Prologue Journal

The past has a future again: Hong Kong’s Heritage Museum will continue ‘telling good stories’ about the city

• prologu5
• 05/15/202405/15/2024

Hong Kong Free Press

By Rod Parkes

“Tell good stories about Hong Kong,” the government constantly exhorts the media and the public in the face of much perceived criticism of the territory.

In the archetypal “good story about Hong Kong” the protagonist – typically from humble beginnings – seizes the opportunities the city offers, through talent and hard work, to rise to fame and fortune. Commonly the talent deployed is business acumen, as with Li Ka-shing’s fabled ascent from poverty to become Asia’s richest man.

In other cases, the talent is artistic, as in the heartwarming tale of a talented girl from a poor single-parent family who grows up to become a massively popular award-winning entertainer, loved by audiences in Hong Kong, mainland China and beyond. This is the inspiring story told by the current exhibition Timeless Diva: Anita Mui at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Blessed with a rich, deep voice, Mui transformed the image of the female Chinese-language pop singer from cheongsam-clad warbler of plaintive ballads – though she could do that too – through her emotive singing and her dynamic stage performances (one of her songs aptly proclaimed “I’m on Fire!”) Beyond breaking box-office records with several series of sold-out concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum, Mui was also acclaimed for her award-winning film roles and respected for her philanthropy, earning her the nickname “Daughter of Hong Kong.”

Anita’s story is told through videos, album sleeves, photos and memorabilia. At the heart of the exhibition is a selection of her spectacular stage costumes, crafted by renowned fashion designer Eddie Lau, otherwise known for Cathay Pacific’s staff uniforms, and himself the subject of an earlier exhibition at the museum. This exhibition also serves as a tribute to his imaginative creations. Viewing them up close, one can marvel at their remarkable level of loving detail, much of which would not have been apparent to the audience.

Also striking is how small they are – Anita’s larger-than-life stage persona belied a tiny physique. Some of her costumes are in the museum’s permanent collection, including the iconic “bridal dress” she wore during her final concert series in 2003, before cancer claimed her life twenty years ago at age 40.

Anita’s show follows on from one last year which marked two decades since the tragic passing of her close friend, singer/actor Leslie Cheung. Also commemorated in the museum’s Hong Kong Pop 60+ Gallery is Wong Ka-kui of the group Beyond, sadly killed in a stage accident, whose guitar is on display. And lest it be thought that only prematurely dead musicians are celebrated, so is a guitar from the still very much alive Samuel Hui, who gets deserved recognition as the originator of Cantopop.

Go up one floor to experience the story of another Hong Kong idol. A Man Beyond the Ordinary: Bruce Lee, presented in collaboration with Lee’s family through the Bruce Lee Foundation, tells the story of how Lee, born in the USA but growing up in Hong Kong, achieved global fame as the progenitor of modern martial arts cinema. Though some aspects of Lee’s films have dated badly, his charismatic performances in the fight scenes remain mesmerising – often imitated but never surpassed. Lee’s career is traced through video excerpts, multimedia, and a rich collection of artefacts including family photographs and the classic yellow jumpsuit he wore in Game of Death.

Like Anita Mui, Bruce began as a child performer, rose to dominate – indeed define – his genre, and died far too young. We can only speculate on what more either of them could have achieved had they lived longer. By contrast, another exhibition – A Path to Glory – Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial – pays tribute to an eminent Hongkonger who lived to the ripe old age of 94.

Dr Louis Cha arrived in the territory in 1948 unable to speak Cantonese, but went on to found and edit the Ming Pao newspaper. However, his main claim to fame is “telling good stories” through the fifteen epic wuxia (martial arts) novels he wrote under the name Jin Yong, which have sold over 100 million copies and been repeatedly adapted for film and TV. This has made their characters (some based on historic figures) as familiar to Chinese audiences as Tolkien’s are to westerners.

As Hong Kong’s bestselling author, Cha has a permanent exhibition in the museum. To mark his centenary, the museum is also displaying (in a somewhat labyrinthine layout) 22 stunning larger-than-life steel sculptures by Chinese artist Ren Zhe, depicting memorable characters from Cha’s tales of heroes, chivalry and swordsmanship. A further 10 sculptures are on display at Edinburgh Place in Central (in front of City Hall), under the title “The World of Wuxia,” accompanied by a multimedia installation housed in a Mongolian yurt.

The Heritage Museum has been telling good stories like these about Hong Kong for over 23 years. Its website offers an extensive array of online and in-person talks and events, as well as videos, audiobooks, and other supporting material for its exhibitions. And the museum offers much more to explore, with temporary and permanent exhibitions and events showcasing art and design, Cantonese opera, cinema, Hong Kong culture, and the outstanding collection of Chinese antiques donated by the late Citybus owner Tsui Tsin-tong. It also incorporates a “learning through play” children’s area, café and gift shop.

It was a big shock, then, when in December last year the government abruptly announced its intention to shut down this valuable community asset. The proposal was a convoluted one, which would have seen the popular Science Museum vacate its current East Tsimshatsui premises to give way to a new Museum of National Development, with a replacement expanded Science Museum being constructed on the site of the Heritage Museum.

This ill-conceived scheme would have been a massive own goal on numerous levels, at odds with the government’s declared policy on both financial caution and tourism development. One has to ask: “What were they thinking of?” Fortunately wiser heads prevailed and by March the plan had been called off.

At a time of fiscal restraint, it seemed bizarre to propose to build two major museums and end up with only two, when building just one on a new site would leave Hong Kong with three. Other unanswered questions would have included the fate of the museum’s priceless collections of artworks and cultural artefacts.

It is ironic that, while the new Museum of National Development proclaims its intention to promote Chinese traditional culture, the original plan would have involved the closure of an existing cultural treasure house, in one of the few modern Hong Kong buildings with predominantly Chinese architectural features.

Ironic, also, to wipe out this cultural asset at a time when the Tourism Board and travel industry experts agree that cultural tourism is a key growth area for the future. With mainland visitors increasingly searching for “the real Hong Kong” in the back streets of To Kwa Wan or hiking the scenic trails of our country parks, rather than sticking to the well-trodden tourist path between Disneyland, the Peak, and Ocean Park, the Museum – which already attracts close to half a million visitors a year – could be a valuable draw if properly promoted. These people are seeking authentic local cultural experiences, not manufactured “events” featuring kitsch inflatable hearts (at over-inflated cost).

Furthermore, not only mainland visitors could be attracted. Anita Mui sold out venues overseas, including the famed Hammersmith Odeon, scene of legendary concerts by David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen, and is even the subject of a university course in Canada. Bruce Lee has made Chinese kung fu a global phenomenon, and his films are still viewed all around the world. Jin Yong’s novels have been translated into 14 languages. With proper promotion, major exhibitions such as these could appeal to a worldwide audience.

A great museum brings stories to life – the story of Hong Kong’s journey to becoming one of the world’s leading ports at the Maritime Museum; the story of mankind’s ambition to break free from the bounds of our tiny planet at the Space Museum. Sometimes differing interpretations can precipitate “culture wars” between conflicting narratives – perhaps the most extreme example being the wildly divergent accounts of the Japanese invasion of China at the September 18 Museum in Shenyang, and the contentious Yushukan Museum at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

Such differences led to the government taking action to redress what it saw as colonial bias in the displays at the Hong Kong History Museum, while the Museum of Coastal Defence is scheduled for similar rectification. However, the Heritage Museum is less politically charged; while the three current exhibitions are specific to Hong Kong, they are not exclusive to it, and people all over the nation and beyond can relate to the success stories of these Hong Kong icons.

In a city blessed with many excellent museums, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is often overshadowed by more recently established and centrally located institutions. Nevertheless, we can be thankful that the reprieved museum will continue to “tell good stories about Hong Kong” for years to come.

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Rod Parkes has lived and worked in Hong Kong since 1975. His “portfolio career” has spanned IT, HR, quality management, teaching, brand strategy, and three decades of writing and editing for clients ranging from start-ups to major multinationals, with occasional forays into journalism on the side. He loves Hong Kong, for all its faults.

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