TV host, Leung Man-to
Cultural critic and TV host Leung Man-to founded the Cattle Depot Artist Village and InMedia, and is also one of the first Hong Kong writers to have attracted a mainland readership. He talks to June Ng about the price of fame, Hong Kong’s celebrity craze and his faith in future generations.
I was sent to live with my grandparents in Taiwan when I was only four months old. My parents both worked, and neither had the time to look after me, nor the money to hire a nanny. I didn’t come back until I was 15.
Coming back wasn’t my call. My grades were bad and I had such a bad reputation that no school in Taiwan would take me.
When I first returned, I didn’t feel like a Hong Konger at all. I asked my schoolmates how often they got in fights, and they all looked shocked. They didn’t fight, they didn’t read. They were boring.
I might have been a bully, but I read extensively too. My reading habits are inspired by my grandpa. I especially like books on philosophy. I was determined to study philosophy in primary six.
I was never interested in the curriculum, but I managed to get by and even got into post-graduate school. I failed to finish it because I had no time to write my thesis.
My passion is drama, movies and literature. I started to critique culture and art when I was quite young.