How Hong Kong is losing its culture and can learn from US and Britain to defend it: G.O.D. co-founder

When it comes to the raw and raunchy side of Hong Kong Cantonese culture, Douglas Young undoubtedly has the Midas touch – especially in the swear-word department.

Young is a co-founder and chief executive of the city’s iconic lifestyle store G.O.D., which is known for its naughty and street-smart interpretations of Hong Kong Cantonese swear words. It burst onto the local design scene in 1996 and became an overnight sensation.

Many were gobsmacked when they first saw Young’s iconic slogan “Delay No More” emblazoned across some of his signature products. Thought up during public discussion on widening democracy in Hong Kong, the term sounds phonetically similar to a common local profanity. 

Young has unwittingly turned Cantonese profanity into an art form, and his innovation has spawned huge commercial success and international fame for the G.O.D. brand.

He strongly believes the most successful brands are those that incorporate national identity. This has been a winning formula for G.O.D. as it prides itself on being very Hong Kong and unashamedly flaunts its local roots.

However, Young insists he is not a rough, tough potty mouth in real life, but has just been typecast due to the brand’s famous – or infamous – motto.

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Young, 54, a flamboyant mix of East and West, has spent half of his life in Hong Kong and half in the UK. He is unquestionably a true reflection of his brand: a stout mix of Hong Kong brashness and a touch of English gentility that gives him a “third culture” flair.

Young calls himself a “really lucky chap” because he gets to make a living doing what he loves most: promoting and preserving the quintessential uniqueness of his hometown, whether that is the good, the bad or the ugly.

He even jokingly talks about giving his business away for free, but only if he could find the perfect like-minded person or people who could take G.O.D. into the future. This would mean making it even “bigger and badder” as a store to continue to promote and preserve Hong Kong’s heritage.

Talking to Young, one cannot help but be affected by his insatiable love for Hong Kong. This is the man who made Cantonese culture (and its swear words) fashionable internationally.

Having spent his early years in Hong Kong before being shipped off to a boarding school in Britain at the age of 14, Young returned to the city little more than a decade later. He recalls feeling “this dual sense of nationality” on his return, which was a blessing in disguise because it forever altered his perspective.

“On my return after university, Hong Kong became kind of familiar and unfamiliar to me at the same time. It was like home and a foreign territory all at once,” he says. “And when I took my foreign friends around Hong Kong, I found things that fascinated them were kind of mundane to me. And that was the inspiration that drove me to what I am doing now, which is to bring out the uniqueness of this city to everybody.”

Young sees this passion as a form of duty. “Even during my lifetime I am already seeing a lot of Hong Kong culture dying out due to the way and speed we are moving.”

Sadly, he admits, Hong Kong is becoming more of an international city but at the cost of being homogenised, whether locals like it or not.

“When I was young, Hong Kong was more a mix of East and West. But now, having become more affluent and modern, it has become more Westernised. But I would love to see Hong Kong have a more balanced blend of East and West,” he says.

Young defends his design approach and philosophy from those who say the use of profanity is too simplistic and lowbrow.

“As a creative person, I don’t discriminate against high or lowbrow. Being a true designer is about breaking down taboos. I believe creative people are duty-bound to break taboos, move society forward and help it progress.

“Look at [some] writers, musicians and artists. They are the ones who are moving their trades forward and creating controversies … When the things they create are new and shocking, it’s them who have to make people grow accustomed to these new ideas.”

After more than two decades of breaking with tradition, it is no surprise to hear that Young is starting a new kind of “cultural revolution”. He believes cultural critics should give the concept of cultural appropriation a break, and stop grandstanding and overreacting to the issue.

“We are experiencing a new cultural revolution during our lifetime. The centre of gravity is shifting towards this part of the world. I want Chinese clothing to be internationalised and I want to make them more ubiquitous, just like jeans and baseball caps are. I would love to see more people wear Chinese jackets. When I wear a Chinese jacket, I am not trying to make a cultural statement; it is because I think Chinese clothes are genuinely comfortable and versatile.

“I think we can encourage the next generation to wear Chinese clothes, if we can make a blend of old and new, and make them embrace the culture so that it can continue.”

G.O.D. has always been clear about maintaining a strong, independent Hong Kong identity, and as the political debate on Hong Kong identity intensifies, Young sees an opportunity for the city in the long term.

“I admire the American or British cultures because they are able to make their cultures appeal to many people. If we want to defend the Cantonese culture, we need to make it appealing and attractive. Same as defending the Cantonese language. We cannot force people to speak it, but instead we make it appealing, desirable, attractive and even humorous.

“Humour is always desirable. By highlighting the language that way, people will naturally embrace it. The same goes with cultural heritage. We need to make Hong Kong culture attractive, otherwise it will be gone in no time.”

Young believes that Hong Kong is the “epicentre” of Asian culture.

“Hong Kong is geographically bang in the middle of Asia. We have everything, and we are an open, law-abiding international city. By definition an epicentre is small; Hong Kong is not just a city but a centre of a possible great movement. It all depends on our leadership and their willingness and determination to make Hong Kong a cultural hub of China.

“In China, we have a political hub and financial hub, but having a soft power hub is very important to any prevailing power. And Hong Kong could be that. We have the potential to be China’s cultural hub.”

His ultimate message for the city is none other than the iconic “Delay No More” slogan – something that he believes the local leadership should take note of.

“I want Hong Kong leaders to realise the city’s true potential. Hong Kong needs a major makeover and ‘Delay No More’ should be the city’s motto. At the moment, we seem to be dragging our feet in many respects. For example, our vision to make the city a cultural hub – a premier cultural place for Asia – doesn’t seem to be properly communicated to Hongkongers.

“This idea of cultural hub could seal the deal for our long-term future. Therefore, everybody should be told about their place in this vision, especially the city’s young population, as it is their own futures that are ultimately at stake. So, Hong Kong must ‘Delay No More’.”

Mind your language: iconic Hong Kong slang phrases

Dai sei

Direct translation: deserve to die, dead on arrival

English translation: you’ve nailed it, you’re bang on the money; can also mean “serves you right”

Ging

Direct translation: powerful

English translation: awesome, powerful, top dog

Taam sam

Direct translation: greedy heart

English translation: try to get more by offering less

Sei hoi

Direct translation: die away

English translation: get lost, f**k off

Pok kai (PK for short)

Direct translation: trip over street

English translation: drop dead (in the street)