1. Popular culture of Hong Kong in the second half of the 20th century Joylie Chu Prudence Theodora Correia Cherrie Man Janice Yuen

2. Hong Kong was ruled by the British government from 1842 to 1997. Most people in Hong Kong were Chinese, so traditional Chinese culture was prevalent in Hong Kong in the late 19 th and 20 th century although they were gradually influenced by the western cultures and other Asian cultures like Japan. In this project, we will introduce entertainment and food cultures in Hong Kong in the second half of the 20 th century. Introduction

3. Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera. It is also known as “Guangdong Drama”. Most people in Hong Kong were immigrants from Guangdong province, so Cantonese opera was their popular entertainment. Through watching these art performances, they could confirm their cultural identities. Famous opera stars included Yam Kim Fai ( 任劍輝 ), Pak Suet Sin ( 白雪 仙 ) and their most popular operas were “Princess As Flower” ( 帝女花 ), “Purple Hairpin” ( 紫钗记 ) etc. Cantonese opera

4.  Cantonese operas were performed in Theatres like the Lee Theatre( 利舞台 ), Tai Ping Theatre ( 太平戲院 ) and Sunbeam Theatre ( 新光戲院 ). Many people enjoyed Cantonese operas at that time, even on television and radio. Cantonese opera remained a firm favourite with the audience. Cantonese opera

5. The MOVIE industry in Hong Kong developed in the late 19th century. But a movie was very EXPENSIVE before the 1950s... and therefore not very popular among ordinary Hong Kong people who were quite poor then. After 10 years, more local movie companies were formed and increase the film production. Gradually, going to the cinema became CHEAPER and MORE POPULAR in Hong Kong. Movies

6. In the 1950s and 1960s, the main themes in Cantonese Movie reflected the hard lives of Hong Kong people. Hong Kong started to develop some light industries. The living conditions of most people were poor and they worked as workers in factories. These movies proved popular among the people and female factory workers. Famous Cantonese movie stars at that time were Connie Chan ( 陳寶珠 ), Josephine Siu ( 蕭芳芳 ), Patrick Tse ( 謝賢 ). Bowie Wu ( 胡楓 ) etc. Hong Kong people could also watch these movies on television in late 1960s and early 1970s. Although Cantonese movies were very popular at that time, movies in Mandarin were also produced by a well-known film production company called Shaw Brothers （邵氏 ). Famous movie stars included Jimmy Wang （王羽 ） and,Golden Chan （陳鴻烈 ） Movies

7. In late 1960s and 1970s, Bruce Lee was the most famous and well-known kung fu movie star. China was weak in the late Qing Dynasty and Chinese people suffered from humiliation in all sorts of unequal treaties while Lee was a hero who defeated foreign people in the film. This was one of the reasons why most people in Hong Kong loved to watch his films and Bruce Lee was admired by many people, not only in Hong Kong, but also in foreign countries like USA and Japan. After his sudden death, Jackie Chan took his place. Jackie Chan became one of the international film stars afterwards. Movies

8. The development of television industry can be traced back to 1957... Do you know? The first television company in Hong Kong is ATV - Asia Television Limited, instead of TVB! In fact, ATV was used to call RTV: Rediffusion Limited. At that time, only a limited number of people owned a television set at home and people had to pay for TV services, so only some Hong Kong people could enjoy TV programs. Television

9. TVB （ Television Broadcasts Limited ） was founded in 1967. Since then, more people had a TV set and they could enjoy free TV programs at home. Popular TV programs at that time included “Enjoy Yourself Tonight” （歡 樂今宵 ) and TV dramas like A House Is Not A Home （家變 ） etc. Many TV theme songs were so popular among people in Hong Kong like “ 小李飛刀 ” and ” 啼笑姻緣 ”. Popular TV stars include Liza Wang( 汪明荃 ), Chow Yun Fat( 周潤發 ) and they later became international film stars. Television

10. At that time, the ‘pop’ music came from Taiwan. Because of TV theme songs, Cantonese ‘pop’ music became the most popular among Hong Kong People from 1970s to 1990s and even became popular in Southeast Asia and even mainland China. The most famous song composer is Joseph Koo （顧嘉煇 ）, with most of the TV theme songs being composed by him. The lyrics of these Cantonese pop music evolved from Cantonese opera and the themes covered romance and life ethics. Pop Music Joseph Koo （顧嘉煇 ）, the most famous song composer

11. In the 1950s and 1960s, most Hong Kong people were workers with very low income. They had little money to spend and “Dai Pai Dong” food stalls were very popular. This kind of cooked food stalls operated in streets and alleys which provided food and drinks to the common folks at affordable prices. There were places called “Ordinary People’s Nightclub”. The two well-known places of such kind were “Dai Tat Dei” Bazaar in Sheung Wan and Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei where the common folks went for food and leisure. At sunset everyday, cooked food stalls and other stalls started operations in the area until late into the night. People enjoyed various kinds of food such as fried clams, marine snails, Chinese hot pot, sweet soup, grass jelly and noodles. While they were having their food, they could also watch some performances such as Cantonese folk songs or Cantonese opera songs. Food Culture Dai Pai Dong,1950s to1960s Roadside food stalls at “Ordinary People’s Nightclub” 1950s to 1960s

12. Western style restaurants which served western food were very expensive and ordinary people went to “Bing Sut” and tea café (Cha Chaan Teng) in which the food prices were affordable. ”Bing Sut” sold beverages, soft drinks, bread and pastries to ordinary Chinese residents. Tea cafés (Cha Chaan Teng) served both Eastern and Western food and they gradually changed to suit the taste and lifestyle of Hong Kong people. In the tea cafés, set menus for breakfast, lunch, “ordinary meal” and “fast meal” were always available. Today, Cha Chaan Teng reflects the typical food culture of ordinary Hong Kong people. Food Culture Tea café

13. Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong originated from Guangzhou. They served Chinese tea, dim sum, lunch and dinner. It was common for most Chinese families to go to Chinese restaurants for morning tea on Sunday. It is also a place where people hold their wedding banquets in the evening. There were different classes of Chinese restaurants with different target customers, from people with low income to very rich people. Food Culture

14. Due to the economic development of Hong Kong, the lifestyle of Hong Kong people started to change. In the 1970s, American fast food restaurants Kentucky and McDonald opened in Hong Kong serving American food. Later, Hong Kong had its own local fast food restaurants like Café de Coral, Maxim’s, Fairwood which served Chinese food. As mentioned before, ordinary people were not able to afford dining at western restaurants especially in the 1950s to 1970s. Western restaurants were not popular among Hong Kong residents at that time. When Hong Kong’s economy started to develop and hong Kong gradually turned to an international city, restaurants serving different food of Western and Asian countries became more and more popular. In the 1990s, restaurants served Italian food (pizza, spaghetti), Japanese food (sushi) and food of different Chinese provinces (Peking; Szechwan). Food Culture

15. Duty list DutiesPerson(s) in charge Collection of informationJoylie Chu, Prudence TheodoraCorreia Cherrie Man Writing of textPrudence TheodoraCorreia Cherrie Man Janice Yuen IT productionJoylie Chu Janice Yuen