TNAG-1606-FCO40-22121-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 141

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What influences the society most is perhaps the so-called

'pop culture', which ranges from colloquial pop songs, comic strips

and tattling weeklies to 'original photo journals' ('

寫真集

Their or publications which would be classified as 'indecent'. listeners and readers account for a vast majority of the local

For instance, pop population, or almost the entire population.

)

songs often contain a lot of slang expressions and ideas in an entire song are often sketchy. Being constantly exposed to such influences, our students, young people or adults are becoming vulgar in their spoken and written Chinese. Their power of expression and cultural standard have also declined. The only way to improve the situation is to develop a 'counter-culture', set up a foundation to make available publications which are deficient in the market and allocate necessary resources for sponsoring the mass media in the production of cultural programmes. The successful development of a 'counter-culture' will certainly rectify the defects of pop culture.

The future of Hong Kong is now at a crucial stage and it is opportune to cultivate a sense of belonging among our people. The Chinese race is scattered all over the world with possibly different nationalities. But they are still tied together by a cultural heritage of more than 4000 years. Though the people of Hong Kong may not agree with a certain political system, they can still identify themselves with their Chinese culture. The Chinese Language Foundation will serve the functions of promoting Chinese culture and cultivating a sense of belonging.

In summing up, the establishment of a Chinese Language Foundation will fulfil the following four functions: to maintain objectivity in the publication of textbooks; to promote the localization of professional service and examinations; to develop a

Since 'counter-culture' and to cultivate a sense of belonging. other measures cannot fulfill these functions, it is necessary to reconsider the establishment of a Chinese Language Foundation.