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the bulletin


Hong Kong is often thought to be culturally challenged, but the territory is not the wasteland many believe it to be

By Simon Ngan

If the game of word association were to be played in Hong Kong, the mention of "arts and culture" will invariably elicit such words as "desert" and "wasteland" in response.

It may come as a surprise to many, but the SAR actually boasts a rich and colourful cultural heritage that spans the conventional to the contemporary. The widely held perception of Hong Kong as being "culturally challenged" has continued to hold sway because to the minds of many culture encompasses arts of the refined and classical genre not subject to the exploits of commercialism.

Protestations of Hong Kong's culturally pathetic state of affairs are therefore made within oversimplified and restricted parameters. With such a narrow definition, critics are ignoring Hong Kong's teeming and vibrant mainstream culture, which has made some notable contributions in the areas of pop music, cinema, and comics.

Defining culture
To assess Hong Kong's cultural development, it would perhaps be helpful to begin with how culture is defined.

According to Professor H K Chang (left), president of the City University and chairman of the Culture and Heritage Commission, culture can be divided into four levels.

At the fundamental level, there is the pursuit of basic needs such as food and shelter. This is followed by (a) the development of social customs, (b) formation of social institutions and (c) the evolution of a sense of value and aesthetics, the highest plane of cultural achievement. To the minds of critics, Hong Kong is still wallowing in the first level not necessarily because we are still in a survival mode. This is largely a conscious choice compelled by the wish to pursue greater wealth.

However disdainful Hong Kong's money-orientated culture may be, we should bear in mind that the SAR's climb through the economic ranks took place within a period of 30 to 40 years. This is a relatively short period of time compared to cities such as Berlin, Paris and London, which took between 400 to 1,000 years reach the level of affluence and sophistication that their citizens enjoy today.

This fast-tracking of Hong Kong's economic development has not been matched by a similar rate of growth in art and culture. This is because, compared to economic growth, culture takes a much longer time to evolve.

So just how valid are complaints about Hong Kong being a cultural laggard? The way Prof Chang sees it, the people of Hong Kong are spoilt for choice in the number and diversity of cultural programmes, performance venues and cultural groups on offer.

The main drawback, however, is the lack of participation and appreciation among the masses for refined arts.

Compounding the stigma of Hong Kong as a cultural backwater is the minimal importance attached to the teaching of arts and culture in schools. Although the subject is part of the established curriculum, it is often regarded as immaterial and displaceable by more important undertakings such as mock examinations and other studies. This is a pity because Hong Kong needs an educated population with an appreciation of the arts if it aspires to be a "world-class" city as envisioned by the Chief Executive. This correlation between arts education and participation is borne out in a 1993 survey by the government on people's attitudes towards the performing arts in Hong Kong.

Popular culture
The label of a cultural wasteland, however, does not hold if culture of the popular variety was also to be considered. If there is one aspect of culture that Hong Kong has excelled in, it is in the domain of popular culture. Take the local music scene for example. After a period of singing Cantonese covers of Western and Japanese hits in the '80s, Hong Kong has since begun to write and produce its own songs and in the process gave rise to a whole new crop of pop idols fawned over by fans from China to Southeast Asia.

Walk into any music store in Guangzhou, Beijing or Shanghai and the odds are that CDs of Hong Kong pop artists are displayed prominently while works of a more "literary" flavour gather dust in a corner. As if to underline the importance of pop culture domestically, best-sellers at the annual Hong Kong Book Fair are overwhelmingly comic books. Such is the demand for and popularity of comics at the fair that it is not uncommon for teenagers to queue up overnight in order to acquire special editions.

Is this detrimental to the development of culture in Hong Kong?

It can be argued that bubble-gum pop is instrumental in helping forge Hong Kong's identity. True, the process has involved borrowing from foreign cultures. Consider the icons of yesteryear. In music, groups such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were idolised and emulated. In the movies, there were John Wayne and Paul Newman. Nowadays, the stars that are most followed are locals such as Chow Yun-fat, Jackie Chan, Leon Lai, and so on. Such is the confidence that we have in our identity that we are beginning to look beyond Hong Kong to previously lesser tapped markets such as North America and Europe and winning international recognition in the process. By drawing on Hong Kong's rich dualities of East and West, old and new, we have managed to come up with a cultural identity that is uniquely Hong Kong.

Private sector participation
Prof Chang says Hong Kong does not have to apologise for the ubiquitous face of commercialism that permeates every facet of Hong Kong society. In fact, this is to be encouraged if local culture is to grow in a healthy manner. This is because for arts and culture to flourish, money is needed. The government has been the main contributor in this regard and Prof Chang would like to see the private sector play a bigger part.

According to a 1991 consultancy report commissioned by the govern-ment, sponsorship by the business sector has increased dramatically after 1988. However, the level of participation is still low by world standards and this was put down to the majority of companies being unable to differentiate between the meaning of donation and sponsorship, the latter being conducive to building a corporate image with disbursements being a part of the PR budget. In other words, money given out is expected to yield a return in contrast to an outright contribution to charity. By taking a page from other metropolises by involving corporations, Hong Kong's art and cultural environment stands to benefit from increased levels of funding, participation and awareness.

Although there is still much to be done, the criticism of Hong Kong people as being too preoccupied with their occupations and prospering economically to have the time to worry about developing the trappings of art and culture may be too harsh.

Money does not necessarily undermine the integrity and purity of culture and, as mentioned earlier in this article, is vital to the ongoing development of the arts.

If culture is intimately connected with life and serves as a reflection of who we are, then commercialism is a culture, a way of life here in Hong Kong. It should also not be forgotten that culture is also dynamic, evolving through time. Interest in things cultural, be they classical or new age, East or West, profitable or not, is subject to ebb and flows as with any trends in Hong Kong. Through the process of experimentation, evolution and acceptance does something become a permanent fixture on Hong Kong's cultural landmark and our identity? B

Simon Ngan is senior manager, Economic and Legal Affairs Division of the Chamber.