Hong Kong Ballet 'self-censorship' spurs debate on freedom of expression

Hong Kong Ballet's alleged self-censorship in cutting 12 minutes of visual material from a joint production of The Dream of the Red Chamber stirred up discussion yesterday, with concerns that Hongkongers' freedom of expression may have been narrowed.

Originally shown at the end of the ballet, the 12-minute projection sequence depicted different stages in China's history including the Ming dynasty, Qing dynasty, the provisional Republic of China and the Cultural Revolution. In the part depicting the Cultural Revolution, dancers in Red Guards uniforms waved copies of Mao Zedong's "little red book". Following the premiere, the sequence was cut from the show.

"Self-censorship is not a recent issue, but a continuing problem that threatens press credibility and freedom. And now comes the Hong Kong Ballet issue, which has touched our nerves," said Dr Kenneth Chan Ka-lok, deputy chairman of the Legislative Council's panel on home affairs, on RTHK's City Forum.

"It has long been fine for artists in Hong Kong to work on artistic expression over sensitive issues about the Cultural Revolution or even the June 4 Tiananmen crackdown. We really have to dig deep for facts underlying the Hong Kong Ballet's alleged self-censorship, to restore confidence not only for the audience, but also for people working in the industry."

Another speaker on City Forum, home affairs panel chairman Ma Fung-kwok, said art groups should enjoy complete freedom and autonomy in their work.

"A healthy state for art groups to run their operations is to be financially independent," he said. "They should receive one-third of their sponsorship from the government, another one-third from the audience or supporters and the rest should be subsidised by social enterprises."