This reading is exceptionally thought-provoking that carefully portrayed the colonial Hong Kong’s cultural and historical development through architecture and cinema and it’s disappearance from Hong Kong in postcolonial. The postcolonial Hong Kong since 1997 resulted in a commercialised and urban future of Hong Kong with influx of migrant workers looking for a home and rapid financial industry development.
Tai Kwun in Central, which used to be a police station is the perfect example for the disappearance of cultural and historical sites in postcolonial and its conversion into commercialisation as it is now used as a tourist site with shops.
Though the physical structure of many historical sites, such as the The Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui, is still preserved, the cultural and historical reasons behind the architecture have disappeared and the sites are simply considered as “picturesque” spots for tourists.
Though unclear about the future of Hong Kong, Abbas gives us a glimpse of an urbanised city with preserved historical sites that lack culture and history, simply considered as ordinary buildings built between skyscrapers.
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Your reflection demonstrated a good understanding of Abbas’ piece. I also like your example on Tai Kwun. However, it would be great if you could include more aspects of the projects, e.g. the central courtyard, the museum, and the theatre spaces it has. Although the gentrification is obvious, I believe Tai Kwun is more than just a commercialized conservation project. A holistic analysis would help you convince your audience better, as like what Abbas said, Hong Kong cannot simply be illustrated as ‘East meets West.’