Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Abbas talks about Generic cities and explains their characteristics by discussing different cities from different films. He claims that the film is a response to Hong Kong as a generic city. However, if I were to define Hong Kong, based on my experience, I would say it is a half-generic city. Abbas says that a generic city is one without history, like Hollywood, so that it can easily create new identities. I think Hong Kong has a strong identity that cannot be changed. The British occupation did influence Hong Kong greatly, and the city is very unlike other Chinese cities. However, the city still holds culture and history. The main language is Cantonese, and a large portion of the population is either Chinese or Hong Kong people. History or traces of the past are still evident throughout Hong Kong. Hence, I think Hong Kong is not completely a generic city.

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