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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
forward-looking plans, failing to keep up with the times and lacking a clear direction.
The report lacks forward-looking plans because it does not give the local culture an identity and a direction of development. How the Hong Kong people's awareness of our own culture could be established and how the existing cultural characteristics of Hong Kong should be developed? The answer given in the report is that all these questions have never been thought about.
The report cannot keep up with the times. It is just like a textbook from fairyland, talking about general principles of arts policy which are universally applicable while forgetting the special factor of 1997 in Hong Kong.
Arts reflect the social culture
Any form of art, whether literature, performing art, visual art or film is a reflection of the social culture at a particular time and place. All sorts of performances are concrete expressions of the invisible social culture. The types of arts bred in a society is determined by the type of culture the society has. You reap what you sow. Everything has its causes.
Elements of the Social Culture of Hong Kong
What is the social culture of Hong Kong? Hong Kong is a totally different society from China: Here, politically, we believe in a system of representative government in which authority is in the hands of the people: we believe in an administration that is politically neutral; and we believe in a legal system that can monitor the performance of the government and protect human rights. Economically, we adopt an open, fair and lawful capitalist system which allows free competition. In public affairs, we have a consultative system that seeks opinions from experts as well as the general public. We also have a complaints system that helps to investigate people's grievances, channel people's opinions and monitor the administration. We also enjoy freedom of speech. From the systematization of political, economic and public affairs, we can easily see that the social culture of Hong Kong is heading towards a social mode that advocates democracy and freedom, safeguards human rights and the rule of law, emphasizes integrity and self-esteem, strives for innovations, respects individuality, behaves rationally and pursues righteousness. The social culture of Hong Kong has already possessed all characteristics of an 'Open Society' as described by the social philosopher Karl R. Popper, which cannot be disregarded by whatever kind of government and at whatever time or place, because the trend of democracy is irresistible and should be followed.
'One country, two systems', 'Hong Kong ruled by the people of Hong Kong', 'high degree of autonomy'
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