had to wait to shake hands with Bill Clinton, to have a hug with Brad Pitt while Angelina Jolie stood just two metres away, or to talk face-to-face with Audrey Hepburn.

There are no bodyguards or entourage to get in the way unlike in real life.

Madame Tussauds Shanghai is the Tussauds Group's sixth waxwork museum. There are other museums in London, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, New York and Hong Kong.