Ever since its sovereignty reverted to China, Hong Kong has been torn between its national (in terms of China and its 'soft' power) and global status (as 'Asia's World City'). In this special context, Hong Kong's singular, ambiguous but prolific existence ceased. This paper endeavours to map 'Cantopop' (Chinese popular songs) on the new media landscape and examine its decline in the context of the rise and fall of cover versions. Cantopop was once very popular, not only in Hong Kong but also in its neighbouring regions. Its rise in the 1970s was a result of its typical hybridity, an important aspect of which was influenced by the use of cover versions that changed its soundscape. In the mid-1990s, the Cantopop market started to shrink significantly. A radio campaign for localisation advocated the release of original songs aimed at enhancing the development of Cantopop, but in the end proved to have the opposite effect. In the new millennium, 'Mandapop' (Mandarin popular songs) has taken on the role as the trend setter of the Chinese popular music industry. We argue in this paper that Cantopop's decline is the result of Hong Kong's loss of hybridity.
The rise of China, its soft power and hence changes in related government policies have resulted in Chinese main melody films acquiring new meanings. This chapter provides the theoretical backdrop against which the significance of Hong Kong filmmaker’s participation in these films is critically assessed. It outlines the transformation of main melody films from political propaganda to commercial blockbusters that attempt to win legitimacy based on quite similar values and styles of filmmaking to those used in the West. In the light of the rise of Mainland-Hong Kong co-productions after the signing of the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement in 2003, the northern ventures of Hong Kong directors are investigated in relation to the age of Chinese cinema.
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