An Unforgettable Interview Experience for Victoria

Three years passed, Victoria still clearly remembers that day and sincerely thanks that lady.

Victoria Yuan, a postgraduate in International Journalism Studies, HKBU

In 2010, Victoria was a student majoring in Serbian language in Beijing Foreign Studies University and also a reporter for her school newspaper. Even though Victoria never received professional training for news interview and writing, she can always complete all kinds of interviews in her own fashion.
One day, the editor assigned her a task, asking her to interview their Dean of Studies Mrs. Zhu Hong for a feature on selective courses.
In Victoria’s mind, Zhu in her 40s was very tough and unkind to get along well with, whom nearly refused any interview. In order to accomplish this Mission Impossible, Victoria looked up a number of references and interviewed others beforehand to prepare her questions better and also to know her interviewee better.
That day, the interview proceeded smooth in the first several minutes. Suddenly, Zhu began to blame Victoria’s interview in succession— slack eye contact, inappropriate expression and motion, rigid questions structure and wrong position to put the tape recorder. For Victoria, these criticisms were beyond her expectation. Even worse, Zhu asked Victoria to correct these behaviors immediately according to her requirements. How huge the barrier was for an amateur. Victoria felt depressed and wronged. The next several minutes seems like several years.
Since then, this experience left a deep impression on Victoria. She gradually felt that Zhu did not mean to dampen her enthusiasm. Conversely, these advices offered by Zhu are helpful for her subsequent interviews. Every time Victoria conducts interviews, she will remember Zhu’s words and regard them as precious criteria to comply with.

Hidden Hong Kong: Not just for Television

By Morgan Lin

Every year, countless demonstrations are staged in Hong Kong: demonstration for the right of referendum or against plans for a national education curriculum, etc. This time, Hongkongers are demonstrating for a TV station and for the lost Hong Kong’s core values.

HONG KONG – Television is an indispensible ingredient of Hong Kong culture. For decades, TV has mirrored Hong Kong society in every aspect. It is also a window for people outside Hong Kong to get to know this city and its residents, which in the long term give outsiders a perspective of Hong Kong beyond its reputation as a financial center.

Nevertheless, Hongkongers have been plagued by a limited choice of TV programs for a long time.

Since the closure of Commercial Television Station in 1978, there just existed two free-to-air TV stations Television Broadcasts Ltd. (TVB) and Asia Television Ltd. (ATV), serving to seven million Hongkong audiences.

Gradually, TVB developed into one of the most influential and profitable Chinese TV organizations, monopolizing over 90 percent of the entire TV market, while ATV was spurned by many Hongkongers for its low quality programs and pro-communist policy.

In recent years, the quality of TV programs produced by TVB has also declined. People constantly complained about those TV series characterized by tedious dialogue, redundant plot and weird role relationship. And they cannot endure a cooking show teaching audience to add chicken sauce to all kinds of dishes any more.

In response to the public’s demand, Hong Kong Government decided to open the TV market in 1998. And in 2009, the government started to receive application for free-to-air TV license and said there would be no limitation to license numbers. Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV) was the first to submit application.

Since then, HKTV began to prepare on a large scale, poaching actors and producers from TVB and ATV with alluring salary, purchasing a lot of advanced production equipment and producing more than 200-hour original TV programs. In the eye of the public, HKTV is the most anticipated and ambitious of the three candidates.

The ambition of HKTV, however, was dashed on Oct. 16, 2013 when the government announced that HKTV was not qualified to obtain the license based on “a basket of factors” while declining explaining what the so-called “a basket of factors” actually are.

Suddenly, the public’s discontent, impatience, anger and sadness were ignited and evolved into massive support for HKTV both on and off line. A Facebook public page named “Support HKTV, and Urging Government to Grant a License to HKTV” received nearly 500,000 “likes” and organized a demonstration on Oct. 20.

Hundreds of thousands of people in black T-shirts voluntarily gethered in Causeway Bay around 3 p.m. and marched from East Point Road to central government offices in Admiralty, protesting against government’s decision and urging it to explain the reasons behind the decision.

Wong Ching-Kwong, 66, said,”There is not much choice of television and I prefer listening to radio,” which showed her disappointment toward Hong Kong’s TV industry.

For more people, what they dread is not only a threat to their choice of TV programs, but also a threat to the city’s core values.

“Surprisingly, this time, our government walked in a path opposite to Hong Kong’s core values, which include fairness in competitions, transparency of government policies and creativity. Only when these values are put into effect can our city keep its vitality. So we must defend and uphold these values,” said Li Kai-Yuen, a white collar in his 30s, whose words reflects a ubiquitous anxiety and resentment.

“Together to the ends of the earth

Joining hands to conquer challenges

Together we work hard

To create our everlasting legend”

—Gleaned from song “Under the Lion Rock”

Leave and Return

by Morgan Lin

HONG KONG – When Shiony Pepe’s daughter heard that her mother would leave to work, she was excited about that her mother could send her money and dresses back soon. At that time, this then 11-year-old girl was too little to realize what this departure meant. However, for Shiony, it had taken her four years to make this tough decision.

Shiony Pepe, a single mother, has been serving as a Filipino domestic helper in Hong Kong since 1997. Among the total 163,014 Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong, estimated one-third of them are single mothers. “It is heartbreaking for these mothers to separate with their own children.” says Cynthia Tellez, general manager and founder of Mission for Migrant Workers.

After Shiony’s husband passed away when she was pregnant, she was trapped in a dejected mood for a long time. To create a better environment for her daughter, she took her college class majoring in Agriculture and Technology while serving as a librarian at part time. Her incomes from the government allowance and salary from the library could narrowly make ends meet. Money was a persistent headache for her.

For most people, reducing from a university student and librarian to the indignity of cleaning some family’s house is a huge regret. For Shiony, it was merely a necessary sacrifice. “You must swallow your pride if you want to earn more.”

On Oct. 17, 1997, Shiony left for Hong Kong after deliberate consideration. Since then, her life was changed.

During the first six months in Hong Kong, Shiony cried every night, missing her daughter. At that time, it was inconvenient and expensive to make long-distance telephone calls. she had to go to the post office to write letters, which usually took Shiony one month to hear from her daughter.

With the popularity of cellphones, Shiony can finally call her daughter every night. “I will ask her study hard and please pray always. And I tell her I am here to listen to whatever problems she encountered in school.”

The girl’s voice from far-away hometown was her antidote for homesickness. And at least in such a means, she could accompany her daughter, sharing happiness and sorrow and disburdening her sense of regret and guilt.

As time went by, Shiony gradually adapted to her life in Hong Kong. she does not have much private time. Every Sunday, the only day off for these Filipino domestic workers, she will go to Central where she can meet her cousin Jeana, her only relative in Hong Kong and also a domestic worker.

Besides the once-a-week holiday, Shiony gets 14-day vacation each year when she can return to the Philippines and reunite with her daughter.

After 13 years, Shiony’s daughter has graduated and is working at a pharmacy in Manila, earning a stable salary. Shiony’s financial burden is relieved. Instead, her longing for returning to the Philippines is intensified. She looks forward to living with her daughter in their own house in Manila permanently.

When that day will come？She doesn’t know.

Speak out: Two Meaningful and Insightful Lectures in CUHK

By Morgan Lin

HONG KONG – Compared with their counterparts in Mainland China, students in Hong Kong always enjoy the privilege of attending lectures presented by various people no matter what social status, political stances and religious belief they hold. The two lectures  I attended in Chinese University of Hong Kong on Friday afternoon proved it.

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with Chang Tieh-chih

The first one was given by Chang Tieh-chih, Ph.D. in political science at Columbia University. People may be more familiar with his works or column passages about music and Taiwan society.

As the chief editor of City Magazine, a Hong Kong-based publication, since last October, Chang unveiled the editorial process of selecting and deciding each month’s feature and shared those magazine covers with hilarious yet insightful design and their corresponding contents. Features like To the Disappearing Street Market, Re-imagine Central and so forth are closely associated with a range of social issues in Hong Kong, which, all together, unfold a boarder and deeper vision to the reflection and critique on civilized society.

Besides, as a cultural critic, Chang analyzed the interactions and impacts among Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong in terms of culture, value and life aesthetics. Further, he conveyed his expectation toward the prospect of civil movement.

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The second one was presented by He Weifang, one of the most well-known law professors in China and distinguished for his advocations for democracy and constitutionalism.

Situated in New Asia College, the circular plaza where the lecture was issued was jam-packed with over 1,500 audiences. A teacher in CUHK even described this lecture on his Weibo as “a historic one in the history of CUHK” for the unprecedented popularity.

In this lecture titled “Approach to Constitutionalism in China”, Prof. He articulated many serious topics in a relatively humorous fashion, ranging from social structure and power allocation to the relationship between academic independence and right protection

After the keynote lecture, students from CUHK, HKU, CityU and HKBU enthusiastically came up with all kinds of questions involved with law- Chongqing Model, Occupy Central Movement, academic freedom etc.

In the end, Prof. He expressed his wish for students and encouraged them to “kindle the hope for freedom in order to witness a better future and pass on this valuable spirit.”

Audio：He Weifang’s Words for Students@CUHK  2013.10.04

Pilgrimage of Hope: TV Review

By Morgan Lin

It is useful for Cantonese language beginners to watch some local television programs to practice their listening skills. That is why I, as a newcomer in Hong Kong, was attracted by this eye-catching TV travel show, “Pilgrimage of Hope“—— which features Hong Kong Chinese people traveling in the Middle East.

“Pilgrimage of Hope” was aired on TVB Jade in 2012. Unlike other TV travel shows that just offer you a break from your routine life, it is also able to spark your thoughts toward a series of themes: happiness vs. sorrow, stability vs. unrest and life vs. death.

While Hong Kong people love to travel, few of them visit the Middle East as it is seen as chaotic and perilous. In this program, the seven-member crew took a 40-day-long journey across many countries- Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Georgia- in Middle East.

In contrast to the stereotype in our mind, “Pilgrimage of Hope” tried to humanize the plight of Middle East. By visiting local communities, communicating with ordinary people and attending their activities, the host, Tony Hung, presented us a Middle East with a more friendly, warm and peaceful image.

I was greatly impressed by a host of contents: the stringent surveillance of foreigners in Iran, the grand wedding ceremonies in Kurdish inhabited areas, and the predicaments of refugees in Chechnya.

When it comes to weakness of “Pilgrimage of Hope”, it is the depth compromised in pursuit of interest that is far from enough. Instead of fathoming on the essence of complicated Middle East issue, “Pilgrimage of Hope” adopted a more secular perspective. Owing to the fact that the crew did not comprise experts, most of the plots and dialogues stemmed from individual observation, which seems relatively superficial and shallow. Or the unique balance between depth and interest is exactly the feature of this show.

At the end of the final episode, the show quotes a sentence from well-known novelist Haruki Murakami’s speech as summary:”Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg”, which is an ideal emotional sublimation of the theme: love and peace.

Theme Song

Promo