New | Canto-pop singer Anthony Wong: We should all speak more, and listen more

Ever since he “came out” at last year’s Tatming Pair concert series, Canto-pop singer Anthony Wong Yiu-ming, one half of the duo, has made more headlines in the news pages than in the showbiz sections.

After declaring that he was gay, the outspoken 51-year-old took part in a number of sociopolitical events, including an anti-national education campaign organised by protest group Scholarism last August.

So it’s inevitable that his upcoming concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum in March will be more than just a music event. Titled Under the Tai Ping Shan (Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island), the two-night concert is planned to be another politically conscious project.

According to Wong, Tai Ping Shan is a contrast to Lion Rock, a hill between Kowloon and the New Territories that symbolises the “Hong Kong spirit” and a society of hard-working civilians, building a city of prosperity in the 1970s and 1980s when the economy took off and Hong Kong became an international city. Despite this economic advancement, he questions why the SAR is not on par with other international cities like London or New York in terms of culture and spirituality.

On top of that, Wong also says that most of the important things happening in the city are on the Hong Kong side, whether Central or the Western District. “So we are shifting the location, and seeing [a shift in] what the people are asking for, and fighting for now,” he explains.

Tai Ping also means “peace” in Chinese. Although harmony is what the establishment wants for society, Wong disagrees with the idea that it means there must only be one voice in the city. Noise is good, according to the singer. “Argument means dialogue, and society needs more dialogue. We should all speak more, and listen more.