China News Service, Shanghai, January 22: The TV series "Flowers" has a "Hong Kong style" blooming. How do the two cities of Shanghai and Hong Kong "double stars shine"?
——Exclusive interview with Bao Yaming, Executive Director of the Urban Cultural Innovation Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and Deputy Director of the Shanghai Cultural Research Center
China News Service reporter Wang Ji
At the beginning of 2024, the TV series "Flowers" adapted from Jin Yucheng's novel of the same name set off a craze for watching dramas, and related topics continued to ferment.
This film and television work focuses on group portraits of Shanghai in the 1990s. In addition to the overwhelming "Shanghai flavor", "Hong Kong style" elements such as neon signs and famous Hong Kong dishes also bloom, which also makes the audience feel more dazzling.
What are the cultural connections between Shanghai and Hong Kong?
Why is "A Tale of Two Cities" from Shanghai and Hong Kong so popular among famous dramas?
Bao Yaming, executive director of the Urban Cultural Innovation Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and deputy director of the Shanghai Cultural Research Center, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question".
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
Reporter from China News Service: The TV series "Flowers" interweaves the memories of Shanghai people and the nostalgia of Hong Kong people. Through the help of his brother who works in Hong Kong, Abao obtained the "first pot of gold" in his life; Xuezhi left Shanghai and went to Hong Kong to "find her dream"; Hong Kong classic old songs sounded from time to time in the play... In the 1990s, What impact has Hong Kong culture had on Shanghai? What was the attraction of Hong Kong to Shanghainese at that time?
Bao Yaming:
As described in the TV series "Flowers", Shanghai in the 1990s was transforming from a planned economy to a socialist market economy.
"Ms. Wang" was able to exert a considerable influence on the Yellow River Road when she was working at "27 on the Bund". "Uncle Ye"'s different attitudes towards Mei Ping were not due to changes in their personal abilities, but to the reasons hidden behind them. This is due to the power of the system.
The inside story of foreign trade activities and business wars at a turning point in history has become a way for the audience to recall the past and be filled with emotion.
On January 4, 2024, the Moss Shengyuan Restaurant (the prototype of Zhizhenyuan in the TV series "Flowers") on the Huanghe Road Food Street attracted many citizens and tourists to check in and take photos.
Photo by Chen Yuyu
At that time, Hong Kong was an open and dynamic free port, leading Shanghai in terms of economic activities, social development, urban life, fashion trends, popular culture, and international atmosphere.
Therefore, for Xuezhi, Hong Kong is a place where she yearns for a better life; for Abao, it is a place where new models can be introduced and opportunities for new wealth can be found.
On January 14, 2024, with the popularity of the TV series "Flowers", director Wong Kar-wai's nameplate on the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong attracted attention and became a tourist check-in target.
Photo by Hou Yu
Hong Kong's capital and cultural trends have had an all-round and multi-level impact on Shanghai.
For example, Shanghainese will learn Cantonese through Hong Kong pop songs and appreciate Hong Kong's surging economic vitality, abundant material life and unrestrained pursuit of life; for some Shanghainese who want to "start over", Hong Kong is a "teacher worth learning from" ” is also a treasure trove of resources.
Shanghai Bund.
Photo by Wang Gang
The ending of the TV series "Flowers" also left a foreshadowing. Abao saved a piece of land in Chuansha, Pudong, which seems to imply that Shanghai will achieve greater glory through real estate in the future.
In fact, today’s Shanghai’s understanding of urban space has also been affected by the “aftermath” of Hong Kong capital’s entry into Shanghai’s real estate market in a sense. The urban network of rail transit, “point-to-point” travel methods, and one-stop shopping Consumption habits have changed Shanghai’s old wandering shopping preferences along the streets.
The decline of Sichuan North Road and the sluggish development of the middle section of Huaihai Road are actually closely related to the recognition of urban space and the reconstruction of living space.
Reporter from China News Service: From the 1930s to the 1950s, many people from the cultural and business circles in Shanghai "went south" to Hong Kong. What impact did they have on Hong Kong? What stages did Shanghai-Hong Kong cultural relations go through in the 20th century?
Bao Yaming:
From the perspective of historical development, the twin cities of Shanghai and Hong Kong have a mirror-image relationship.
In the 1930s, Shanghai, as the largest city in the Far East, was a very international and open city.
At this stage, Shanghai's urban development was ahead of Hong Kong, and the cultural relationship between the two was mainly Shanghai's influence on Hong Kong.
Especially at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s, many industrialists and cultural figures from Shanghai immigrated to Hong Kong, bringing with them a large amount of capital, resources, technology, etc., which had a certain impact on Hong Kong's economy, culture, urban landscape, and daily life. Influences, including Hong Kong people's love for hairy crabs, may also be related to these Shanghainese "going south".
From the 1950s to the 1970s, Shanghai's economic, social and cultural development was almost at a standstill, while Hong Kong made a huge leap due to its opening to the world.
Hong Kong night view.
Photo by Ren Chenming
By the 1980s and 1990s, Hong Kong was leading in economic capital, social development, urban renewal, and popular culture, and in turn became Shanghai's "teacher."
During this period, Hong Kong culture played a positive role in promoting the revitalization of Shanghai culture, from popular songs, popular novels, film and television works, to clothing, entertainment forms, etc.
At the same time, Hong Kong culture’s focus on and looking back on old Shanghai also reflects a deep sense of nostalgia.
Li Oufan's summary in "Modern Shanghai" is profound and unique: "While Hong Kong left Shanghai far behind, this new metropolis has not forgotten the old. In fact, you can find that Hong Kong cherishes the old Shanghai. Nostalgia is growing stronger and stronger, consolidated to a large extent by the mass media, so that it is not forgotten. Hong Kong needs an 'other' to define 'itself'."
In 1995, the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street in Shanghai was full of business signs and crowded with pedestrians.
Photo by Lu Tao
"Flowers" is the TV series debut of film director Wong Kar-wai, and vividly presents the revival of "Shanghai Modern" in the 1990s.
Wong Kar-wai was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong with his parents when he was young. Many of his relatives have been living in Shanghai. Shanghai complex and Shanghai nostalgia can be said to be one of the characteristics of Wong Kar-wai's masterpieces such as "In the Mood for Love".
In the stunning visual sense and blurred style of "Flowers", whether Wong Kar-wai presents the original Shanghai of the 1990s is actually not that important; Wong Kar-wai outlines the quality of life in Shanghai through the "Hong Kong filter" and Whether the city's tone can reach people's hearts across 30 years is the key to the problem.
The golden years of "the treasures" captured through Wong Kar-wai's lens perfectly interpret what Leo Ou-fan calls the city's "Art Deco" spirit of Shanghai, which is "new and different, exciting and deviant, to 'enjoy life'" Featured".
Reporter from China News Service: The "Tale of Two Cities" in Shanghai and Hong Kong is the "preferred" narrative background of writers such as Zhang Ailing. Why can the urban cultures of Shanghai and Hong Kong blend and resonate with each other?
Bao Yaming:
From the perspective of urban temperament, Shanghai and Hong Kong are very close. They are both tolerant and at the same time relatively insistent on some of their own cultural elements.
Compared with other mainland cities, Shanghai and Hong Kong have more common languages.
For a long period of time, Shanghai and Hong Kong have been cities with a large resident population of foreigners. In the process of internationalization, they have formed urban scenes, lifestyles, and communication rules that are different from those of some mainland cities.
Shanghai and Hong Kong are both cities that attach great importance to business ethics, which may make some people feel a little cold and unhuman, but social rules with a strong sense of boundaries have given rise to interpersonal relationships that are punctual, contract-abiding, rule-abiding, and reputation-oriented.
"Flowers" also brilliantly interprets the "silent" daily life of Shanghainese and the "accented" social space.
The HSBC Head Office Building in Central, Hong Kong.
Photo by Li Zhihua
Shanghai and Hong Kong have frequent exchanges and close relations, and literati such as Zhang Ailing have also traveled back and forth between the two places. This is related to the fact that Shanghai and Hong Kong are friendly to outsiders, have convenient transportation, and are relatively easy to make a living.
HSBC has been operating in Hong Kong and Shanghai at the same time since its establishment. Its English name includes the names of Hong Kong and Shanghai. Celebrities in the cultural and artistic circles have also continued to connect the two cities of Shanghai and Hong Kong through literary works and film and television art. .
Reporter from China News Service: What is the current status of cultural exchanges between Shanghai and Hong Kong? How can "double stars shine" in exchanges and resonance?
Bao Yaming:
Today, both Shanghai and Hong Kong have a very strong desire and motivation for in-depth exchanges, hoping to draw strength from each other and project it into future development.
Shanghai is optimizing the ecological spatial layout of "one river, one river and one belt" (referring to the Huangpu River, Suzhou River, and the ecological park belt around the city), and the ecological and environmental protection concepts are inspired by Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is a compact and even crowded city, but it retains a lot of undeveloped rural land. Being close to nature has become an important part of Hong Kong's urban life. There are many famous trails such as MacLehose Trail, Wilson Trail, and Hong Kong Island Trail. The hiking route attracts people from the mainland to check in, and the word "countryside" in Shanghai Country Park also has traces of Hong Kong's language habits.
In terms of urban context protection, Hong Kong's "revitalization" of historical and cultural buildings is also an idea that can be used for reference in the protection of Shanghai's historical and cultural areas and "architectural readability".
On September 4, 2023, part of the old golf course in Fanling, New Territories, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was transformed into a park including a "pet sharing" area, which will be open to the public free of charge from that day.
Photo by Hou Yu
Shanghai’s experience is also instructive to Hong Kong.
The experience accumulated by Shanghai, the "leader of the Yangtze River Delta", in the process of regional integration development will help Hong Kong think deeply about its status, role and responsibilities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and comprehensively plan economic, trade, and technological cooperation with the mainland. Win-win cooperation in areas such as culture and culture can better streamline the industrial chain and consumption chain, better promote the flow of people between the two places, and better discover opportunities for Hong Kong's development.
Whether it is the past, the present, or the future, Shanghai and Hong Kong will have various connections. In-depth exchanges will help Shanghai and Hong Kong find better answers for the future.
(over)
Interviewee profile:
Bao Yaming is the executive director of the Urban Cultural Innovation Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and the deputy director of the Shanghai Cultural Research Center. He has served as a visiting scholar at the British Academy, a visiting scholar at the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and a visiting professor at Colorado College in the United States.
He is the editor-in-chief of "Modernity and Urban Culture Theory", "Modernity and the Production of Space", "Postmetropolis and Cultural Studies", etc. He is the author of "The Power of the Wanderer: Research on Consumer Society and Urban Culture" and "Theory of Modernity and Space in the Postmodern Context". Aesthetics and Cultural Theory", "Between Language and Reality", etc.