A Few of Hong Kong's Cultural Landmarks

 Hong Kong has a deeply rooted reputation as an international hotspot for business and for its breath taking architecture that mimics the aesthetics of the great urban centers of the West. Now, more than ever before, Hong Kong is considered a promoter of modernism and innovation in various scientific and economic fields, this often being put in contrast with the rather conservative policies that mainland China still holds on to. A key factor in the future development of the Hong Kong Special Administered Region is culture, or to be more precise, the way in which local culture can be engineered to further fuel the SAR’s development in the near future. Hongkongese culture, up to this day, continues to be characterized by the consumerist habits of the West, by the urge for fresh information delivered at the right moment, and finally, and by a great affinity towards gaining a prominent social status. The current paper aims at highlighting the uniqueness of Hongkongese culture, which is largely labeled as an unlikely hybrid between the West and China. Even so, Hong Kong is no newcomer on the world’s high end business scene. Its blooming economy and tourist-friendly environment had managed to maintain the city’s high profile. 

  

1. NEON LIGHTS AND STREET CULTURE 

Regardless if they are wide or narrow, next to the harbor area or in the island’s heartland, many of Hong Kong’s streets are hosts to an environment which is mainly characterized by its dynamic vibe and lack of formalism, or what we are used generally call street culture.

This concept should not be confused by any means with the culture associated with urban slums and ghettos. More or less, Hong Kong’s street culture is directly linked to its cosmopolitan vibe and a consumerist oriented behavior. Street culture is characteristic of big urban centers, those that have a highly competitive economy and a blooming cultural scene. This concept is dealing with the types of behavior which are specifically put in to use in transitory urban spaces, behaviors which are based on a vernacular code of conduct. Other defining elements are those which stress the flow of people and specific street-based activities. The dwellers of Hong Kong find a special delight in bicycle riding, hiking, or any other outdoor activity which can unfold in parks, public gardens, or in the numerous greenlands which are scattered across the territory of the SAR.

Aside from behavior and conduct, Hongkongese developed a vernacular brand of flashy eye-taking street advertisements. A true spectacle of neon light, contrasts and unlikely color schemes, the streets of Hong Kong truly embody the city’s status as an international commercial hub.

Obvious, or not, there is a series of complex advertisement tactics that hide behind the flashy banners that are scattered all over the city. The usage of highly contrasted color schemes is motivated by the fact that the human eye is lured by colors with a high pigmentation, also, the size and thickness of the characters that are featured on banners play a huge role. None of the elements listed above stand alone, they all interact and form a homogeneous product which aims towards the unsuspecting consumer.

2. CHINESE AND HONGKONGESE STREET ADVERTISING 

A fundamental question makes its way forward: Is there any notable difference between Chinese and Hongkongese street advertising?

The first one is the result of the difference between the ethno-linguistic texture of Hong Kong and mainland China. Street advertising boards have a higher likelihood to be bilingual in Hong Kong, this being result of the territory’s British colonial past topped by the many international business centers which are hosted in HKC. Street advertising in mainland China tend to have a higher level of “persuasive violence”, or in other words, the message tends to be delivered in a more direct manner, through text messages, commercial photography not being quite popular.  In Hong Kong, the usage of commercial photography in street advertisements is more popular, sometimes being combined with the flashy and bold colored Simplified Chinese characters, here we are talking obviously about a hybrid style.

3. CANTOPOP/ HK-POP

As any other megacity, Hong Kong has developed its own unique share of cultural brands. Without trying to explain this concept in an overly theoretic manner, cultural brands and landmarks are those aspects of a certain culture that were internally created and are associated with a high degree of uniqueness.     

   The difference between the two concepts has yet to be clearly made. Even so, one possible distinction would be that cultural landmarks as highly, or relatively, unique aspects of a community’s cultural heritage that are unlikely to be found anywhere else. As for cultural brands, they still have a long way to go until they will be recognized as defining aspect of community’s cultural heritage. 

Hong Kong is nowadays internationally recognized as the birthplace of Cantopop, which bears some resemblances to Korea’s K-pop and to Japan’s J-pop.  Cantopop, or HK-pop, is a variation of pop music which was deeply shaped under the pressure of Hong Kong’s cultural particularities.  HK-pop lures music enthusiasts with its sweet tunes and toned down beats. Unlike the pop that we are used to hearing in Europe and the US, HK-pop is usually characterized by a melancholic vibe.     Lyrics usually make references to love, relationships and disappointment. Often, the lyrics are quite lengthy and do not rely too much on repetition. Thus many songs actually get their catchiness from the lyrics and not so much from the beat.