Navigating exercise programme for promoting an exercise habit of diabetic patients in a primary healthcare setting

Identity, lifestyle, and face-mask branding: A social semiotic multimodal discourse analysis

“…It is named as such because viewed from the side, the mountain range resembles a resting lion. This spirit has been popularized by the theme song of a long-running TV series between 1972 to 2016, called “Below the Lion Rock.” Featured by the “go-getting” spirit and the “can-do” attitude, it values “Hongkongers’ sacrifice, self-reliance, perseverance, and social mobility” (Mak, 2013: 62). The Lion Rock spirit is highlighted in two face-mask brands’ stories on their websites and in their product design.…”

“…The Lion Rock spirit is highlighted in two face-mask brands’ stories on their websites and in their product design. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the brand story contains a long-shot photo of the Lion Rock, which has become an icon of “the localized and decolonized narrative of Hong Kong’s history” (Mak, 2013: 76). The accompanied text in Figure 5 highlights that the brand’s endeavor is motivated by the Lion Rock spirit, that is, “逆境自強” (to make oneself stronger during adversity).…”

“…Aside from the brand story, the Lion Rock is also used as a brand name and printed on face-masks and packages. As shown in Figure 6, the face-mask has been codified into a carrier of the Lion Rock spirit, which is “marketed and sold to the public as a means of perpetuating Hong Kong’s founding myth” (Mak, 2013: 286). In terms of typographic design, the name of the Lion Rock is visually presented in the style of old store signs, typically seen in “pawn shops” across Hong Kong.…”

“…Empowered by the neoliberal emphasis on market forces, the commodification and consumption of local culture and identity have become the linchpin of the prevailing market society (Esposito and Perez, 2014). As noted by Mak (2013: 282), the commodification of culture entails “the process of emptying everyday objects of their meaning and significance, and affixing a new significance that speaks directly to the founding spirit of Hong Kong.” That is to say, local mask brands represent their face-masks as a carrier of shared cultural values and emotions in Hong Kong society, which supersedes the pragmatic values of the products. The values of economic identity (self-reliance) and cultural identity (the Lion Rock spirit) also coincide with the rhetoric of neoliberal resilience, which exhorts people to become autonomous, reliable, and self-improving subjects.…”