8/11/2019 Vincy Chan: Reflection for Reframing Hong Kong

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Trying to catch up with the Hong Kong news through the internet amidst the Minnesotan

blizzards had made me feel the most disconnected Ive ever been to my hometown. It was even

more frustrating having no one to talk to in a school with less than five Hongkongers. The recent

episodes that seemed to herald the doom of Hong Kongs autonomy had left me on the fence

about whether or not I should return to Hong Kong.

I am honoured to have been chosen as a fellow to attend the Reframing Hong Kong

Conference. Nothing compares to being able to talk to people who know Hong Kong in and out,

who are passionate about the future of Hong Kong. Using internet vernacular, the Reframing

Hong Kong Conference #GMH (gives me hope.)

I must confess that I am perhaps not as well-informed as my peers about the technicalities of

electoral processes or lawmaking, nor do I have plans in the near future to pursue a political

career. But I do believe as a singer-songwriter and an artist, I have the agency to bring changes

I want to see in our community.

I find it absurd how sanitized the mainstream entertainment industry is from politics. Artists

refrain from discussing their political stance, regardless of whether its a personal decision or a

restriction from their companies. There are certainly popular culture consumers who believe

artists separate themselves from politics. I suppose this quote from Bill OKeefe, vice president

of Catholic Relief Services, sums up my view of the immunization of politics in the industry:

"There's no such thing as not being involved in politics. Not doing anything is a political act."

From what I observed over the weekend, people I have met were anything but apathetic. I see

my generation as one of blossoming political consciousness. In an age of exponential

technological growth, political acts can come in different forms and one can choose to engage in

whatever one is comfortable with. Panelist Dr. Michael Martin mentioned Anthony Wong YiuMing as one of the artists who do not shy away from making political commentary. His recent

concert titled Under the Tai Ping Shan was autobiographical, tracing his origins as well as the

milestones in Hong Kong history. Many of the incidents were and still are controversial. His

involvement with the GLBT rights is also admirable. I am sure his stance doesn't chime with

everyone. In Banksy's words, "art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed."

This is what I aspire to achieve as a young artist.

Diverging slightly from the arts, the conference is a timely reminder of what it means to be a

Hongkonger. When introducing myself I always make a point to tell people I am from Hong

Kong, followed by a yes Hong Kong is a part of China but I don't necessarily identity as a

Chinese national. In the final discussion we spent ample time trying to pin down what it means

to be a Hongkonger and who counts as one. Perhaps we would never be able to agree on a

checklist of essential characteristics like being able to speak fluent Cantonese or having been to

theTsui Wah at Lan Kwai Fong, but what matters is we all care enough about this city to have

conversations about it and shape it the way we want to.

8/11/2019 Vincy Chan: Reflection for Reframing Hong Kong

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The last conference held in the States of a similar scale was before the handover, almost two

decades ago. I daresay that we are a group of young people tracing the steps of our forefathers

as we continue to defend the core values that kept the city together. The biggest challenge I can

see is the having these conversations in Hong Kong with the backdrop of heightened localist

movements. I really appreciated the genuineness my peers shared their stories with, and their

willingness to challenge each other. Ask me a year from now about my post-graduate plans, butI sure wouldnt be opposed to going home.