(25th Anniversary of the Return of Hong Kong) Hong Kong's popular culture does not fade

　　China News Agency, Hong Kong, June 26th: Hong Kong's popular culture does not fade

　　China News Agency reporter Han Xingtong Zhang Xiaoxi

　　When Hong Kong rookie singer Yan Mingxi appeared on the Chinese mainland variety show "Sound Lives", he competed on the same stage with a group of powerful singers such as Miriam Yeung and Keqin Li, and performed classics with a new singing style, which soon caused heated discussions on the Internet.

From that young but somewhat unfamiliar face, people seem to see the glorious age of Hong Kong's popular culture and the hope of the Hong Kong Phil's diversified growth through exploration.

　　Feng Yingqian, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and director of the Hong Kong Asia-Pacific Research Institute, has already observed this development context. mode, that is, integrating with the mainland and rediscovering the local market at the same time.

"I think it's a new start."

　　Generally speaking, Hong Kong pop culture refers to the three major industries of film, TV series, and music. Due to the overlap of media platforms, record companies, and artists, these three industries have shown a close connection of common prosperity and mutual loss.

This also explains why when Hong Kong-produced films entered a recession in the late 1990s, the Hong Kong music market also shrank at the same time.

　　However, the influence of that golden age should not be underestimated. "Hong Kong films once dominated the entire Southeast Asian market," recalls Hong Zuxing, chairman of the Hong Kong Film Producers Association and chairman of the Hong Kong Film Industry Association. " and other classics can be called textbooks.

Cantonese songs also blew into the mainland with the spring breeze of reform and opening up, and were sung in the streets. Leslie Cheung's "Monica", Alan Tam's "Friend", etc., have become the voice of the times, and also created the birth of the first generation of idols, Hong Kong pop culture Personalized as a segment of avant-garde and rebellious youth memories.

　　When the local entertainment industry was lost, industry elites took this industry experience in line with international standards, mature and perfect systems, and skilled professional skills to the mainland market, which was opening up to Hong Kong after 1997.

This trend of integration became more intense after the signing of the "Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement" (CEPA) in 2003, which directly pushed the well-known Hong Kong directors, actors and singers to the road of "going north". "2010 was a peak period. Now it is difficult for you to meet a famous director or star in Hong Kong, because they are basically settled in Beijing and Shanghai." Hong Zuxing admitted frankly.

　　Feng Yingqian believes that the talents of the "North" flow have played an important role in promoting the take-off of mainland films in the past two decades.

Hong Zuxing agrees with this statement, "The mainland film industry opened up relatively late, and Hong Kong filmmakers are familiar with the film industry and the operation of international film festivals, and also know what kind of films can be more popular in the market." The concept of Lunar New Year films all originated from Hong Kong films.

A more obvious example is that there is a high proportion of co-productions in films with both high box office and good reputation, such as "Changjin Lake", "Operation Red Sea" and "Youth of You", all of which have the participation of Hong Kong directors.

　　Looking back at the local market in Hong Kong, it is not difficult to find that a new generation of forces is surging and growing.

With the support of the "First Feature Film Project" funded by the SAR government, the newly-appointed directors have handed over dazzling works, and they are full of humanistic care in small incisions, which have inspired the sluggish local creative industry, and even Many fans see it as the "new wave" of Hong Kong cinema.

Hong Zuxing is naturally happy to see that the next wave has great potential, but also sincerely messaged them to take a long-term view, not limited to Hong Kong narratives, but should explore how to tell Chinese stories through Hong Kong to attract more audiences.

　　The trend of "renaissance" can also be seen from the music market. "Although the music industry is in recession, the number of people engaged in music creation in Hong Kong has never decreased. Many people put their singing videos on YouTube or perform on the streets." Feng Yingqian pointed out, In the era of fragmentation, the industry pattern of media centralization is changing. "Now there are many types of idols, each with its own way and its own market, and a hundred flowers are blooming."

　　Right now, the trend that is sweeping Hong Kong is naturally the idol group Mirror. Huge posters can be seen everywhere in Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. "Many friends around me are also telling me that they can't get Mirror's concert tickets." Feng Yingqian smiled.

As for an old-school cultural person who bluntly said that this trend is nothing but a fleeting fire, he said this with an open attitude: "There must be a process of generational change, each generation is different from the previous generation, but this is also It reflects the different characteristics of Hong Kong's popular culture." (End)