Hong Kong is an ongoing cultural melting pot experiment
In recent years, China-foreign relations and Hong Kong society have experienced many changes. Whether Hong Kong can maintain its success or even reach a higher level depends on its ability to adapt to these changes. The author believes that Hong Kong has the ability to continue to develop in different aspects such as culture and art.
Author: GUDORDI | 2023-03-07
Most Hong Kong people are not aware that Hong Kong culture is actually our invisible asset. (Pictures of famous artists)
Continuing from the above: “Culture is Hong Kong’s hidden asset”
“Easy, if you are poor, you will change, if you change, you will be successful, and if you are consistent, you will be long-term. Therefore, since God has blessed you, there will be good luck and no disadvantage.”
──”Yi Zhuan.” “Xici”
The author mentioned last time that although most Hong Kong people are not aware of it, Hong Kong culture is actually our hidden asset, which is particularly precious from a historical and macro perspective.
The intersection of Chinese and Western cultures can be pragmatic and peaceful
Although Hong Kong is located in a corner of China and may not play a significant role in shaping Chinese culture, it has successfully absorbed and preserved the essence of Chinese culture even when China was in chaos.
For thousands of years, the Chinese nation has been proud of its own culture, until the magnificent May Fourth Movement more than a hundred years ago. On the one hand, this new cultural movement means that the “Chinese Culture Titanic”, which has been sailing for thousands of years, is about to run aground. It also raises alarm about the level of Chinese people’s understanding of their own culture. On the other hand, it also reflects the power of Western culture.
But in Hong Kong, the two cultures can coexist peacefully and equally, and a unique culture is unconsciously nurtured. Hong Kong people may have long been accustomed to it, but for the descendants of Yan and Huang outside Hong Kong, it was a huge ideological shock, and it is still the case today, including Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the pioneer of the modern Chinese revolution and the founding father of the Republic of China.
See the spirit of Hong Kong people from Sun Yat-sen
Earlier, the famous historian Professor Ding Xinbao gave a speech at Queen’s College and recalled Sun Yat-sen’s speech when he returned to his alma mater, the University of Hong Kong, 100 years ago. At that time, he said this:
I feel like a wanderer returning home, because Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong are the birthplace of my knowledge and ideas… Where and how did I come up with revolutionary and modern ideas? They were born in this place—the colony of Hong Kong! I studied in Hong Kong more than 30 years ago. In my spare time, I spent a lot of time walking around the streets of Hong Kong… Hong Kong left a deep impression on me because it is peaceful and orderly; literary and artistic creation here will not be disturbed. When I return to my home in Xiangshan twice a year, I immediately feel the huge difference – chaos replaces order; insecurity replaces safety.
(I feel as though I have returned home, because Hong Kong and The University of Hong Kong are my intellectual birthplace…Where and how did I get my revolutionary and modern ideas? I got my idea in this very place; in the Colony of Hong Kong! More than thirty years ago I was studying in Hong Kong and spent a great deal of spare time in walking the streets of the Colony……Hong Kong impressed me a great deal, because there was orderly calm and because there was artistic work being done without interruption. I went to my home in Heungshan twice a year and immediately noticed the great difference. There was disorder instead of order, insecurity instead of security.)
Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary ideas can be seen from what he heard and witnessed while living in Hong Kong. But what is even more admirable is his incomparable persistence and perseverance in the revolutionary cause, even though it seems that he is just trying to beat the odds and talk nonsense. Could this belief also stem from years of experience living in Hong Kong? Perhaps, he had tacitly agreed in his heart that since Chinese people in Hong Kong can live like this, how could China not be able to do the same?
Indeed, the majority of the population of Hong Kong has always been Chinese. What is special about them is that they have no ideological baggage and only use a pragmatic attitude (but also a perseverance) to constantly view and choose between the different characteristics of Chinese and Western cultures. Therefore, they do not know how to Awakening “creates virtues out of necessity” (creating virtues out of necessity). The author believes that we can understand this process as an experiment in cultural integration, which is constantly being performed in Hong Kong.
Don’t rely on external forces to build Hong Kong
Going further, whether Hong Kong can continue to make good use of this unique cultural gene will determine the future direction of Hong Kong. Undoubtedly, the establishment of an international financial center can rely on external forces, such as some systems and regulations. But in the long run, if you lack this pragmatic attitude and just copy words and paper, you will definitely not be able to go far or for a long time and develop your own style and style.
In recent years, China-foreign relations and Hong Kong society have experienced many changes. Whether Hong Kong can maintain its success or even reach a higher level depends on its ability to adapt to these changes, which is the connotation of the sentence quoted at the beginning of this article. The author believes that Hong Kong has the ability to continue to develop in different aspects such as culture and art, which will be further elaborated in the next chapter.
“Hong Kong’s Legendary Future” Series 25
Contact the author: Gudordi@proton.me
