Opinion: The history of Cantopop is the history of Hong Kong

The arrest of Cantopop star and Canadian citizen Denise Ho signals something deeper: the loss of a unique culture, in a place undergoing a ... SkiptomaincontentAdrianLeeContributedtoTheGlobeandMailPublishedMay25,2022ShareBookmarkPleaselogintobookmarkthisstory.LogInCreateFreeAccountAdrianLeeisaneditorinTheGlobeandMail’sopinionsectionandthehostofTheGlobe’sfutureofcitiespodcast,CitySpace.ForasurprisingnumberofHongKongersofacertainage,April1,2003,wasmoremomentousthanJuly1,1997.Sure,1997mayhavebeenwhenthethen-BritishcolonywasreturnedtoChina–ahandovermarkedbyasince-corrodedpromisebytheChineseCommunistPartytomaintain“onecountry,twosystems”for50years–butsixyearslaterbroughtthedeathofLeslieCheung,rippingoutHongKong’sculturalsoul.Mr.Cheungwasanicon:anandrogynousheartthrob,astormyleadingmanwhowonplauditsatCannes,andaqueerpioneer.ButwhatmadehimfamouswashisCantopopmusic–asyrupystyleofyearningballadrysungintheCantonesedialectspokenbytheoverwhelmingmajorityinHongKong,andagenrethatwasoncearguablyitsmostsignificantculturalexport.WhenMr.Cheungdiedbysuicideat46,tensofthousandsofHongKongersattendedhismemorialservice,evenamidtheragingSARSepidemic.Heremainsanoutsizepresenceinthecitytothisday,throughannualmemorialsandtributes:FamiliesinHongKongandfromitsdiaspora–mineincluded–haveeffectivelycanonizedthemansobelovedhewasnicknamed“OlderBrother,”aswellashisfellowtragicfigureintheCantopopworld,AnitaMui,the“MadonnaofAsia”whoalsodiedyoungin2003.ItisthroughthatlensweshouldconsidertherecentarrestofDeniseHo,aCantopopsingerwhowasamongthosecaughtupearlierthismonthinyetanotherraidbyHongKongpoliceagainstanow-shutteredmediaoutlet(agroupthatalsoincluded90-year-oldCatholicCardinalJosephZen).Ms.Ho,aCanadiancitizen,isavocaladvocateofHongKong’spro-democracymovementandhassufferedforit.Shehasbeenarrestedbefore,forprotestingwiththe2014UmbrellaMovementandagaininDecember;sheandhermusichavebeenbannedinmainlandChinaandattackedinthestatemedia.Ms.Ho,likeMr.Cheung,isagayCantopopstar;Ms.Mui,whoin1989supportedtheprotestersinTiananmenSquare,wasMs.Ho’smentor.YetherarresthaselicitedonlyamuffledresponseinHongKong,whereharshcrackdownshavequietedprotestsagainstBeijing’snationalsecuritylaw.TheCantopopindustry,neuteredbydecadesofplungingsalesandcrushedbySouthKorea’smassiveK-popmachineastoday’sdefiningEastAsiansound,hasbeenmuted.It’sasadstateofaffairsforacitythatcallsitsCantopoplegends“gods”and“kings.”If,asJohnLennononcesaid,“musicreflectsthestatethatthesocietyisin,”itsfadeandabsenceshouldsurelyrefractassharply.AndsoMs.Ho’sarrestsignalssomethingdeeper:thelossofauniqueculture,inaplaceundergoingaforcedidentitycrisis.Historically,Cantopop’slyricsonlyoccasionallyflickatHongKongpolitics,butitisnonethelesspolitical.Whilethegenrehadscoredhitssinceitscreationinthe1920s,asUniversityofHongKongprofessorStephenYiu-WaiChuwroteinhisbook,HongKongCantopop,itsgoldenage–fromthelate1970stothe1990s–timedpreciselywithaperiodofenormouseconomicandpoliticalgrowthinHongKong.ItwasatthistimethatBritainstarteduptalkswithChinaaboutitsleaseonthecaught-betweencolony,andwhenagenerationofrefugeesescapingfamineandpoliticaloppressioninmainlandChinaeffectivelycameofage.AmidstprotestsagainstbothCommunistterrorizersandthethumbofBritishcolonialism,HongKongbegantocohereadistinctiveculture:ahybridofWesternentrepreneurialismontheworldstageandEasternethicsandtradition.So,ofcourse,Cantopop–ahybridmusicthatexplodedbyblendingthepentatonicliltofChineseoperaswithWesternsoftrockandelectronicinstrumentation–becametheera’ssoundtrack.WithperformerssuchasMr.Cheung,BeyondandJackyCheungfloodingmarketsacrossAsiapartlythankstothethen-nascentvehicleofkaraoke,CantopopjoinedwithHongKongcinematobrieflydisplaceMandarinasthelanguageofChinesepopculture,evenbecomingdominantinmainlandChina,whichhadbannedpopsongsfordecadesbuthadjustbeguntoopenuptotheworld.OneCantopopsong,RomanTam’sBelowtheLionRock,evenbecameanenduringrallyingcryforthecity,settingoutaspiritandvaluesystemaroundsolidarityandindustrythatprovidedHongKongersan“AmericanDream”frameworkatatimeofhugeeconomicgrowth.(Today,this“LionRockSpirit”hasbeentakenupbythepro-democracymovementtopushagainstsocialinequity.)Cantopop’spopularityhassincecollapsed–withsalesfallingbyabout70percentfromitsheyday–andinmanyways,itmarginalizeditself;manyofthegenre’scoreelementsfailedtoevolve,anditcansoundschlockyorsaccharine.NostalgiaforthelikesofLeslieCheung–andperhapsfortheHongKongherepresents–hasinparthelditback.ButthatstillspeakstoalossofavaluableidentitythatwasoncequintessentiallyandconfidentlyHongKong:neitherBritishnorChinese,simultaneouslylocalandinternational.That’strue,too,ofthelanguagethatCantopopchampioned.WhileCantonesetodayhasatleast80millionspeakersinChina,HongKongandthewiderdiaspora,BeijingproscribedMandarinasthe“basiclanguage”bylawin2001andhassincepressedtoprimarilyeducateHongKongchildreninthedialect.SimilarreformsinschoolsandmunicipaldepartmentsareevenstranglingCantoneseinChina’sGuangdongprovince,whereitoriginated,andCantopopsingershaveincreasinglyturnedbacktosinginginMandarin.NowCantonese,likeHongKongitself,findsitselfinastrange,limbickindofpalliativecare:halebutunquestionablydying.WhichbringsusbacktoDeniseHo.ByleaningmoreexplicitlyintopoliticalCantopop,sherepresentsapotentialwayforwardforthegenre–andforthat,shehasbeenstifledbyBeijing.Artneedsleaderstofomentandfermentit,andmainlandChina–whichcanmovemarketsallonitsown–hasblockedMs.Hofromtrying.ThestreetsinHongKongareemptyoftheprotesterswhodefendeditsculture,and,indeed,theveryfutureofprotestthereismurky.SoMs.Ho’ssituationisanotherobjectlessoninBeijing’swillingnesstostompouttheseparatesystemitvowedtoupholdin1997–thesmotheringofagenre,aculture,aworld.KeepyourOpinionssharpandinformed.GettheOpinionnewsletter.Signuptoday.FollowusonTwitter:@globedebateOpensinanewwindowReportanerrorEditorialcodeofconductRelatedarticlesopinionHongKonghasnothadachancetoassessitssolecandidateforitshighestofficeMay5,2022opinionChinaiscaughtinaCOVID-19trapofitsownmakingApril14,2022opinionCorporationsinvestinChinaattheirperilMarch31,2022YourGlobeBuildyourpersonalnewsfeedMoreinfoFollowtheauthorofthisarticle:AdrianLeeFollowYoumustbeloggedintofollow.LogInCreatefreeaccountFollowtopicsrelatedtothisarticle:ChinaFollowYoumustbeloggedintofollow.LogInCreatefreeaccountHongKongFollowYoumustbeloggedintofollow.LogInCreatefreeaccountCheckFollowingfornewarticles