Popular culture

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

Introductio
n

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 19th and 20th 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 20th century.

Cantonese
opera

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 ( ), Pak Suet
Sin ( ) and their most popular operas were Princess As
Flower ( ) , Purple Hairpin ( ) etc.

Cantonese
opera

Cantonese operas were performed in Theatres like the

Lee Theatre( ), Tai Ping Theatre ( )
and Sunbeam Theatre ( ) .

Many people enjoyed Cantonese operas at that time,

even on television and radio. Cantonese opera
remained a firm favourite with the audience.

Movie
s

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.

Movie
s
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 ( ) ,
Josephine Siu ( ), Patrick Tse ( ). Bowie Wu ( ) 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 ). Famous movie stars included Jimmy Wang
and ,Golden Chan

Movie
s

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.

Televisio
n
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.

Televisio
n

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
) and TV dramas like A House Is Not A Home etc.
Many TV theme songs were so popular among people in Hong Kong like
and .
Popular TV stars include Liza Wang( ), Chow Yun Fat( )
and they later became international film stars.

Pop
At that time, the pop music came from Taiwan. Because of TV
Music

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 ,
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.

Joseph Koo ,
the most famous song composer

Food
In the 1950s and 1960s, most Hong Kong people were workers with
Culture

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 Peoples 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.

Dai Pai Dong ,1950s to1960s

Roadside food stalls at Ordinary Peoples Nightclub

1950s to 1960s

Food
Culture
Western style restaurants which served western food were very

expensive and ordinary people went to Bing Sut and tea caf (Cha
Chaan Teng) in which the food prices were affordable. Bing Sut sold
beverages, soft drinks, bread and pastries to ordinary Chinese
residents.
Tea cafs (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 cafs, 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.

Tea caf

Food
Culture
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
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 Caf de Coral
, Maxims , 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 Kongs 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).

Duty
list
Duties

Person(s) in charge

Collection of information

Joylie Chu,
Prudence TheodoraCorreia
Cherrie Man

Writing of text

Prudence TheodoraCorreia
Cherrie Man
Janice Yuen

IT production

Joylie Chu
Janice Yuen