How a pop culture revival can save Hong Kong’s frustrated youth

One of the main reasons young people are so involved in politics is they lack ways to channel their vigour and thought into creative businesses and innovation
The government must recognise the need for sustainable plans to revamp Hong Kong’s creative industries and enrich lives

Mathias Woo

Published: 10:30am, 10 Oct 2020

Why you can trust SCMP

In 2012, protests against moral and national education brought many young people – including secondary school students – onto the streets to participate in politics for the first time. Last year accelerated this phenomenon when even more students joined pro-democracy movements.

Why are young people so actively involved in politics? Of course, young people around the world have long railed against rigid establishments and democratic regression. It is slightly different in Hong Kong, though, as even early teens are keen to make their voices heard on the streets.

One of the major reasons for this, aside from imperfect education policies, is the decline of pop culture. Unlike those who enjoyed Hong Kong’s pop culture boom in the 1980s and 1990s, young people nowadays lack the opportunities to channel their vigour and thought into creative businesses and innovation. Since 1997, the government’s media and cultural policies have trailed industry developments and failed to modernise.

Pop culture is an important form of soft power. If we look at Japan and South Korea, we notice that both countries have developed long-term strategic policies that actively deploy pop culture. Not only has this created economic benefits, it has offered spiritual sustenance to society and its young people.

Pop culture has become something akin to a new religion in capitalist societies, often serving as a source of guidance, enlightenment and solace. For instance, the concepts of ikigai – having a purpose to live a meaningful life – and craftsmanship are often reflected in Japanese pop culture.

06:50

Hundreds arrested, thousands protest in Hong Kong during first day under new national security law

Hong Kong, on the other hand, has been unable to reap the benefits of pop culture. It seems the government lacks an understanding of its value and has yet to find ways to revive it.

For instance, officials have been slow to update the Broadcast Ordinance in response to industry changes. Multimedia convergence has become an important trend with the proliferation of digital technology, and the rise of internet-based content and streaming media services mean traditional business models will sooner or later become obsolete.

It took the government quite a while to catch on to this. Only in 2018 were broadcasting regulations relaxed for traditional media such as television and newspapers, to allow some form of cross-media ownership. The media landscape is evolving faster than ever before. Unfortunately, amendments to policies have only recently started happening.

Private-sector investments in media are also discouraged, resulting in a dangerous decline in investors. Whether it is pop music, film or television, support from large enterprises is vital to the media and entertainment industry. However, many enterprises in Hong Kong tend to invest only in stocks, real estate and other projects that have predictable financial returns.

Protesters gather to mark death anniversary of Hong Kong protester ‘raincoat man’

Media companies are reduced to public relations agencies. Looking once again at Japan and South Korea, however, their corporations invest in the industry to create a diverse ecosystem that contributes to their nation’s soft power, not just for the purpose of generating profit.

It also does not help that film financing in Hong Kong has remained laborious and backwards. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, for example, has yet to introduce policies that allow banks to finance the film industry. It is impossible even for renowned directors such as Ann Hui to take out a bank loan to finance her films. If the New York financial market can act as a centre for film financing, surely it is not too much to ask for Hong Kong – once dubbed the “Hollywood of the Far East” – to expect the same.

These impediments make the cultivation of pop culture incredibly difficult. One industry’s struggle leads to the struggle of another. With the decline of the media industry, there is a tendency for certain media outlets to write about politics the way they would about celebrity gossip in an attempt to attract young people’s attention.

How Hong Kong’s film industry got so big – and why it fell into decline

Complex political issues are thus trivialised. Meaningful conversations become empty chatter. People talk about politics without being aware of the policies in place.

At the end of the day, the government must recognise that sustainable plans are needed to revamp Hong Kong’s creative industries. This way, our young people can have the chance to enrich their thoughts and abilities, rather than risking their lives on the streets.

Mathias Woo is co-artistic director and executive director of Zuni Icosahedron

Post