Mee Kam NG
Introduction
This paper argues that the unique historical trajectory in Hong Kong has produced very rich cultural capital, which until recently was not recognised or valued by the average citizen. To the elites with cultural competence to appreciate high arts, Hong Kong is a “cultural desert”. However, with the onset of the Asian financial crisis, the cultural turn of the tourism industry and the “arrival” of the post-modern cultural paradigm through globalization and “touring cultures” (Rojek and Urry, 1997), the vast “cultural gold-mine” is now in active operation. Hong Kong is rediscovering her historical roots and cultural heritage, trying to build a “cultural supermarket” that suits the various demands of tourists from all over the world. The commodification of culture has met little resistance from a pragmatic population who are eager to find ways of creating more employment opportunities. In fact, the cultural turn of the tourism industry has helped
Hong Kong, for the first time in history, search for her roots. The production and expansion of tourist spaces also provide a dynamic setting for the international city to further develop and sustain her unique mix of “East meets West” cultures.
Cultural Economy and Cultural Spaces in Hong Kong
Cultural Economy
Ever since the mid-1990s, Hong Kong has become a largely service-oriented economy. However, the concept of a “cultural economy” is relatively under-explored. Although Hong Kong is a popular tourist destination and Hong Kong films and filmmakers have attained international reputations, the size of Hong Kong’s cultural economy is small in terms of number of establishment, employment and income generated. Table 5.1 lists the number of establishments, employment and income generated in the cultural industries, tourist-related industries and service industries. The cultural industries (excluding tourism) constitute 4.7 and 4.8 per cent respectively of the total number of employment and economic establishments in Hong Kong.
Although comprehensive figures are not available on the income generated by the cultural industries, available figures suggest that the cultural industries’ direct contribution to GDP amounts to about 2 to 3 per cent.
Table 5.1 Establishments, Employment and Value of Production of the Cultural Economy in Hong Kong
Year Establish -ments
Employ -ment
Service Income (US$,m) Cultural Industries
Libraries, museums & cultural services
20011 70 433 n.a.
Miscellaneous amusement &
recreational services
20012 581 14,807 n.a.
Motion pictures and other entertainment services
20023 2,686 20,051 197
Publishing 20014 4,849 44,050 1,029
Design 20015 1,725 5,547 n.a.
Architecture 19996 386 4,729 328
Advertising and related services
20017 4,089 19,014 1,822
Sub-total 14,386
(4.8%)
108,631 (4.7%)
n.a.
Tourist-related Industries Restaurants, retailers,
transport operators and other service providers serving visitors
20008 32,073 (10.8%)
285,453 (12.4%)
7,6009 (5%)
Major Service Industries Wholesale, retail, trades,
restaurants, hotels, transport
& communications, financing, real estate & business services, community, social &
personal service, ownership of premises
200010 274,858 (92.5%)
1,974,685 (86.1%)
GDP:
129,57011 (85.6%)
All Economic Activities
All economic activities 200012 297,109 2,293,171 GDP:
151,37213
( %) % of GDP in Hong Kong.
Source:
1, 2: Number of establishments and employment of Hong Kong’s major service industry sectors, 1994-2001, http://stat.tdctrade.com/monthly/empserv.htm, visited on July 17, 2002.
3-7: Profiles of Hong Kong’s major service industries, http://www.tdctrade.com/main/si/spfilm.htm, visited on July 17, 2002.
8: Census and Statistics Department (2001), Statistical Digest of the Services Sector 2001, Hong Kong: Government Printer, p.295.
continued
9: Figure is on receipts from visitors, which appears in Hong Kong Tourism Board (2000), A Statistical Review of Hong Kong Tourism 2000, Hong Kong: Government Printer, p.49.
10: Number of establishments and employment of Hong Kong’s major service industry sectors, 1994-2001, http://stat.tdctrade.com/monthly/empserv.htm, visited on July 17, 2002.
11: Gross Domestic Product at Current Prices by Economic Activity:
http://www.info.gov.hk/censtatd/eng/hkstat/hkinf/nat_account/gdp2_index.html, visited on July 17, 2002.
12: Number of establishments, persons engaged and vacancies analysed by industry sector, http://www.info.gov.hk/censtatd/eng/hkstat/fas/labour/employment/labour4_index.html, visited on July 17, 2002.
13: Gross Domestic Product at Current Prices by Economic Activity:
http://www.info.gov.hk/censtatd/eng/hkstat/hkinf/nat_account/gdp2_index.html, visited on July 17, 2002.
Cultural Places
Hong Kong is a very compact city. Although the city has a land area of 1,097 km2, only 179 km2 (16.3%) are built up. Given the unique history in its development, there are two building density regimes in Hong Kong. The rural New Territories can only accommodate low-density development.
Before Hong Kong’s economic integration with the Mainland, the New Territories was once tranquil and rural in nature. The Government had tried to maintain the rural nature of the New Territories. As promised by the then Governor, Sir Henry Arthur in 1900, “your [residents of the New Territories] commercial and land interests shall be protected and your customs and good traditions will not be interfered” (Hong Kong Hansard, 1991, p.933). After the Open Door Policy in the Mainland China, the rural landscape in the New Territories has changed dramatically. Nevertheless, traditional Chinese cultural heritage is still relatively rich in these areas.
Figure 5.1 Traditional Chinese cultural heritage in the New Territories
The situation is rather different in old urban areas. Many old urban areas witnessed various waves of industrial and urban development over time with buildings of different height and density juxtaposing one another.
Many old urban districts exhibit special characters (Figure 5.2 and Table 5.2). For instance, the Western District saw the birth of colonial Hong Kong.
The Central and Sheung Wan Districts still retain many interesting trades such as antique shops along Hollywood Road and Cat Street Bazaar; dried seafood stores and traditional Chinese medicine and birds’ nest street in Sheung Wan. In Kowloon, the Sung Wong Tai Garden and Kowloon Walled City Park were close to the old Kaitak airport. Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb and Garden, and Ap Liu Street Flea Market (specialises on electronic goods) in Sham Shui Po, the earliest developed district in Kowloon, are popular tourist spots.
Figure 5.2 Major attractions in different districts in Hong Kong
Interesting trades in Central
Han Tomb in Sham Shui Po
Table 5.2 Attractions in Different Parts of Hong Kong
• Peak Tower
• Hollywood Road
• SoHo + Lan Kwai Fong
• Mid-Levels Escalator
• Museum of Coastal Defence
• Chinese New Year Flower Market
• Tam Kung Temple
• Tin Hau Temple
• Noon Day Gun
• Big Buddha
• Cheung Chau Bun Festival
• Seafood on Lamma Island
• Lantau Peak
• Cheung Po Tsai Cave
• Kowloon Walled City Park
• Food District Festival
• Whampoa Gourmet Place
• Karting Mall, Bowling and Flea Market at the Kai Tal Airport Site
• Tsing Ma Bridge
• Bauhinia Festival
• Maritime Square
• Kwai Tsing District Arts Festival
• Lei Yue Mun Seafood Bazaar
• Seafood Festival
• Tin Hau Temple
• Fung Ying Seen Koon
• The North District Flower, Bird, Insect and Fish Show
• Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail
• Hung Shing Temple
• Seafood Festival
• The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course
Song Wong Tai: a place the Emperor of the Song Dynasty visited when he fled to Hong Kong
• Liu Man Shek Tong + Hau Kui Shek Ancestral Hall + Pang Ancestral Hall
• Lions Nature Education Centre
• Moving Memorial to War Martyrs
• Cheung Sha Wan Road Fashion Street and Apliu Street
• Yu Lan Festival
• Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb and Garden
• Festival Walk
• Lung Cheung Road Lookout
• Hong Kong Heritage Museum
• Festival Lighting
• Che Kung Temple
• Snoopy's World
• Sha Tin Racecourse
• Penfold Park
• Stanley Main Street and Murray House
• Alfresco Dining
• Ocean Park
• Repulse Bay
• Jumbo Floating Restaurant
• Lookout Tower in Tai Po Waterfront Park
• Heritage & Architectural Walks
• Hong Kong Railway Museum
• Man Mo Temple
• Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees
• Sam Tung Uk Museum
• Yuen Yuen Institute
• Tai Mo Shan Country Park
• Festival Lighting
• Ching Chung Koon
• Dolphin Watch
• Hong Kong Gold Coast
• Miu Fat Buddhist Monastery
• Expo Promenade
• Special Flag Raising Ceremony
• Hong Kong Convention &
Exhibition Centre
• Fire Dragon Dance at Tai Hang
• Happy Valley Racecourse
• Hong Kong Racing Museum
• Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
• Chi Lin Nunnery
• Ping Shan Heritage Trail and Tsui Shing Lau
• Mai Po Nature Reserve
• Big Bowl Feast
• Clock Tower
• Shopping
• Temple Street
• Space Museum
• Yuen Po Street Bird Garden
Until recently, the rich cultural heritage in different districts and localities has not been recognized and remained untapped. In fact, much has been swept away in the course of rapid urban development. In the history of Hong Kong rapidly becoming an industrial and financial powerhouse,
“everything that is solid melts in the air”. Hong Kong has no long-term heritage conservation policy (Ng, Chung and Yan, 2001, p.62). In fact, heritage conservation had not been practised in Hong Kong until 1976 when the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance was enacted. Hong Kong still has over 9,000 pre-1950 structures of varying forms and quality (Chu and Uebergang, 2002, p.62). Among them, however, only 69 are declared monuments (Ng et al, 2001). Many historical landmarks such as the Lee Theatre, the former General Post Office, the old Hong Kong Club and Repulse Bay Hotel were demolished.
Before the construction of the City Hall in 1962, there were a number of privately owned cultural venues such as the “Lee”, “Ko Shing”
and “Tai Ping” Theatres featuring Chinese operas and other performances.
However, all these are now redeveloped. The opening of the City Hall forty years ago marked the Government’s involvement in the arts. Since then more performing venues have been built, some of which are community-based facilities. At present Hong Kong has some 30 major cultural facilities with regular cultural activities, and many of them are scattered throughout the various districts in Hong Kong (Table 5.3). It is therefore difficult to differentiate the “cultural districts”. Nevertheless, a “core triangle” of
cultural activities can be found in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) in Kowloon, and Central and Wan Chai Districts on Hong Kong Island (Figure 5.3). Most of the cultural facilities are managed and owned by the Government.
City Hall in Central : High & Low Blocks
Cultural Centre in TST Arts Museum in TST
Convention & Exhibition Centre in Wanchai
Table 5. 3 Major Cultural Facilities in Hong Kong
Source: Modified from Planning Department, 1999, Table 1.
Name Outside Metropolitan Areas
Tsuen Wan Town Hall Tuen Mun Town Hall Sha Tin Town Hall Tai Po Civic Centre North District Town Hall Lut Sau Hall
Kwai Tsing Theatre Yuen Long Theatre
Hong Kong Heritage Museum Within Metropolitan Areas Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Hong Kong Coliseum Hong Kong Museum of Art Space Museum
Science Museum Hong Kong Arts Library Wan Chai/Causeway Bay
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) Hong Kong Central Library
Hong Kong Arts Centre Hong Kong Racing Museum Central/Sheung Wan Area
Hong Kong City Hall Fringe Club
Sheung Wan Civic Centre Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre Others
Queen Elizabeth Stadium Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre Ko Shan Theatre Sun Beam Theatre Law Uk Folk Museum
Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence Hong Kong Film Archive
Kowloon Park
Science Museum Ocean Terminal
Cultural Centre
Space Museum
Arts Museum Waterfront Promenade
Hong Kong Arts Centre Convention &
Exhibition Centre City Hall
Peak Tram Ride Hong Kong Park
Figure 5.3“Core Triangle” of Cultural Facilities and Tourist Attractions in Hong Kong