On the “Urban Cinema and the Cultural Identity of Hong Kong” by Leung Ping-Kwan, this book introduced how cultural identity of Hong Kong has shifted and shaped from the 1950s to the 1990s and how it is portrayed into various art forms, especially in films. Throughout the reading, I think the author is trying to point out both the Western and Chinese cultural influence to Hong Kong at the same time. Based on the changing political backgrounds in different periods of time, in my opinion, Hong Kong has not only become more distinct from its identity of ‘Chinese’ or ‘Western’ identities, but has developed its own combination that makes its cultural identity become more complex and ‘localized’. For example, the RTHK series “Under the Lion Rock” in 1972, documented the most immediate social concerns at the time, truly recording the formation process of Hong Kong society from the 1970s to the 1990s, and leaving an important footnote for the social spiritual outlook in the past two decades. This series raised and showed the self-awareness of Hong Kong people on how they identify themselves as one of the people in Hong Kong.
To conclude, the cultural identity of Hong Kong has gone through a lot and has grown into a more complex and hybrid way that cannot be defined as just Chinese or Western culture only. Its binary uniqueness made urban films in Hong Kong representing creative and conservative at the same time.
You have comprehensively summarized the text and unfolded the issue of shifting and shaping Hong Kong’s cultural identity through the lens of the film. You address Western and Chinese cultural influence, changing political backgrounds, and different periods as key issues to discuss in this process. Could you explain your opinion about the role of moviegoers, professionals who produce films, and the government throughout this shifting and shaping process? Do you think this transformation is still relevant to contemporary Hong Kong films?