HK: Day 9 - Hongkongshima

soundbite literature

It surprises me that there is still such a straightforward and blunt theater work that refers to Hong Kong’s long-running democratic movement, which for some people, had come to an end. To be frank, if I had known it point-blank points to, or intimate the uprisings, I wouldn’t have gone.

Don’t get me wrong, of course I’m interested in political literature, profoundly actually, - I would not have made my biggest mistake in majoring in literature if not for Lu Xun. There have been a lot of plays I love that involve politics or Hong Kong society - in documentary theater, there was Rimini Protokoll’s “100% Hong Kong”, for experimental theater, there was On and on’s “Postcolonial Affairs of Food and The Heart”, for mainstream theater, there was “May 35th”. Not to mention classics like Ariel Dorfman or Martin McDonagh. In all of them, politics is a top note, perfuming the odor of the playwright’s political stance proudly.

It’s just that, I really am not a fan of “soundbite literature” - yeah I made this term up, referring to plays or films that includes some lines that people love to hear, and they automatically become a masterpiece, despite its storytelling. How many people worship some mediocre works just because the protagonist chanted “Fight for freedom”. I do understand or empathize why they do that, but having political stance overriding quality is unhealthy, and, in my opinion, affects citizens’ collective intelligence in a long run.

I have always had this love-hate relationship with On and on’s experimental theaters. To be honest, it probably is about experimental theaters rather than On and on. Most experimental theaters in Hong Kong are dogshit, here I said it. Doing something unconventional does not mean it’s well executed and in fact, most experimental theaters in Hong Kong are very poorly presented and planned. No one says anything about it publically, including myself, because 1) it’s already hard enough to work in theaters unless your target audience is white people which makes you prestigious, 2) criticizing an experimental work makes you feel insecure - am I just too dumb to get it? Did I not get the cultural reference?

Circling back to On and on, it’s great, it’s grassroot but rich in culture, it strikes a decent balance between being experimental and maintaining a clear storyline, but it also maybe is a little too pretentious for me? But again, I said “love-hate”, so I still go to every show they produced.

One of the most challenging skills avant-garde theaters have to master, is that actors often have to play multiple roles - how to not make it awkward and make sure it’s necessary? How to not draw audiences out of the play? - “Hongkongshima” did an excellent job. All the blocking, lighting, music was well done. All the metaphors do not feel forced at all. And it did a spectacular job in integrating real-life references into its plot. The use of narrative is often risky, that a lot of writer use narrative when they aren’t capable of telling the story with dialogue or other elements. But those in “Hongkongshima” was just on point and helps to push the story forward. It was really well-done.

However, those direct lines of telling Hongkongers “we should not lose hope” were to me, very unpleasant. As a post-NSL piece, I get that the crew want to use theater as a medium to empower audiences, which is amazing, but overly positive thoughts strike me as brainwashing. “We shall not lose faith”, “We need to keep going”, it’t not wrong, but it may not, and should not be people’s only correct motivation, and it’s not wrong to think there isn’t hope anymore, which is not necessary a thought to stop people from fighting.

To acknowledge the chance of failing, so we could set a more precise goal and tactics. False hope does keep us moving, but what if some cannot bear the blow of things not developing in the direction they wanted? False hope is dangerous. Humans have the tendency to be intoxicated in triumphs. And this actually stops people from moving onwards. Maybe I’m just traumatized - see what years of “階段性勝利” and “畀啲掌聲自己” lead us to - we used to abandon ourselves to pleasures throughout the long way of movement, and it wasn’t the best. So, I’m not saying we should not have hope, but cynicism keeps a sharp brain, which is essential for sustaining, anything.

Another thing that has been bugging me is that, do we focus on the identity of Hongkongers too much? Personally I do feel the sense of belonging, at least after 2019, but at the same time what drives me was more of my desire for justice, as a global citizen. How protesters, or different stakeholders emphasize our root and identity could somewhat make me feel guilt-tripped, and reminds me of toxic Asian parenting style. Well, though, I get how echo chamber is sometimes needed, so it’s just me feeling uncomfortable.

Anyway, I don’t regret going, if anything. It was a play. As I said, I do not let opinion or stance override artistic judgment, and “Hongkongshima” was breathtaking as a play.