Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Chow Yun-fat were kings and queen when Hong Kong TV dramas ruled. We need to rediscover their magic
- Before the era of smartphones, Hong Kong families used to gather to watch television together over dinner – shows such as The Bund and Police Cadet
- Those TV series had a unique local charm. Broadcaster TVB thinks China is key to reviving Hong Kong TV, but shows must keep their local qualities
Without sounding finicky, I believe there are local experiences that only a true Hongkonger can understand. Even non-locals who have been in the city for years and view it as their second home are not able to fully comprehend or appreciate some of its uniquely local conventions, no matter how hard they may try.
OK, let’s take a quick straw poll. Would you accept a “dish” namely din si lo fan, which translates as “eat your rice with television as gravy”?
I know it sounds really weird, but television viewing as a family was once so widespread it was likened to being a must-have food ingredient. The majority of Hong Kong families ate their dinner this way night after night before smartphones were invented.
If you asked most locals what they did before they had a smartphone, many would tell you that din si lo fan was their favourite nightly dinner ritual.
Watching a popular TV show with the family is a shared custom that brings family members together. Smartphones don’t offer the same sense of family unity, as people are now glued to their individual devices. Plus, it means that people are viewing content in their own rooms as opposed to being in a shared space with others.
After a long day at work and school, family meal time can be a routine affair, but it is also a perfect moment to bond and catch up with one another.
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Everyone at the table can chip in and discuss the plot, analyse the demise of certain characters, and chime in with their opinions. Everyone is an expert and amateur at the same time, there is no right or wrong opinion. And that’s the beauty of din si lo fan: everyone’s views become part of the meal for all to savour.
Locally produced TV drama series used to be so highly regarded that they acted like the social glue that formed the basis of Hong Kong society. The nightly routine of din si lo fan used to bring family members together, no matter how busy they may have been. Everyone would rush to get home early on a particular evening, such as when the series finale was being aired, and the entire city would shut down early.
In their heydays in the 1980s – long before the creation of K-dramas and Netflix shows – Hong Kong-made TV drama series were the pride of Asia and beyond. Nothing could beat quaint and exaggerated love triangles, overemotional courtroom dramas, and serial cop dramas with numerous twists and turns. All of these things were staples of local television at the time.
Hong Kong TV drama series were much loved and admired because they unashamedly showcased local talent, and many of the city’s most celebrated cinematic greats came from that era. They included Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung, to name a few.
No doubt local television has played a huge role in the lives of its residents, especially in the years when the city was less affluent and watching television was an inexpensive form of entertainment. It was not uncommon to see many families crowd around a single TV set. For instance, if only one family owned a TV set in a housing block, most children in that area would gather outside the unit to watch TV from the other side of the iron gate.
However, the influence of local television has waned in recent years, and many have bluntly pronounced the death of local TV industry. Cause of death? An unwillingness – and perhaps an inability – to evolve with times.
The local TV industry – TVB in particular – has played a huge role in shaping the city’s popular culture with its locally produced dramas and programmes. Their effects were undeniably widespread, to a point at which they influenced people’s lifestyles, the way they talked and dressed, their social attitudes, and sometimes their world view.
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Even in desperate times, real survival is not merely about adapting to change. Real survival should be strong and sustainable. In order to achieve that, we need to be able to own the stage and lead the way.
Hong Kong was once a leader in the TV industry. Only if we can rediscover and reinvent the unique charm of our TV dramas and programmes can we then recreate legendary and iconic programmes to mesmerise the world, once again.
The local TV industry is as important to Hong Kong culture as an umbilical cord to an unborn baby. It’s certainly not the time for the industry to draw its last breath; on the contrary, it’s time for it to take a deep breath and be ready to fight and take on the world again.
Luisa Tam is a Post correspondent who also hosts Cantonese-language video tutorials that are now part of Cathay Pacific’s in-flight entertainment programme
