TNAG-1019-FCO40-1269-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1981 — Page 22

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NREGISTER N

OFFICER

P.

GPS 1100A

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY FCO 2210087

COUDE CC

THAL

DESKBY PEKING 201008Z

FM HONG KONG 202901Z AUG 81

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 756 OF 20 AUGUST

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON

MYTELNO 737: TAIWAN FILMS

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See

28.8

NCNA HAVE FOR SOME TIME EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE POSSIBLE SHOWING

IN HONG KONG OF TWO TAIWAN FILMS. ONE IS IF I WERE GENUINE' (JIA-RU WO SHIZHEN-DE) BASED ON A PLAY SHOWN IN CHINA ABOUT TWO

YEARS AGO BUT THEN BANNED. THE OTHER IS CALLED SHANGHAI FILE (SHANGHAI DANG-AN). MORE RECENTLY THEY CLAIMED, ON THE BASIS OF REPORTS IN THE RIGHT-WING PRESS, THAT THE FIRST FILM WAS TO BE SHOWN AT THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED CITY HALL AND PLANETARIUM AS PART OF A TAIWAN FILM FESTIVAL.

2. FOLLOWING A LOW KEY NCNA APPROACH ON THE SUBJECT WE DISCOVERED THAT CITY HALL BOOKINGS HAD BEEN MADE BY A LOCAL ORGANIZATION CALLED FILM CULTURE CENTRE OF HONG KONG (FCCHK). THESE REFERRED ONLY TO SHOWING CHINESE FILMS. BUT IN LATER CORRESPONDENCE IT EMERGED THAT THEY INTENDED TO HAVE ONE EVENING DEVOTED TO FILMS FROM TAIWAN CALLED 'TAIPEI CINEMA 81'' AND THAT THE LIST OF POSSIBLE FILMS INCLUDED "IF I WERE GENUINE'' A LATER APPLICATION WAS MADE FOR THE PLANETARIUM ALSO. PERMISSION FOR BOTH HAS NOW BEEN

REFUSED.

·

3. WHEN NONA REVERTED TO THE SUBJECT, DURING DISCUSSION OF ANOTHER MATTER ON 14 AUGUST, PA SAID THAT NO PERMISSION FOR TAIPEI CINEMA 81 IN THE CITY HALL HAD BEEN GIVEN (IT HAD NOT THEN FORMALLY

BEEN REFUSED). HE ADDED THAT THE TWO FILMS MENTIONED BY THE CHINESE HAD NOT BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE CENSORS WITHOUT WHOSE

PERMISSION THEY COULD NOT BE SHOWN.

•

4. NCNA RETURNED TO THE CHARGE WITH SURPRISING VEHEMENCE YESTERDAY

EVENING. TAN GAN READ OUT TO THE POLITICAL ADVISER A SHARPLY

WORDED SPEAKING NOTE WHICH HE HANDED OVER. HE REFERRED TO THE

LISTING INTHE CITYHALL NEWS SHEET OF THE PRELIMINARY BOOKING

BY FCCHK AND FROTESTED AT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S APPARENT

INABILITY TO PREVENT THIS SORT OF 'KMT MACHINATION' HE ALSO

LODGED A GENERAL PROTEST AT THE 'FREE HAND GIVEN TO KMT

PROPAGANDA IN HONG KONG, INCLUDING CIGARETTE PACKETS AND SWEATERS CARRYING KMT PROPAGANDA. HE SAID THAT PEKING TOOK A SERIOUS VIEW OF THE MATTER AND THAT NOT ONLY THE TWO FILMS BUT ALSO THE PROPOSED TAIWAN FILM FESTIVAL SHOULD BE OUTLAWED'. IF THE FESTIVAL WERE ALLOWED TO GO AHEAD IT WOULD HAMPER THE FRIENDLY

CONFIDENTIAL

/RELATIONS

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W