From memes to breaking news: Hong Kong journalist’s career captured in artist’s exhibition highlighting changing political landscape

Sharon Cheung was famously berated by the late former Chinese president Jiang Zemin for being ‘too simple, sometimes naive’ after a question she asked him

That moment and others throughout her career have been captured in ‘Interview the Interviewer’, a collaborative art exhibition with artist Chow Chun-Fai

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Veteran journalist Sharon Cheung has collaborated with Hong Kong artist Chow Chun-Fai to present the exhibition “Interview the Interviewer”, which walks through major historical moments to tell the story of Hong Kong. Photo: SC Gallery

Published: 7:15am, 10 Oct 2023Updated: 9:42am, 10 Oct 2023

In 2000, the late former Chinese president Jiang Zemin famously lost his temper on camera after a Hong Kong journalist asked him a question that prompted him to say that she and her peers were, in English, “too simple, sometimes naive”.

That footage has lived on online, prompting an array of spoofs and parodies to this day.

Sharon Cheung Po-wah was the journalist on the receiving end of Jiang’s rant. Today, as owner of SC Gallery in Wong Chuk Hang, she has found a way to reclaim that most memorable moment of her career.

“Interview the Interviewer” is a collaboration between Cheung and artist Chow Chun-Fai, who has painted a new series based on the biggest stories that Cheung reported on, including that infamous encounter with Jiang.

It was Chow, best known for his paintings about Hong Kong popular culture and sociopolitical issues, who came up with the idea to tell “the stories behind the stories”.

He began collecting an array of memorabilia from Cheung’s career, including photos, books, press cards and more, which he used to arrange the mise-en-scène for his recreation of historic moments.