CO-CREATING HONG KONG
In Reimagine Hong Kong, Jia Jia explores the cultural identity of China’s special administrative region, which began to emerge in the mid-twentieth century during its time as a British colony. His critique delves into the contradictions and dichotomies that have defined Hong Kong, weaving together history, philosophy, sociology, and economics.
Jia Jia believes it is time to take a long, reflective look at his hometown, two and a half decades after its return to China. He started writing this memoir during the last wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. His analysis of real estate, urbanism, popular culture, linguistics, literature, and food culture offers a unique and thought-provoking perspective on the global financial centre’s past, present, and future. Reimagine Hong Kong addresses three fundamental questions: Does Hong Kong have an “identity crisis”? Why has it been labelled a “cultural desert”? Has Hong Kong fostered its own “meaninglessness” and “tastelessness”?
This compelling thesis reimagines the metropolis “from a distance” while addressing global universal issues through its local culture. The author takes readers on an unforgettable journey from London’s theatres to New York’s skyscrapers, Tokyo’s nano homes, and back to vernacular heritage architecture, neon signs, and tea restaurants, alongside various social phenomena. This anthology is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the unprecedented conflicts of the early twenty-first century,
shaped by geopolitics and ideologies, including the “woke” movement.
Accompanied by a captivating photograph by Wong Wei-him, each chapter serves as a study on the cross-cultural impacts of the digital revolution, postmodernity, postcolonialism, and late capitalism on social structure, human behaviour, aesthetics, and taste. Jia Jia concludes by reflecting on futurism and posthumanism.
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