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1
00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,930
We haven't seen each other in 30 years
2
00:00:28,063 --> 00:00:31,279
And a lot has happened in that time.
3
00:00:32,790 --> 00:00:34,519
You studied comparative literature.
4
00:00:34,641 --> 00:00:37,227
- I did comparative literature.
- And philosophy.
5
00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:38,799
He did history.
6
00:00:39,094 --> 00:00:42,211
- And she...
- I did comparative literature.
7
00:00:42,969 --> 00:00:46,329
We started college in 1966.
8
00:00:46,408 --> 00:00:48,961
1965, and I met Ann in 1966,
so it's been 31 years.
9
00:00:49,041 --> 00:00:50,938
30 years, if we start from 1966.
10
00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,018
The Lady Ho Tung Hall
is going to be rebuilt.
11
00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:56,275
She doesn't seem to have
much affection for the campus.
12
00:00:56,369 --> 00:00:57,884
You're still the same.
13
00:00:57,944 --> 00:00:59,682
I haven't been eating much lately.
14
00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:01,635
But you still look pretty good!
15
00:01:01,708 --> 00:01:02,447
- Really?
- Yes!
16
00:01:02,525 --> 00:01:03,565
Got a facelift?
17
00:01:03,643 --> 00:01:04,580
No, I haven't.
18
00:01:04,666 --> 00:01:07,330
I think it's because you have
a good frame of mind.
19
00:01:07,424 --> 00:01:09,679
Did it ever cross your mind,
what she'd do in life?
20
00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:12,002
Or did you think she'd be
unemployed and depressed?
21
00:01:12,096 --> 00:01:15,268
No, no.
We were very existential back then.
22
00:01:15,361 --> 00:01:19,922
We were living day by day,
always thinking about how we'd survive
23
00:01:19,986 --> 00:01:22,086
In a world of pain and suffering.
24
00:01:22,149 --> 00:01:24,028
Someone growing up to be a firefigher -
25
00:01:24,082 --> 00:01:26,559
Who would have cared
about that sort of thing?
26
00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:27,575
No one would have cared.
27
00:01:27,660 --> 00:01:29,037
Emily Heung
Schoolteacher (HKU graduate)
28
00:01:29,092 --> 00:01:33,266
People who graduated in those days
now have many opportunities
29
00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,211
They've chosen to do different things.
30
00:01:35,289 --> 00:01:37,086
It's really the same group of people.
31
00:01:37,157 --> 00:01:39,649
They're no longer all
working for the government.
32
00:01:39,743 --> 00:01:42,086
The development in the past thirty years
33
00:01:42,172 --> 00:01:45,040
Has transformed our
simple environment
34
00:01:45,150 --> 00:01:47,735
Into a complex one.
35
00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,199
I've changed so much since I was 19
36
00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,977
I don't think I can ever go back.
37
00:01:56,079 --> 00:01:58,196
I've changed somewhat since I was 19.
38
00:01:58,282 --> 00:02:00,651
But I don't think I've changed much
since I was 25
39
00:02:00,746 --> 00:02:02,340
Apart from putting on a bit of age.
40
00:02:02,434 --> 00:02:04,438
Michael Luk
College lecturer (HKU graduate)
41
00:02:04,516 --> 00:02:07,093
I've definitely changed a lot
since I was 19.
42
00:02:07,222 --> 00:02:08,789
Changed in what ways?
43
00:02:08,889 --> 00:02:10,764
I'd like to know as well.
44
00:02:11,596 --> 00:02:15,079
You were so Machiavellian.
45
00:02:15,185 --> 00:02:20,505
- No...
- Always telling us we were too naive.
46
00:02:20,607 --> 00:02:22,678
Margaret Ng
Barrister/ Politician (HKU graduate)
47
00:02:22,731 --> 00:02:25,435
- Turning 50 is a rite of passage.
- Why?
48
00:02:25,552 --> 00:02:27,208
You start to think more.
49
00:02:27,294 --> 00:02:29,367
Thoughts come and go like the tide!
50
00:02:29,446 --> 00:02:30,875
Dominic Tsim
Stategy consultant (HKU graduate)
51
00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:32,199
- Really?
- It's true.
52
00:02:32,286 --> 00:02:33,789
I wasn't scared when I turned 40.
53
00:02:33,867 --> 00:02:35,156
I agree.
54
00:02:35,219 --> 00:02:36,789
Crossing the hurdles then
never felt difficult.
55
00:02:36,851 --> 00:02:38,606
I felt very happy when I was 40.
56
00:02:38,710 --> 00:02:41,999
Most people who turn 50 start thinking:
57
00:02:42,287 --> 00:02:45,023
Two-thirds of my life has passed.
58
00:02:45,126 --> 00:02:49,196
I'll need to plan for the future.
59
00:02:49,755 --> 00:02:52,779
That's why it's such
an important juncture.
60
00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:58,319
I personally think if you believe
in the afterlife
61
00:02:58,864 --> 00:03:01,655
You'll need to start preparing for it.
62
00:03:01,749 --> 00:03:04,439
Like avoid commmitting sinful deeds.
63
00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:10,319
Like getting all your friends on camera!
64
00:04:05,513 --> 00:04:08,528
When I started making films,
65
00:04:09,302 --> 00:04:11,333
I thought about Hong Kong...
66
00:04:12,005 --> 00:04:15,403
And my feelings about the place.
67
00:04:16,864 --> 00:04:19,763
I couldn't escape my childhood memories.
68
00:04:20,599 --> 00:04:21,622
And...
69
00:04:22,997 --> 00:04:26,356
When I was on the streets of Macau
as a kid,
70
00:04:26,435 --> 00:04:28,974
The trees cast shadows, clearly outlined
71
00:04:29,060 --> 00:04:32,426
And the buildings all had
classical exteriors.
72
00:04:32,732 --> 00:04:35,794
It felt like they were
splashing down on me.
73
00:04:35,902 --> 00:04:38,052
You can't escape the feeling.
74
00:04:38,145 --> 00:04:40,529
I don't know what to do about it
75
00:04:40,606 --> 00:04:44,310
But I'm constantly trying to
recapture that feeling.
76
00:04:48,494 --> 00:04:54,595
Hong Kong was very calm in 1953.
77
00:04:56,130 --> 00:04:59,168
In my mind, it was full of mirrors.
78
00:04:59,255 --> 00:05:00,755
You've forgotten everything!
79
00:05:00,856 --> 00:05:04,396
I met with my sister
when I went to America.
80
00:05:04,474 --> 00:05:06,316
Everything she could remember,
I couldn't.
81
00:05:06,396 --> 00:05:08,193
And everything I could remember,
she couldn't.
82
00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:09,771
We got it all wrong!
83
00:05:10,723 --> 00:05:14,161
We lived in North Point
when we first came to Hong Kong.
84
00:05:14,254 --> 00:05:17,504
It's somewhere along the coast.
85
00:05:17,676 --> 00:05:22,434
In those days, there weren't that
many buildings on King's Road.
86
00:05:23,833 --> 00:05:26,879
Our apartment blocks by the ferry pier
87
00:05:27,004 --> 00:05:29,566
Were about five stories high.
88
00:05:29,676 --> 00:05:33,558
It was called the "Model Housing Estate"
at the time.
89
00:05:33,668 --> 00:05:34,746
It's still here.
90
00:05:34,855 --> 00:05:38,011
Blocks A, B, C came first.
91
00:05:38,129 --> 00:05:42,918
And in the end there were five blocks,
each five stories high.
92
00:05:45,097 --> 00:05:48,682
A lot of immigrants settled there.
93
00:05:48,806 --> 00:05:52,486
There were around 50 households
in each block.
94
00:05:52,597 --> 00:05:54,901
All of them were small families.
95
00:05:55,002 --> 00:05:58,376
A foyer, a living room,
a bedroom, and a toilet.
96
00:05:58,490 --> 00:06:02,081
It was very crowded,
and everybody knew each other.
97
00:06:26,601 --> 00:06:30,629
Applying for the Estate was like
betting on the races.
98
00:06:30,779 --> 00:06:35,432
You had to fill in a form
and sign your name.
99
00:06:35,583 --> 00:06:38,676
And the rest of the formalities.
100
00:06:38,786 --> 00:06:42,920
You had to report your income
and the number of occupants.
101
00:06:43,045 --> 00:06:47,598
And sometimes, we children...
102
00:06:47,748 --> 00:06:51,250
Would play games there,
Like hide-and-seek.
103
00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,395
There's a tree all of us would climb.
104
00:06:54,497 --> 00:06:57,684
Anyone who climbed to the top
was the winner.
105
00:06:57,770 --> 00:07:00,129
There was something else as well.
106
00:07:00,231 --> 00:07:03,724
The trams were on the road
opposite the Estate
107
00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,904
Every night we'd hear
the sound of the tram.
108
00:07:07,016 --> 00:07:09,789
The sounds would disappear at midnight
109
00:07:09,959 --> 00:07:13,463
And return at 5 or 5:30 in the morning
110
00:07:13,633 --> 00:07:16,177
When we were up studying.
111
00:07:17,273 --> 00:07:20,374
On the other side of the street
112
00:07:20,890 --> 00:07:22,882
Was a popular nightclub.
113
00:07:23,065 --> 00:07:27,895
Rumor had it that Mona Fong
was performing there.
114
00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,959
A lot of luxury cars would
pass by at night.
115
00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:37,839
It was the famous Ritz Nightclub.
116
00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:41,344
We'd go there together.
117
00:07:41,552 --> 00:07:46,858
We observed the buildings
being constructed nearby.
118
00:07:47,067 --> 00:07:52,418
We stayed at the Estate for seven years.
119
00:08:39,971 --> 00:08:41,808
I grew up on Java Road.
120
00:08:41,891 --> 00:08:44,579
- You lived in North Point as well?
- Yes.
121
00:08:44,657 --> 00:08:47,141
What do you remember about North Point?
122
00:08:47,238 --> 00:08:49,301
North Point?
123
00:08:49,503 --> 00:08:52,999
I remember there were
hawkers and food stalls.
124
00:08:53,563 --> 00:08:54,993
Selling fish balls...
125
00:08:55,082 --> 00:08:57,797
- They're still there.
- I know.
126
00:08:59,275 --> 00:09:03,399
I remember the bus terminus
and the ferry pier.
127
00:09:07,008 --> 00:09:10,423
Unlike you, I didn't like
North Point very much.
128
00:09:11,915 --> 00:09:14,813
It's weird, we differ on
a lot of things.
129
00:09:14,913 --> 00:09:17,970
You like using Cantonese Opera
in films.
130
00:09:18,139 --> 00:09:20,897
I find it maddening.
131
00:09:21,056 --> 00:09:24,759
North Point reminds me of
my unhappy childhood.
132
00:09:25,281 --> 00:09:27,336
I was born in Hong Kong.
133
00:09:27,500 --> 00:09:29,196
At home, in fact.
134
00:09:29,427 --> 00:09:31,525
I was born in my own house
135
00:09:31,626 --> 00:09:34,243
In Tai Wai Village
in the New Territories.
136
00:09:34,318 --> 00:09:36,369
- You're from Tai Wai?
- Yes.
137
00:09:36,803 --> 00:09:41,818
I remember the surrounding environment
very well.
138
00:09:41,923 --> 00:09:45,618
Living in the New Territories
where the village houses were,
139
00:09:45,711 --> 00:09:47,368
With gardens and trees.
140
00:09:47,462 --> 00:09:51,923
I used to climb the trees
and roam the fields.
141
00:09:52,138 --> 00:09:57,519
I'd walk up the hill near our home.
142
00:09:57,932 --> 00:10:01,461
Always running around somewhere,
when I was a kid.
143
00:10:01,721 --> 00:10:06,876
Picking fights with other people,
climbing trees, and just being naughty.
144
00:10:15,907 --> 00:10:18,401
I really like Cheung Chau.
145
00:10:19,827 --> 00:10:25,283
About an hour by boat
from Hong Kong Island.
146
00:10:25,575 --> 00:10:26,460
[inaudible]
147
00:10:27,710 --> 00:10:30,718
There are many
Western-style villas here.
148
00:10:31,085 --> 00:10:34,405
On the other side,
there are fishing boats.
149
00:10:34,744 --> 00:10:40,056
Reminiscent of the fishing harbors
of old Hong Kong.
150
00:10:40,814 --> 00:10:43,845
I went to a Christian secondary school.
151
00:10:44,093 --> 00:10:48,271
Back then, church schools were better.
152
00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,142
There were three types of schools:
153
00:10:51,297 --> 00:10:54,162
Private schools, which weren't
very good.
154
00:10:54,263 --> 00:10:57,981
Government-funded schools,
like those run by the church.
155
00:10:58,077 --> 00:10:59,683
They were pretty good.
156
00:10:59,763 --> 00:11:03,145
Then there were government schools,
which were rare.
157
00:11:03,224 --> 00:11:06,350
- I think you were five?
- I was five.
158
00:11:06,512 --> 00:11:09,441
Wait, you weren't five yet.
159
00:11:09,553 --> 00:11:14,077
St. Paul's Convent School had
a minimum age requirement of five.
160
00:11:14,172 --> 00:11:19,511
You were still studying in Shek Kong
when you were four.
161
00:11:20,319 --> 00:11:22,507
My grandma walked me to school.
162
00:11:22,601 --> 00:11:27,890
When I was at school, I had to see
her face in the window, or else I'd cry.
163
00:11:28,491 --> 00:11:31,312
Like I'm in class,
and she's staring at me.
164
00:11:31,396 --> 00:11:32,985
Until class dismissed.
165
00:11:34,157 --> 00:11:39,031
All parents wanted to send their kids
to government-funded schools.
166
00:11:39,108 --> 00:11:41,139
That is, the church schools.
167
00:11:41,275 --> 00:11:45,943
My father studied in Hong Kong,
though his family was in Macau.
168
00:11:46,265 --> 00:11:50,492
And oddly, he never saw a difference
between boys and girls -
169
00:11:50,603 --> 00:11:52,999
Girls had to go to school as well.
170
00:11:53,083 --> 00:11:57,094
He worked hard to get us into
church schools in Hong Kong.
171
00:11:57,256 --> 00:11:59,971
He asked a priest at his alma mater
172
00:12:00,167 --> 00:12:02,562
To refer me to a convent school.
173
00:12:02,712 --> 00:12:06,239
So I spent 13 years at
St. Paul's Convent School.
174
00:12:06,370 --> 00:12:09,169
They required you to become a Catholic
175
00:12:09,371 --> 00:12:10,875
And get baptized.
176
00:12:11,031 --> 00:12:14,742
So, of course, my father sent me
to Sunday School
177
00:12:14,872 --> 00:12:16,631
And got me baptized.
178
00:12:31,832 --> 00:12:35,771
On Kin Hwa Street in North Point
179
00:12:35,928 --> 00:12:38,955
There was a church called
St. Jude's Church.
180
00:12:39,131 --> 00:12:41,813
It was new at the time.
181
00:12:42,067 --> 00:12:47,334
We were going to a Catholic school,
so we had to get baptized.
182
00:12:47,510 --> 00:12:52,015
And to get baptized, you had to
go to church every week.
183
00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:07,941
I have very bitter memories of
my time at school.
184
00:13:08,151 --> 00:13:11,270
I didn't feel like I had
a happy childhood.
185
00:13:13,014 --> 00:13:16,908
- Why bitter?
- I was afraid I couldn't pay for school.
186
00:13:17,161 --> 00:13:20,209
Back then, school wasn't free.
187
00:13:20,398 --> 00:13:24,694
So I had to ask my father for money
at the end of every month.
188
00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:28,431
And my father's financial situation
wasn't good.
189
00:13:28,614 --> 00:13:30,508
And I had many sibllings.
190
00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:34,545
So it was difficult to find money
to pay for school.
191
00:13:35,313 --> 00:13:37,748
Education is very important.
192
00:13:38,933 --> 00:13:44,119
If she could study, I'd do everything
in my power to give her a chance.
193
00:13:44,603 --> 00:13:49,245
My father and my grandfather
had many grand discussions
194
00:13:49,551 --> 00:13:54,539
About whether to send me to
an English language school.
195
00:13:54,832 --> 00:13:59,622
What's funny is, English schools
taught everything in English.
196
00:13:59,896 --> 00:14:03,633
Even math, Chinese people
taught math in English.
197
00:14:03,870 --> 00:14:10,608
And Chinese became a secondary language
in primary school.
198
00:14:12,268 --> 00:14:14,540
Outsiders can't understand this,
199
00:14:14,637 --> 00:14:18,094
Chinese people learning Chinese
as a second language.
200
00:14:18,213 --> 00:14:22,301
There was a big cultural shock.
201
00:14:55,835 --> 00:14:59,683
So we developed a taste for
abstract things
202
00:14:59,891 --> 00:15:02,261
Like wuxia (martial arts) novels
203
00:15:02,437 --> 00:15:06,952
Which transform the entirety of
Chinese culture into a fantasy.
204
00:15:07,411 --> 00:15:09,667
Into something that isn't real.
205
00:15:09,808 --> 00:15:13,964
It's easier to accept something
that definitely isn't real.
206
00:15:14,073 --> 00:15:17,933
Because you wouldn't have to
figure out what was real.
207
00:15:18,029 --> 00:15:22,300
So this might explain why,
beginning with my generation
208
00:15:22,489 --> 00:15:25,725
People had such an affection
for wuxia novels.
209
00:15:26,508 --> 00:15:30,271
I remember starting from grade three
210
00:15:32,283 --> 00:15:34,698
We started reading wuxia novels.
211
00:15:35,446 --> 00:15:38,760
I started reading Jin Yong's novels
when I was 8.
212
00:15:38,846 --> 00:15:41,776
I've read all of them,
down to the last word.
213
00:15:41,859 --> 00:15:44,963
Some of them hadn't yet been
released separately
214
00:15:45,043 --> 00:15:48,846
So my aunt diligently collected
all the newspaper serials.
215
00:15:49,626 --> 00:15:54,010
Liang Yusheng and Jin Yong's
wuxia novels were serialized,
216
00:15:54,211 --> 00:15:58,661
Appearing in the paper every day
with an illustration.
217
00:15:58,784 --> 00:16:01,597
We'd buy the newspaper every night.
218
00:16:01,747 --> 00:16:05,829
Children and adults alike
followed his stories:
219
00:16:05,978 --> 00:16:08,446
The Legend of the Condor Heroes
220
00:16:08,589 --> 00:16:10,347
The Book and the Sword
221
00:16:10,516 --> 00:16:14,240
Every day at school, during the recess
222
00:16:14,403 --> 00:16:18,231
We'd passionately discuss
the characters,
223
00:16:18,413 --> 00:16:21,616
Their fates, their love interests.
224
00:16:22,704 --> 00:16:27,302
Children were particularly influenced
by Jin Yong's novels.
225
00:16:27,458 --> 00:16:32,328
Children love stories, and Jin Yong's
were incredibly romantic.
226
00:16:32,500 --> 00:16:34,668
He wrote about human emotions
227
00:16:34,843 --> 00:16:39,144
And how heroes should behave,
the nature of moral character
228
00:16:39,313 --> 00:16:41,872
And how to properly conduct oneself.
229
00:16:42,015 --> 00:16:45,253
So I had a great yearning
for Chinese culture
230
00:16:45,435 --> 00:16:48,566
And the Chinese moral spirit
in particular.
231
00:16:48,753 --> 00:16:52,421
These novels exemplify Jin Yong's
style of writing -
232
00:16:52,637 --> 00:16:56,133
His use of the wuxia medium
to preserve
233
00:16:56,315 --> 00:17:01,654
What he believed to be most fundamental
to Chinese culture.
234
00:17:02,939 --> 00:17:07,080
I started reading the newspaper
when I was in grade three.
235
00:17:07,183 --> 00:17:09,966
An evening paper my mother took home.
236
00:17:10,123 --> 00:17:13,053
Since then, I've loved
reading newspapers.
237
00:17:13,190 --> 00:17:14,240
Even the ads.
238
00:17:14,462 --> 00:17:17,632
I browse the paper for short stories
239
00:17:18,361 --> 00:17:21,245
And world news.
240
00:17:22,821 --> 00:17:25,451
Hong Kong was very peculiar at the time.
241
00:17:25,594 --> 00:17:29,572
It was the 50s, shortly after
the Communists took over.
242
00:17:29,730 --> 00:17:33,884
The camps were clearly defined,
"leftists" and "rightists".
243
00:17:34,385 --> 00:17:39,320
"Right" meant Taiwan's Kuomintang
and "left" meant Mainland China.
244
00:17:39,483 --> 00:17:44,613
Since we were kids, we didn't know
which paper represented which camp.
245
00:17:45,075 --> 00:17:47,159
It was all very confusing.
246
00:17:47,341 --> 00:17:51,534
The same incident could be reported
very differently.
247
00:17:52,530 --> 00:17:54,894
And this prompted us to think...
248
00:17:56,202 --> 00:17:57,670
How do I put it?
249
00:17:58,194 --> 00:18:02,460
A kind of reality,
where we distrusted everything.
250
00:18:02,649 --> 00:18:06,588
Always thinking:
who was telling the truth?
251
00:18:07,496 --> 00:18:10,803
"10,000-odd people protest in Taipei"
252
00:18:10,946 --> 00:18:18,889
"Taiwan comrades expand
their anti-American riots"
253
00:18:19,058 --> 00:18:22,242
"Taipei under martial law"
254
00:18:23,104 --> 00:18:26,334
I kind of think many people
in our generation
255
00:18:26,524 --> 00:18:28,405
Including myself...
256
00:18:29,317 --> 00:18:34,095
Have done many good things,
have worked diligently
257
00:18:34,342 --> 00:18:36,159
With an improper motive.
258
00:18:36,986 --> 00:18:40,111
For a sense of pride and
a need to compensate
259
00:18:40,194 --> 00:18:42,225
For a feeling of inadequacy.
260
00:18:42,597 --> 00:18:46,053
I also kind of think this
feeling of inadequacy
261
00:18:46,196 --> 00:18:49,438
Stems from our identity
as children of a colony.
262
00:18:49,554 --> 00:18:55,595
You feel ashamed for not knowing enough
about the motherland
263
00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:59,035
But if you don't adapt to
the colonial culture
264
00:18:59,178 --> 00:19:02,694
And keep up with the times,
you can't survive.
265
00:19:02,876 --> 00:19:05,324
It becomes a painful balance.
266
00:19:05,493 --> 00:19:10,181
But the pain also breeds
a sense of identity:
267
00:19:10,689 --> 00:19:13,801
Your own sense of where you belong
268
00:19:13,951 --> 00:19:17,657
And your ability to balance
the deficiencies.
269
00:19:17,930 --> 00:19:22,331
Which is why I think
the colonial experience
270
00:19:22,475 --> 00:19:24,435
Is like a feeling.
271
00:19:25,215 --> 00:19:28,951
There's an indescribable
sense of nostalgia.
272
00:19:29,583 --> 00:19:31,646
Perhaps it's not right.
273
00:19:33,169 --> 00:19:36,529
But you can't not have this feeling.
274
00:19:58,982 --> 00:20:02,771
This is a Hong Kong-style cafe.
275
00:20:04,210 --> 00:20:06,664
It's very noisy, as you can hear.
276
00:20:08,532 --> 00:20:12,601
But I find my inner peace
when I'm in a cafe.
277
00:20:13,108 --> 00:20:16,130
I often work on screenplays here.
278
00:20:16,761 --> 00:20:18,063
I have no idea why.
279
00:20:18,422 --> 00:20:23,887
Last time, I brought Wang Shaudi
(a Taiwanese director) with me.
280
00:20:24,174 --> 00:20:25,723
He couldn't bear it.
281
00:20:55,114 --> 00:20:58,125
Under the nuns' instruction,
282
00:20:59,737 --> 00:21:02,992
I completely assimilated
into school life.
283
00:21:04,275 --> 00:21:06,139
I was always praying
284
00:21:06,315 --> 00:21:11,679
And I joined religious activities
at the school in grade 8.
285
00:21:11,871 --> 00:21:15,039
There were two types of
religious activities.
286
00:21:15,164 --> 00:21:19,166
There was missionary work,
spreading the word.
287
00:21:19,562 --> 00:21:22,796
And something which didn't exist
at the time,
288
00:21:22,953 --> 00:21:25,019
A form of "social work".
289
00:21:25,234 --> 00:21:29,192
We were mostly showing people
that we were there for them.
290
00:21:29,322 --> 00:21:31,589
It wasn't always about religion.
291
00:21:32,076 --> 00:21:33,307
[inaudible]
292
00:21:34,187 --> 00:21:37,682
I found it particularly meaningful -
293
00:21:38,178 --> 00:21:41,836
Participating in social activities.
294
00:21:42,513 --> 00:21:45,456
At the time, there was an organization -
295
00:21:45,651 --> 00:21:47,872
The "Legion of Mary".
296
00:21:51,181 --> 00:21:55,985
Those activities were quite tough,
we had to visit hospital patients.
297
00:21:56,181 --> 00:21:59,412
I most vividly remember
visiting the children
298
00:21:59,549 --> 00:22:02,197
Living in wooden shacks in the slums.
299
00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:10,317
This was the late 50s and early 60s.
300
00:22:10,526 --> 00:22:14,933
The slums were very miserable
and no one cared about them.
301
00:22:15,493 --> 00:22:18,502
Talking with these people every week,
302
00:22:18,697 --> 00:22:22,740
We realized some things were
beyond our life experience.
303
00:22:22,961 --> 00:22:26,529
Visiting the slums left
a deep impression on me.
304
00:22:26,698 --> 00:22:31,297
Later on, when I entered
the political arena
305
00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:35,319
These experiences became
very instructive.
306
00:22:36,487 --> 00:22:40,622
- I once played Hamlet at school.
- You played Hamlet?
307
00:22:42,795 --> 00:22:46,259
- I wore a pair of boots.
- A woman disguised as a man!
308
00:22:46,352 --> 00:22:49,133
- I didn't know about this either!
- You didn't?
309
00:22:49,203 --> 00:22:50,459
So what did you play?
310
00:22:50,550 --> 00:22:54,759
- She played Ophelia.
- I wore a pair of pajamas!
311
00:22:55,605 --> 00:23:00,442
The choir took up most of my time,
starting in grade 8.
312
00:23:00,657 --> 00:23:03,932
The choir at St. Paul's
was very active.
313
00:23:04,103 --> 00:23:07,345
I spent a lot of time there,
after joining it.
314
00:23:07,508 --> 00:23:11,102
A lot of my school memories
involve the choir.
315
00:23:24,526 --> 00:23:27,990
When I first started school in grade 7
316
00:23:28,211 --> 00:23:31,304
The experience was
incredibly humiliating.
317
00:23:31,479 --> 00:23:35,399
All of the sudden, you couldn't
say or understand a thing.
318
00:23:35,728 --> 00:23:38,495
By the time we were
in secondary school,
319
00:23:38,638 --> 00:23:41,880
Our Chinese was very sophisticated
and elegant.
320
00:23:42,180 --> 00:23:45,503
I remember publishing articles
when I was 11
321
00:23:45,672 --> 00:23:48,287
And writing novels as a layman.
322
00:23:48,517 --> 00:23:52,651
Yet we spoke English like a 3-year-old.
323
00:23:52,925 --> 00:23:54,292
It felt terrible.
324
00:23:54,533 --> 00:23:56,639
The contrast was very stark.
325
00:23:57,967 --> 00:24:00,105
She's been incredibly unlucky.
326
00:24:00,281 --> 00:24:04,389
When she could finally speak Cantonese,
she moved to the US.
327
00:24:04,565 --> 00:24:06,596
Then she had to learn English.
328
00:24:06,752 --> 00:24:10,581
Now when I take her to China,
she has to speak Mandarin.
329
00:24:12,737 --> 00:24:16,347
No matter how much she studies,
she can never keep up.
330
00:24:17,024 --> 00:24:25,286
I never saw an education in English
as a colonial thing.
331
00:24:25,795 --> 00:24:30,044
For me, learning English meant
being able to read more books.
332
00:24:31,426 --> 00:24:35,212
If you can't read English,
there are plenty of Chinese books.
333
00:24:35,344 --> 00:24:38,229
That was how people
thought of it at the time.
334
00:24:38,981 --> 00:24:42,674
I didn't read a lot of
traditional Chinese novels.
335
00:24:43,046 --> 00:24:46,448
I read Journey to the West
when I was 12.
336
00:24:47,877 --> 00:24:51,724
And Dream of the Red Chamber
at about the same time.
337
00:24:52,264 --> 00:24:53,610
I liked them both.
338
00:24:53,971 --> 00:24:58,231
In secondary school, we were reading
The Chinese Student Weekly.
339
00:24:58,798 --> 00:25:01,501
Back when we were in grade 9 or 10
340
00:25:01,910 --> 00:25:06,009
The Chinese Student Weekly
was food for the soul.
341
00:25:06,952 --> 00:25:10,161
The people worked on the paper
at the time:
342
00:25:12,114 --> 00:25:16,526
Lu Li, her husband Sek Kei, and Law Kar.
343
00:25:17,223 --> 00:25:20,246
They were our cultural heroes.
344
00:25:20,913 --> 00:25:25,300
Secondary school students
had to read The Weekly.
345
00:25:25,750 --> 00:25:28,052
Especially the Movies section.
346
00:25:28,827 --> 00:25:31,147
It covered many European films.
347
00:25:31,561 --> 00:25:36,681
The Weekly also had many...
348
00:25:37,187 --> 00:25:40,161
Patriotic pieces.
349
00:25:41,327 --> 00:25:46,579
We called our flavor of patriotism
the "Faction of Mountains and Rivers".
350
00:25:46,844 --> 00:25:49,680
When Nansun Shi first
went to China
351
00:25:49,908 --> 00:25:53,088
About 20 years ago
during the reform period
352
00:25:53,261 --> 00:25:57,197
She welled up at the sight of
China's natural beauty.
353
00:26:00,071 --> 00:26:03,015
Did you ever wear
a Chinese robe in college?
354
00:26:03,154 --> 00:26:07,148
- Yes, legend has it he did.
- Yes, and Luk did as well!
355
00:26:07,358 --> 00:26:09,942
- Nope, I didn't.
- Yes, you did.
356
00:26:10,116 --> 00:26:14,624
- You put on you father's gown.
- But I didn't wear it to school.
357
00:26:14,798 --> 00:26:15,862
It didn't fit.
358
00:26:16,030 --> 00:26:19,984
- But I've seen you in them.
- I wore it in the hostel.
359
00:26:20,165 --> 00:26:21,685
Doesn't that count?
360
00:26:21,847 --> 00:26:25,451
- Hostel is a part of college.
- Fine, I admit it!
361
00:26:26,827 --> 00:26:28,221
And the scarf too.
362
00:26:28,348 --> 00:26:30,665
I've seen it too, the red scarf.
363
00:26:30,809 --> 00:26:34,385
That's what people did during
the May Fourth Movement.
364
00:26:45,089 --> 00:26:47,222
From 1960 to the 1967 riots
365
00:26:47,385 --> 00:26:51,916
We never thought much about
the government and other things.
366
00:26:52,369 --> 00:26:54,160
We did read the papers.
367
00:26:55,320 --> 00:27:00,134
But we didn't really start caring
until the 1967 riots.
368
00:27:00,380 --> 00:27:02,116
You're being ridiculous.
369
00:27:02,255 --> 00:27:04,550
How can I not have heard of Liu Shaoqi
370
00:27:04,701 --> 00:27:07,435
After he was purged in
the Cultural Revolution?
371
00:27:07,591 --> 00:27:11,821
But weren't you studying
English literature at the time?
372
00:27:11,989 --> 00:27:14,651
How would you know about Liu Shaoqi?
373
00:27:14,838 --> 00:27:20,925
- We studied in a convent school.
- See, that's "colonial education".
374
00:27:21,393 --> 00:27:24,326
Exactly, so how did you know about it?
375
00:27:25,552 --> 00:27:29,199
Maybe I have stronger Chinese roots
than you.
376
00:27:29,609 --> 00:27:34,506
- You must be kidding me.
- Your background was less "colonial"?!
377
00:27:34,824 --> 00:27:39,475
When I was 16, I wasn't sure
how I felt about my mother.
378
00:27:41,544 --> 00:27:43,160
It was complicated.
379
00:27:44,729 --> 00:27:47,559
I didn't really know
how she saw things.
380
00:27:47,698 --> 00:27:49,137
We didn't talk much.
381
00:27:49,269 --> 00:27:52,713
As a kid, I thought she was
very mean and strict.
382
00:27:52,851 --> 00:27:56,689
After I grew up, I felt like
her Chinese wasn't very good.
383
00:27:56,820 --> 00:27:59,947
And her living habits were
different from ours.
384
00:28:00,069 --> 00:28:03,744
There was a lot of
anti-Japanese sentiment at the time
385
00:28:03,875 --> 00:28:08,088
But my mother often expressed
positive opinions of the Japanese.
386
00:28:08,215 --> 00:28:11,382
It was only when I was 16
that I learned she was Japanese.
387
00:28:11,532 --> 00:28:15,781
At the time, neither side accepted me.
388
00:28:16,755 --> 00:28:17,861
Why not?
389
00:28:18,370 --> 00:28:22,523
The Japanese didn't accept me
because I married a Chinese.
390
00:28:22,691 --> 00:28:26,627
So we were going to stay here
after we got married.
391
00:28:27,606 --> 00:28:32,503
And when I came here, I couldn't
tell anyone that I was Japanese.
392
00:28:32,658 --> 00:28:35,176
It wouldn't have done anything good.
393
00:28:35,345 --> 00:28:37,406
So what can I say?
394
00:28:38,007 --> 00:28:40,423
Neither side accepted me.
395
00:28:41,095 --> 00:28:44,466
In the context of my own
personal experience,
396
00:28:44,630 --> 00:28:48,031
These two events really affected
my worldview.
397
00:28:48,186 --> 00:28:53,386
My sense of absolute agreement and
identification with certain ideas -
398
00:28:53,536 --> 00:28:56,817
I thoroughly discarded all of that.
399
00:29:01,999 --> 00:29:05,623
There was a rift between reality
and what we were taught.
400
00:29:05,743 --> 00:29:09,992
Our schools taught us about old customs
and the Christian life
401
00:29:10,166 --> 00:29:13,591
And foreign languages and ideas
402
00:29:14,097 --> 00:29:16,696
Which were all divorced from reality.
403
00:29:16,835 --> 00:29:19,887
We still watched films,
visited tea houses
404
00:29:20,050 --> 00:29:24,522
And did what normal people
did in Hong Kong.
405
00:29:37,515 --> 00:29:41,727
That rift must fall apart
at some point.
406
00:29:42,797 --> 00:29:45,140
At least it fell apart for me.
407
00:29:45,369 --> 00:29:48,530
[inaudible]
408
00:29:49,646 --> 00:29:53,611
I spent most of my childhood,
my happiest memories
409
00:29:53,738 --> 00:29:56,748
In the theater, watching films.
410
00:29:57,061 --> 00:29:59,561
Because I could escape the real world.
411
00:29:59,700 --> 00:30:01,448
Why do I love musicals?
412
00:30:01,893 --> 00:30:07,506
Musicals let you into their world
413
00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:09,119
For two hours.
414
00:30:09,735 --> 00:30:16,484
There's singing, dancing, romance,
and they're usually comedies.
415
00:30:16,899 --> 00:30:19,133
They usually have happy endings.
416
00:30:19,278 --> 00:30:23,805
It's a very fulfilling world,
completely different from real life.
417
00:30:24,717 --> 00:30:27,395
Now that I remember everything...
418
00:30:27,531 --> 00:30:30,516
Whenever I felt gloomy
in my school years
419
00:30:30,609 --> 00:30:32,281
I thought about college
420
00:30:32,399 --> 00:30:35,117
When I wouldn't have
to bother anymore.
421
00:30:35,651 --> 00:30:38,356
I didn't know if I could go to college.
422
00:30:39,018 --> 00:30:41,566
The problem was money, not grades.
423
00:30:41,734 --> 00:30:46,085
But my grades were enough
to get me a scholarship, so I went.
424
00:30:49,335 --> 00:30:52,213
Why don't I talk about college life?
425
00:30:55,603 --> 00:30:57,928
I was very sad in my first year.
426
00:31:00,038 --> 00:31:01,312
I don't know why.
427
00:31:02,754 --> 00:31:08,638
I wanted to work on my English.
428
00:31:09,232 --> 00:31:11,979
So I didn't study anything in Chinese.
429
00:31:12,087 --> 00:31:14,461
I only did literature in English.
430
00:31:14,581 --> 00:31:18,998
It was comparative literature,
which was mainly translated work.
431
00:31:19,455 --> 00:31:23,001
The literature course followed
the British system.
432
00:31:23,133 --> 00:31:29,575
You were required to attend
10-11 classes every week
433
00:31:32,690 --> 00:31:40,085
Where the lecturer would go through
certain books and poems.
434
00:31:40,308 --> 00:31:45,316
After that, you had to go to
the tutor's room for a tutorial
435
00:31:45,730 --> 00:31:50,331
Where you studied the text
with the tutor.
436
00:31:50,538 --> 00:31:55,087
There was a lot of free discussion.
437
00:32:14,900 --> 00:32:18,677
The people we met at the
University of Hong Kong
438
00:32:18,821 --> 00:32:23,507
Were all either playboys, or debutantes
looking for husbands.
439
00:32:23,609 --> 00:32:27,742
And folks like us who cared about
the country, the people
440
00:32:27,843 --> 00:32:29,656
Our mission, our culture
441
00:32:29,742 --> 00:32:32,163
How could we not scorn them?
442
00:32:32,599 --> 00:32:37,745
Our college dorm was
the product of charity.
443
00:32:38,183 --> 00:32:42,501
It was funded by
Robert Hotung's donations.
444
00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:47,823
College life was very peculiar.
445
00:32:49,716 --> 00:32:54,969
Two people shared a room
in their freshman year.
446
00:32:55,527 --> 00:32:58,261
Then you had a room to yourself
447
00:32:58,363 --> 00:33:01,035
In your sophomore and senior years.
448
00:33:01,217 --> 00:33:02,433
I hated it.
449
00:33:02,558 --> 00:33:05,668
I thought it was all very disappointing
450
00:33:05,801 --> 00:33:08,449
100 women living together.
451
00:33:08,574 --> 00:33:12,188
We thought the women there
were all very shallow.
452
00:33:12,375 --> 00:33:13,715
We despised them.
453
00:33:13,899 --> 00:33:17,198
- Nice of you to admit it!
- Didn't like them.
454
00:33:17,538 --> 00:33:23,393
After living there for a year,
it was even more of a disappointment.
455
00:33:23,972 --> 00:33:26,139
You may have already forgotten
456
00:33:26,265 --> 00:33:29,168
- We shared the same room.
- I remember.
457
00:33:29,282 --> 00:33:32,381
I most vividly remember
the meals we had
458
00:33:32,507 --> 00:33:36,141
With those princesses
with delusions of grandeur.
459
00:33:36,258 --> 00:33:39,704
- Is that so?
- The dining table was very large
460
00:33:39,813 --> 00:33:43,528
But the plates were amusingly small.
461
00:33:43,685 --> 00:33:47,477
When a plate was out of reach
for someone at the table
462
00:33:47,675 --> 00:33:50,554
I remember you passed them the plate
463
00:33:50,716 --> 00:33:52,946
So they could help themselves.
464
00:33:53,325 --> 00:33:56,732
And right away, a senior scoffed:
465
00:33:57,141 --> 00:34:01,441
We don't pass food here
at the Ho Tung Hall.
466
00:34:01,597 --> 00:34:03,045
- I don't remember.
- No?
467
00:34:03,141 --> 00:34:05,487
My blood immediately boiled.
468
00:34:05,619 --> 00:34:08,431
- And you stomped off.
- And I stomped off.
469
00:34:08,546 --> 00:34:11,954
How can you bear to live
with someone like this?
470
00:34:13,211 --> 00:34:17,057
An aristocratic college
with aristocratic students.
471
00:34:19,029 --> 00:34:23,380
The British taught you
how to speak English.
472
00:34:23,501 --> 00:34:27,123
But they also exposed you
to their way of life...
473
00:34:28,763 --> 00:34:31,200
Like rituals and ceremonies.
474
00:34:31,345 --> 00:34:37,282
Every month, or every 2-3 months,
there was a High Table Dinner.
475
00:34:37,511 --> 00:34:41,328
Everybody put on a green gown
and ate terrible food
476
00:34:41,502 --> 00:34:45,126
While one or two guests of honor
delivered a sermon.
477
00:34:45,295 --> 00:34:47,806
Then we had to greet people.
478
00:34:47,987 --> 00:34:51,514
Sometimes there were drama shows
479
00:34:51,923 --> 00:34:56,905
And student exchanges between halls.
480
00:34:57,645 --> 00:34:59,844
It didn't feel very authentic.
481
00:35:00,444 --> 00:35:05,001
Then there's the hazing
and all the pretension.
482
00:35:05,295 --> 00:35:08,559
Who are you to treat people that way?
483
00:35:08,997 --> 00:35:13,630
We don't have this culture of hazing.
484
00:35:13,900 --> 00:35:18,438
I think it's incredibly
rude and immoral.
485
00:35:18,636 --> 00:35:21,929
Didn't you leave Ho Tung
in your second year?
486
00:35:22,044 --> 00:35:24,075
No, I was still there.
487
00:35:24,213 --> 00:35:26,256
- Left in your third year?
- Yes.
488
00:35:26,345 --> 00:35:27,289
Hmm.
489
00:35:27,386 --> 00:35:31,721
- Weren't you organizing rallies?
- Oh, there wasn't much activity.
490
00:35:31,823 --> 00:35:35,885
I wasn't actually the one organizing
the student movement.
491
00:35:36,009 --> 00:35:38,289
I just joined the ones who were.
492
00:35:38,872 --> 00:35:44,942
They were always visiting the snack bar,
so what's not to like?
493
00:35:45,086 --> 00:35:48,625
- She was one of our groupies.
- That's right.
494
00:35:48,742 --> 00:35:52,547
I mostly listened to them
maunder on about politics
495
00:35:52,632 --> 00:35:57,109
While I provided silent moral support
behind my trusty teapot.
496
00:35:57,367 --> 00:36:01,093
Why did I spend my time with them
in my college days?
497
00:36:01,187 --> 00:36:05,472
It was a small circle of people,
mainly the contributors to
498
00:36:05,622 --> 00:36:09,120
Undergrad, the Student Union paper.
499
00:36:09,666 --> 00:36:12,731
Unlike me, they were less interested in
500
00:36:12,888 --> 00:36:19,216
Literature, culture, morals, theories,
that sort of thing.
501
00:36:19,432 --> 00:36:22,581
They focused on politics and society -
502
00:36:22,688 --> 00:36:25,441
Socialism and how to improve society.
503
00:36:25,567 --> 00:36:31,144
In the beginning, it remained within
the confines of the college campus.
504
00:36:31,390 --> 00:36:35,152
It was only after 1967,
the year of the riots
505
00:36:35,332 --> 00:36:40,014
That it became a genuine
political student movement.
506
00:36:40,332 --> 00:36:44,254
The riots of 1967 were
somewhat related to
507
00:36:44,434 --> 00:36:47,283
The Cultural Revolution in China.
508
00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,155
Even now, not much has been written
509
00:36:50,263 --> 00:36:52,072
About that time in history
510
00:36:52,174 --> 00:36:54,464
To tell the truth of what happened.
511
00:36:54,584 --> 00:36:57,919
The riots lasted for a long time
in Hong Kong.
512
00:36:58,033 --> 00:37:02,384
It couldn't be quickly resolved
like the events of 1966.
513
00:37:02,703 --> 00:37:07,433
And the methods were more radical
514
00:37:07,577 --> 00:37:12,519
There were bombs, both real and fake.
515
00:37:13,086 --> 00:37:18,814
People were injured,
some were victims of bombings.
516
00:37:19,173 --> 00:37:23,939
Some protesters were
beaten by the police.
517
00:37:24,697 --> 00:37:29,199
It started in the May of 1967.
518
00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:32,999
And lasted until October that year.
519
00:37:43,615 --> 00:37:47,863
I was completely oblivious to
local affairs at the time
520
00:37:49,263 --> 00:37:52,465
Except for that one time,
the riots of 1967.
521
00:37:54,012 --> 00:37:55,604
I wasn't interested.
522
00:37:55,748 --> 00:37:59,306
Sometimes I'd watch the news
with other students.
523
00:37:59,468 --> 00:38:02,220
There were bombs and other things.
524
00:38:02,389 --> 00:38:04,630
Then one day we had an exam.
525
00:38:04,823 --> 00:38:09,438
It was my first year,
the exam was on aesthetics.
526
00:38:11,289 --> 00:38:13,074
At 3 or 4 in the afternoon
527
00:38:13,212 --> 00:38:15,622
I'd only just finished a question.
528
00:38:15,754 --> 00:38:19,606
They suddenly announced that
a curfew had been imposed.
529
00:38:19,738 --> 00:38:22,791
The exam was cancelled
and we could go home.
530
00:38:44,276 --> 00:38:47,280
[Chinese national anthem]
531
00:38:54,170 --> 00:38:56,439
That's when the student movement began.
532
00:38:56,565 --> 00:39:00,363
- You started it Tsim, remember?
- Oh, come on.
533
00:39:00,748 --> 00:39:03,404
I don't mean you alone started it all.
534
00:39:03,523 --> 00:39:06,232
- I mean...
- It started in your time.
535
00:39:06,346 --> 00:39:08,534
- Because of the riots.
- Yes.
536
00:39:08,725 --> 00:39:13,190
At the time, I was
President of the Student Union.
537
00:39:13,695 --> 00:39:16,964
Faced with such a critical
social crisis
538
00:39:17,523 --> 00:39:19,897
We had to take a stand.
539
00:39:20,366 --> 00:39:24,554
We opposed the use of violent methods
540
00:39:25,432 --> 00:39:28,519
To resolve what began
as a labor dispute
541
00:39:28,634 --> 00:39:31,597
But which later morphed
into a political one.
542
00:39:31,699 --> 00:39:34,272
It wasn't just the HKU Student Union.
543
00:39:34,392 --> 00:39:38,028
There was also the Hong Kong
Federation of Students,
544
00:39:38,142 --> 00:39:43,286
The brainchild of Andrew Wong,
now President of the Legislative Council.
545
00:39:43,413 --> 00:39:47,636
Several students' unions got together
to issue a statement.
546
00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:49,427
This was their first.
547
00:39:49,544 --> 00:39:53,563
It affirmed their support for
the law and social order.
548
00:39:53,979 --> 00:39:56,510
Our position was very clear.
549
00:39:56,986 --> 00:39:59,913
Many different branches of
civil society
550
00:40:00,175 --> 00:40:02,050
Took the same stance.
551
00:40:02,237 --> 00:40:04,208
Many people supported this.
552
00:40:04,622 --> 00:40:07,862
Stop using bombs and
other violent tactics for
553
00:40:08,162 --> 00:40:11,519
Labor disputes which could be
settled normally.
554
00:40:11,984 --> 00:40:15,209
Because we were criticizing
the "leftists"
555
00:40:15,432 --> 00:40:19,032
And accusing them of
wreaking havoc on Hong Kong
556
00:40:19,278 --> 00:40:24,023
The student leaders - Andrew Wong,
Dominic Tsim, Bernard Luk
557
00:40:24,275 --> 00:40:27,118
Became targets of the leftists.
558
00:40:27,316 --> 00:40:31,312
Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao
frequently published
559
00:40:31,589 --> 00:40:36,499
Anonymous articles attacking
and threatening them.
560
00:40:36,721 --> 00:40:41,967
I remember sarcastically calling Tsim
"Dominic X Tsim"
561
00:40:42,136 --> 00:40:48,302
Putting crosses in the names of
all the student leaders.
562
00:40:48,536 --> 00:40:50,264
I received some letters...
563
00:40:50,583 --> 00:40:54,218
I can't remember how they were written
564
00:40:54,362 --> 00:40:56,946
But they disagreed with our position.
565
00:40:57,088 --> 00:40:59,726
They were slightly threatening
566
00:41:00,441 --> 00:41:02,755
But it was never put into action.
567
00:41:03,199 --> 00:41:06,330
No? I heard you were being followed.
568
00:41:06,984 --> 00:41:09,632
Maybe, but I wasn't aware of it.
569
00:41:09,786 --> 00:41:13,578
HKU had its own Struggle Committee
at the time.
570
00:41:13,741 --> 00:41:15,814
- Hmm.
- And they were fierce.
571
00:41:15,922 --> 00:41:19,738
Looking out the window of
the Student Union Building
572
00:41:19,858 --> 00:41:22,166
You could see the Loke Yew Hall.
573
00:41:22,316 --> 00:41:25,507
One morning, a long red cloth
hung from there.
574
00:41:25,624 --> 00:41:28,593
I can't remember the exact wording
575
00:41:28,737 --> 00:41:32,519
But it was heavily critical
of colonial culture.
576
00:41:32,803 --> 00:41:35,063
But when you mention the riots,
577
00:41:35,183 --> 00:41:37,326
It's almost like another world.
578
00:41:37,470 --> 00:41:42,626
Students at the time, even Tsim,
were preoccupied with things like
579
00:41:43,243 --> 00:41:47,079
Should the Literature Society
hold a barn dance?
580
00:41:47,285 --> 00:41:51,300
What are we going to do
if no one attends the barn dance?
581
00:41:51,398 --> 00:41:53,640
That was the ultimate question!
582
00:42:23,128 --> 00:42:26,824
Remember when you said there were ghosts
in Robert Black College?
583
00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:28,049
- Yeah.
- Robert Black?
584
00:42:28,146 --> 00:42:29,239
[inaudible]
585
00:42:29,324 --> 00:42:32,848
- Oh, that time.
- You were in that room.
586
00:42:33,060 --> 00:42:35,367
Your room had a ghost, mine didn't!
587
00:42:35,480 --> 00:42:37,935
You were in the room next to us.
588
00:42:38,085 --> 00:42:41,155
I kept on hearing sounds in your room.
589
00:42:41,275 --> 00:42:43,869
You came to find me one night.
590
00:42:43,959 --> 00:42:46,645
- Or was it Emily? I'm not sure.
- She left.
591
00:42:46,742 --> 00:42:47,691
She asked me:
592
00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:50,035
- "Ann, you know what happened?"
- No.
593
00:42:50,113 --> 00:42:51,531
"Why don't you come over?"
594
00:42:51,615 --> 00:42:52,265
Remember?
595
00:42:52,354 --> 00:42:54,915
- Go on.
- And she...
596
00:42:56,243 --> 00:42:58,178
Closed the window.
597
00:42:58,286 --> 00:43:00,919
Right then, you could hear someone
crying upstairs.
598
00:43:00,984 --> 00:43:02,895
- Ah, I remember.
- The cries stopped...
599
00:43:03,022 --> 00:43:04,722
Once you closed the window.
600
00:43:04,829 --> 00:43:07,639
So we leaned outside
to see what was going on.
601
00:43:07,720 --> 00:43:09,279
Upstairs was an Australian couple.
602
00:43:09,355 --> 00:43:12,654
- They were postgraduates.
- And they were very young.
603
00:43:12,787 --> 00:43:15,352
They were in the suite?
604
00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:16,921
The lights were off.
605
00:43:17,018 --> 00:43:18,772
We were told the couple went out.
606
00:43:18,868 --> 00:43:21,825
We checked again, and I forgot
what happened after that.
607
00:43:21,927 --> 00:43:24,836
We went up, but didn't hear anything.
608
00:43:24,926 --> 00:43:26,608
But don't you remember?
609
00:43:26,699 --> 00:43:29,055
When you woke up from
an afternoon nap
610
00:43:29,114 --> 00:43:31,230
There was a samurai standing there.
611
00:43:31,302 --> 00:43:34,866
- I thought it was midnight?
- You actually saw it?
612
00:43:34,962 --> 00:43:38,183
- Standing at the door.
- In full armor.
613
00:43:39,157 --> 00:43:40,845
Then it must be real!
614
00:43:44,193 --> 00:43:46,428
I think Robert Black is haunted.
615
00:43:46,548 --> 00:43:49,770
To be honest, and
I'm not being serious
616
00:43:49,890 --> 00:43:52,204
But I think it looks weird.
617
00:43:53,040 --> 00:43:56,182
The dissertation was
the toughest part
618
00:43:56,314 --> 00:43:58,706
Of the Master's degree.
619
00:43:59,307 --> 00:44:01,404
That was the beginning of
620
00:44:02,654 --> 00:44:05,040
The most boring part of my life.
621
00:44:05,979 --> 00:44:08,881
That year, every possible bad thing
622
00:44:09,037 --> 00:44:11,165
Happened to me.
623
00:44:11,315 --> 00:44:15,341
It was an unhappy experience.
624
00:44:16,706 --> 00:44:18,611
Every night at 9
625
00:44:18,743 --> 00:44:23,232
I'd run to the office to read books
626
00:44:23,395 --> 00:44:25,426
Returning home at sunrise.
627
00:44:25,586 --> 00:44:27,839
I started having trouble sleeping.
628
00:44:28,002 --> 00:44:29,582
I couldn't sleep for 6 months.
629
00:44:30,832 --> 00:44:34,498
Then, I started getting sick -
my thyroid gland.
630
00:44:34,666 --> 00:44:36,878
I couldn't do anything at all.
631
00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:38,698
But I didn't give up.
632
00:44:39,968 --> 00:44:42,894
The new instructor saved me.
633
00:44:43,568 --> 00:44:45,527
During one of our chats,
634
00:44:45,659 --> 00:44:47,733
He told me study film.
635
00:44:48,514 --> 00:44:51,272
The rift between culture and reality
636
00:44:51,987 --> 00:44:55,317
Was irreconcilable.
637
00:44:56,927 --> 00:44:58,543
In the end,
638
00:44:59,680 --> 00:45:02,799
I was very lucky
639
00:45:03,911 --> 00:45:06,242
To be able to work in film.
640
00:45:07,889 --> 00:45:10,263
What's so ironic about it is
641
00:45:10,533 --> 00:45:13,322
I ended up being a realist director.
642
00:45:14,464 --> 00:45:16,808
Being a political director.
643
00:45:20,981 --> 00:45:22,826
Doing politics in Britain
644
00:45:22,945 --> 00:45:26,214
Didn't feel the same as
doing literature here.
645
00:45:26,335 --> 00:45:29,648
I realized the importance of
civic participation
646
00:45:29,798 --> 00:45:32,647
After a year as Student Union President.
647
00:45:32,767 --> 00:45:35,711
But I wasn't familiar with it.
648
00:45:36,270 --> 00:45:40,693
You need to figure out
what you're for and against
649
00:45:41,294 --> 00:45:43,632
And why do you support it?
650
00:45:43,752 --> 00:45:47,623
There must be a philosophical basis.
651
00:45:47,857 --> 00:45:49,377
A theoretical basis.
652
00:45:49,504 --> 00:45:51,367
So that's what I studied.
653
00:45:52,328 --> 00:45:53,205
At the time,
654
00:45:53,344 --> 00:45:57,159
I believed in a utopian society.
655
00:45:57,532 --> 00:45:59,594
But after studying politics,
656
00:45:59,732 --> 00:46:02,262
I realized there were many theories.
657
00:46:02,400 --> 00:46:07,046
Each with their strengths
and weaknesses.
658
00:46:07,184 --> 00:46:08,861
It wasn't simple at all.
659
00:46:09,005 --> 00:46:11,517
You couldn't generalize everything.
660
00:46:11,649 --> 00:46:13,121
But in the end,
661
00:46:13,248 --> 00:46:17,238
I still believed a free and
liberal government
662
00:46:17,376 --> 00:46:18,679
Was the best.
663
00:46:19,047 --> 00:46:21,108
I still think it's the best.
664
00:46:21,685 --> 00:46:24,972
If it governs too restrictively...
665
00:46:25,777 --> 00:46:28,446
As Zhao Dan said before his death:
666
00:46:28,614 --> 00:46:31,997
Restrictive governance kills the arts.
667
00:46:32,956 --> 00:46:34,915
And it's not just the arts.
668
00:46:35,071 --> 00:46:38,052
There's no hope for science either.
669
00:46:38,683 --> 00:46:40,306
If you ban everything...
670
00:46:40,401 --> 00:46:45,329
If a kid grows up not being able
to create,
671
00:46:45,483 --> 00:46:49,641
To write different articles
and come up with new theories
672
00:46:49,795 --> 00:46:53,947
Then, the country might be
easy to govern
673
00:46:54,746 --> 00:46:56,306
For the ruler.
674
00:46:56,643 --> 00:46:59,799
But the country would be on
a path of destruction.
675
00:47:00,212 --> 00:47:02,799
The arts and sciences in decline.
676
00:47:03,433 --> 00:47:05,812
I've always been very passive.
677
00:47:06,485 --> 00:47:09,292
Like, people told me to run for office.
678
00:47:09,694 --> 00:47:12,333
I did it, but not because
679
00:47:12,536 --> 00:47:16,870
Ah, I reached a certain age,
so I must run for office
680
00:47:17,026 --> 00:47:18,751
And do this and that.
681
00:47:18,901 --> 00:47:20,277
No, someone said it
682
00:47:20,403 --> 00:47:23,414
And I acted after careful consideration.
683
00:47:23,540 --> 00:47:25,890
It's not something I had planned.
684
00:47:26,004 --> 00:47:30,458
But once I act, I have to devote
all my energy to finishing it.
685
00:47:30,590 --> 00:47:32,591
So I can't, and don't, plan.
686
00:47:32,747 --> 00:47:35,950
When direct elections finally arrived
687
00:47:36,503 --> 00:47:40,649
People started looking for candidates.
688
00:47:40,751 --> 00:47:42,163
And people like me,
689
00:47:42,266 --> 00:47:46,724
We don't like campaigning,
we treat it as public service...
690
00:47:46,958 --> 00:47:48,990
Serving the people
691
00:47:49,193 --> 00:47:52,175
Instead of political ambition.
692
00:47:52,360 --> 00:47:54,609
So it didn't quite fit us.
693
00:47:55,138 --> 00:47:57,223
But I didn't see it that way.
694
00:47:57,523 --> 00:48:01,009
The way I see it,
if you support elections
695
00:48:01,172 --> 00:48:04,525
But you refuse to run
when other people don't
696
00:48:04,657 --> 00:48:06,430
That's just not right.
697
00:48:06,715 --> 00:48:09,287
- Do you like the work?
- Not really.
698
00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:11,618
- Have you thought about it?
- Not at all.
699
00:48:11,739 --> 00:48:16,739
- I know Ann is passionate about films.
- I've never thought of it.
700
00:48:17,394 --> 00:48:22,310
- Are you passionate about politics?
- Not a single bit.
701
00:48:22,850 --> 00:48:23,610
[inaudible]
702
00:48:23,724 --> 00:48:25,244
Then you shouldn't do it.
703
00:48:25,358 --> 00:48:27,624
The first question I ask myself is,
704
00:48:27,762 --> 00:48:31,043
Is there something worth doing,
even if the times are tough?
705
00:48:31,188 --> 00:48:32,810
And I think there is.
706
00:48:32,954 --> 00:48:36,279
Something I should do,
and am capable of doing.
707
00:48:36,428 --> 00:48:39,673
With that thought, I decided to do it.
708
00:48:39,799 --> 00:48:41,434
I made a promise to do it.
709
00:48:41,572 --> 00:48:42,599
It's that simple.
710
00:48:44,241 --> 00:48:46,326
So it's a bit funny.
711
00:48:46,464 --> 00:48:49,042
Never had the vocation,
never thought:
712
00:48:49,150 --> 00:48:51,415
Ah, this is my life mission.
713
00:49:03,440 --> 00:49:07,431
- Any opinions on Hong Kong's future?
- You don't have to say anything!
714
00:49:07,557 --> 00:49:10,796
No, there's not much
to avoid talking about.
715
00:49:11,439 --> 00:49:12,737
Fine, Emily first!
716
00:49:12,839 --> 00:49:17,455
- You've spoken the least tonight.
- This topic doesn't quite suit me.
717
00:49:17,599 --> 00:49:19,999
It's too macroscopic for me.
718
00:49:20,297 --> 00:49:22,948
- What if a student asks you?
- Huh.
719
00:49:23,458 --> 00:49:26,349
I wouldn't discuss something so macro.
720
00:49:27,737 --> 00:49:29,516
Michael, you have a go.
721
00:49:31,003 --> 00:49:33,888
It's too complicated,
don't know where to start.
722
00:49:34,051 --> 00:49:37,130
When I was still young,
I knew what to say.
723
00:49:37,238 --> 00:49:38,182
Not anymore.
724
00:49:39,940 --> 00:49:43,128
- How wonderful!
- Remarkable!
725
00:49:44,462 --> 00:49:48,488
So surely if we talk about it now,
there won't be a problem?
726
00:49:48,619 --> 00:49:49,622
Cheeky!
727
00:49:50,086 --> 00:49:54,105
I've been thinking about this a lot.
728
00:49:55,056 --> 00:49:58,048
I think Hong Kong is incredibly lonely.
729
00:49:58,480 --> 00:50:01,840
Hong Kong is like a very successful
sex worker
730
00:50:03,054 --> 00:50:05,115
I mean it!
731
00:50:06,770 --> 00:50:10,770
Anybody who comes here,
she'll give you anything you want
732
00:50:10,934 --> 00:50:13,239
As long as she can make a living.
733
00:50:13,426 --> 00:50:15,653
She might be invisible, hidden.
734
00:50:15,833 --> 00:50:19,606
She might lead a very humble life,
with a daughter.
735
00:50:19,778 --> 00:50:22,793
All she wants is to raise her kid
736
00:50:22,973 --> 00:50:24,973
And put food on the table.
737
00:50:25,145 --> 00:50:28,637
For that, she'll give you
anything you desire.
738
00:50:28,840 --> 00:50:30,996
As long as you let her live.
739
00:50:31,207 --> 00:50:32,923
So, with Hong Kong...
740
00:50:33,524 --> 00:50:36,782
If you need money,
she'll give you money.
741
00:50:36,978 --> 00:50:40,907
If you need marketing, technology,
she'll give you that.
742
00:50:41,102 --> 00:50:43,454
She'll give you anything.
743
00:50:43,665 --> 00:50:46,470
And when you're finished, you leave.
744
00:50:46,954 --> 00:50:51,767
This woman only wants to live
a simple life in peace.
745
00:50:51,962 --> 00:50:55,790
She betrays her dignity in return
for something simple.
746
00:50:55,954 --> 00:50:58,743
If she's given what she needs,
she's happy.
747
00:50:58,892 --> 00:51:00,415
Her sacrifice may be great.
748
00:51:00,564 --> 00:51:05,220
If you ask me what I'm seeing
at this moment in time,
749
00:51:05,408 --> 00:51:08,033
I see some things in Hong Kong
750
00:51:08,244 --> 00:51:10,829
That I think are very important -
751
00:51:11,001 --> 00:51:14,461
What we've accumulated over a long time
752
00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:18,479
And acquired through the
vagaries of history.
753
00:51:18,937 --> 00:51:21,672
We're currently at risk
754
00:51:21,898 --> 00:51:24,140
Of losing those things.
755
00:51:24,414 --> 00:51:27,476
And I feel our job is to preserve it
756
00:51:27,633 --> 00:51:29,531
With all our might.
757
00:51:29,765 --> 00:51:31,858
There's one important thing -
758
00:51:31,966 --> 00:51:35,341
You now understand that
time is very precious.
759
00:51:35,467 --> 00:51:37,959
- Better than when you were 20.
- Yes.
760
00:51:38,131 --> 00:51:39,226
You can't say:
761
00:51:39,383 --> 00:51:41,555
I'll make 30 more films.
762
00:51:41,758 --> 00:51:44,055
- Yes.
- You can say, ok...
763
00:51:44,508 --> 00:51:46,523
I can make five more.
764
00:51:46,709 --> 00:51:50,764
So you'll need to carefully select
which five you'll make.
765
00:51:50,967 --> 00:51:53,475
- Right?
- But you can't choose.
766
00:51:54,131 --> 00:51:55,799
You can't even choose.
767
00:51:55,975 --> 00:52:00,303
- The problem is that I have no choice.
- It's crashing down on you.
768
00:52:00,455 --> 00:52:04,033
You have to apologize for
using certain phrases
769
00:52:04,205 --> 00:52:05,846
Like "civil liberties".
770
00:52:06,030 --> 00:52:08,818
People think you're pretentious
771
00:52:08,960 --> 00:52:11,369
But to me, it's a very real thing.
772
00:52:11,510 --> 00:52:14,627
When the public can't see
the value of freedom
773
00:52:14,760 --> 00:52:15,494
And say:
774
00:52:15,596 --> 00:52:17,018
Oh, it doesn't matter
775
00:52:17,151 --> 00:52:19,510
We asked for 15 things, and got 11.
776
00:52:19,666 --> 00:52:23,190
They're going to mess with us anyway,
what can we do?
777
00:52:23,354 --> 00:52:26,549
It makes me nervous that
people think this way.
778
00:52:26,744 --> 00:52:30,822
Because you'll only know what it's like
when you've lost it.
779
00:52:31,018 --> 00:52:33,221
But by then, it'll be too late.
780
00:52:33,360 --> 00:52:37,422
So, the current generation
is only interested in money.
781
00:52:37,828 --> 00:52:40,406
And you see the enemy
782
00:52:40,617 --> 00:52:43,219
Approaching the city gates.
783
00:52:44,211 --> 00:52:45,719
What do we do?
784
00:52:46,397 --> 00:52:49,664
A few students are interested
in these issues.
785
00:52:49,836 --> 00:52:51,039
The minority.
786
00:52:51,203 --> 00:52:55,562
But the problem with the
current crop is that
787
00:52:55,742 --> 00:52:58,195
They only have guts, not brains.
788
00:52:59,592 --> 00:53:01,498
They only take a stand.
789
00:53:02,295 --> 00:53:04,701
- No solutions.
- No strategy.
790
00:53:05,013 --> 00:53:07,286
After sharing their statements
791
00:53:07,427 --> 00:53:09,677
They have nothing else to say.
792
00:53:10,919 --> 00:53:13,270
That's the difference I see.
793
00:53:15,028 --> 00:53:17,598
I'd also rather be someone
with a solution
794
00:53:17,731 --> 00:53:19,497
Than someone with fortitude.
795
00:53:19,638 --> 00:53:22,239
But if you know it's a losing battle
796
00:53:22,395 --> 00:53:23,809
And you can't win...
797
00:53:23,963 --> 00:53:27,674
- If you can't win, then leave.
- You can't win...
798
00:53:27,799 --> 00:53:32,424
But if you live a while without
winning or losing
799
00:53:32,909 --> 00:53:34,518
Then you haven't lost.
800
00:53:34,679 --> 00:53:38,187
If you only make five films,
make one called
801
00:53:38,382 --> 00:53:40,609
The Reluctant Hero.
802
00:53:41,279 --> 00:53:46,195
A story of how the female version
of a playboy
803
00:53:46,640 --> 00:53:48,519
Became a freedom fighter.
804
00:53:48,960 --> 00:53:50,882
It's a heroine's journey.
805
00:53:52,023 --> 00:53:57,060
You really are the king of misdirection.
806
00:53:58,654 --> 00:54:02,013
- Do you plan on leaving?
- Yes, I do.
807
00:54:02,888 --> 00:54:04,107
Because...
808
00:54:05,877 --> 00:54:10,417
If you write for a living
809
00:54:11,299 --> 00:54:14,752
That's quite different from
running a business.
810
00:54:14,967 --> 00:54:19,318
I'm already living in three places.
811
00:54:19,795 --> 00:54:24,119
Her sister lives in the US.
812
00:54:24,521 --> 00:54:28,879
Her brother lives in Canada.
813
00:54:29,224 --> 00:54:33,131
So I'll stay in all three places
each year
814
00:54:33,779 --> 00:54:37,045
Months at a time.
815
00:54:37,313 --> 00:54:41,717
- I'll stay here a bit more, perhaps.
- You'll stay here more?
816
00:54:41,912 --> 00:54:45,107
It's Hong Kong, I've lived here
for decades.
817
00:54:45,912 --> 00:54:49,268
Up till now, at every stage of my life
818
00:54:49,447 --> 00:54:53,502
My bond with Hong Kong has
always been one of gratitude.
819
00:54:53,659 --> 00:54:56,026
I think I've gained a lot.
820
00:54:56,322 --> 00:55:00,756
Anything I've lost becomes negligible.
821
00:55:01,147 --> 00:55:07,303
We've reaped the biggest rewards
of our generation.
822
00:55:08,733 --> 00:55:11,821
But we haven't transcended our time.
823
00:55:11,977 --> 00:55:13,868
That was our limitation.
824
00:55:14,016 --> 00:55:15,680
We're a unique product.
825
00:55:15,782 --> 00:55:19,598
But we haven't beaten back
the limitations of our era.
826
00:55:19,723 --> 00:55:22,934
We have a stronger sense of duty
to this place
827
00:55:23,052 --> 00:55:25,044
And that's how it should be.
828
00:55:25,161 --> 00:55:28,439
Now that our time has passed,
829
00:55:28,791 --> 00:55:33,758
We'll disappear, like other people have
in the past.
830
00:55:33,954 --> 00:55:36,985
Because we haven't transcended our time.
831
00:55:37,110 --> 00:55:38,479
We failed.
832
00:55:39,295 --> 00:55:42,303
Why don't I leave Hong Kong?
833
00:55:48,281 --> 00:55:51,703
Everybody wanted to leave Hong Kong
in 1989.
834
00:55:54,797 --> 00:55:59,664
I don't think I'm staying entirely
because I'm too lazy to leave.
835
00:56:08,242 --> 00:56:09,468
I'm very curious.
836
00:56:09,617 --> 00:56:12,375
I want to know what's going to happen.
837
00:56:14,751 --> 00:56:18,485
If I could satisfy this curiosity,
it would be worth it
838
00:56:18,625 --> 00:56:20,831
Even if it came at a heavy cost.
839
00:56:20,964 --> 00:56:25,026
I've known my mother for 50 years.
840
00:56:26,315 --> 00:56:30,932
I think I understand her now.
841
00:56:31,438 --> 00:56:32,820
It makes me happy.
842
00:56:33,117 --> 00:56:35,679
I feel the same way about Hong Kong.
843
00:56:35,820 --> 00:56:39,929
The more you know the place,
the more you don't want to leave.
844
00:56:40,063 --> 00:56:43,500
No matter what becomes of it
in the future
845
00:56:43,671 --> 00:56:45,914
At least I'm there to see it.
846
00:56:46,063 --> 00:56:48,820
That's why I don't want to leave.
63338
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