(1) Taiwan: “Import and Export Business” to take advantage of the east wind
First figure out what “potential” means? There are both the international situation and the cross-strait situation, as well as the situation between Taiwan and Hong Kong, especially the situation between the two sides of the strait and the three places under the mainland’s suppression.
──The general international trend is not only that Chinese and foreign countries are fighting over the situation in Taiwan, but also that cultural battles have emerged in the international arena in recent years. In the past, powerful countries used their economic and cultural advantages to promote their own values (the United States, Europe, and post-war Japan), but with the prevalence of the Internet, the global village is shrinking, and some countries and regions whose economies are not strong or have been economically traumatized , You can also use culture to open up a new situation. “Han Chao” (Korean cultural industry) is one of the typical examples, and Taiwan has also been developing along this trajectory in recent years. Even though politically suppressed, it has achieved considerable results in culture and other soft power.
──It must be noted that Taiwan’s achievements in culture and other soft power are not “relying on politics to open the way,” let alone what the mainland refers to as “advocated and manufactured by Taiwan and the international separatist forces.” In fact, this is the general trend of Taiwanese people and cultural workers based on the universal values of mankind and their own needs (food and clothing, stability, democracy, freedom, diversity) and the general trend of convergence with the international; although there are also political elements, the people’s motivation is far more than that of the political circles. . Coupled with the continuous efforts of cultural workers in Taiwan, international celebrities such as Li An, Hou Xiaoxian, and Lin Huaimin (the founders of the modern dance performance group “Cloud Gate Dance Theatre”) appeared.
It’s worth noting that the mainland can actually follow the same path (and already have some achievements, such as Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for Literature), but because of the “sunrise in the east and rain in the west” on both sides of the strait, Taiwanese can enjoy the dawn of creative freedom, and On the mainland, it is a cloudy day with four episodes of rain, which highlights Taiwan’s emergence. This is something the Mainland needs to examine.
─ Continuing the two major trends mentioned above, Taiwan has become more “no capital to generate profits” in recent years. The Mainland’s changes to Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” have greatly enhanced the opportunities for Hong Kong cultural people to integrate with Taiwan. Take the Golden Horse Award as an example. The past dozens of sessions have not been as lively as in recent years. It has received increasing international attention and the value of the Golden Horse Award is even higher. This year, because Hong Kong’s protest films are under pressure locally (the Hong Kong Film Awards won’t be able to win the 2016 “Ten Years” again in the short term), so they “exported” to Taiwan and then connected to the international channels. This is precisely the power of the infinite and far-reaching culture, and under the official suppression, it has triggered an explosive force that can be helpful.
It is foreseeable that the Taiwan government will continue to “open the market” and “import” the political depression atmosphere of Hong Kong, thereby highlighting Taiwan’s “anti-communist” forces, strengthening Taiwan’s international “export” political openness and pluralistic image, so as to gain more ” Compassion for the disadvantaged” creates a larger cross-cultural “import and export business”, which is small and profitable. This is another generous political blood donation from the Mainland to Taiwan through (suppressing) Hong Kong.
(2) Hong Kong: wise and brave to save themselves or blindly suicide?
──If the government does not change the current austerity policy and rough strategy, even if the suppression is strengthened, the social movement in Hong Kong will only temporarily cease, but it will not remain silent forever. From the recent situation, it can be seen that Hong Kong’s cross-border (media and geographical boundaries) integration trend in three aspects will take shape:
The first is the cross-media integration of literature, culture, art, news, and commentary that I have mentioned many times (refer to the Japanese column on September 8 “Feng Yun Sheng “Three Kingdoms” and “The Red Mansions”” and the Japanese column on November 3 “A Stupid The idiotic solitary literary declaration>). Now the conditions are more mature, and more and more people try. This is forced by the times, and it is in line with the development of the “Song of Righteous Qi” in the direction of “the time is poor.”
The second is the cross-regional integration of Hong Kong and the international cultural space. This time, “Time Revolution” won the best documentary award in Taiwan and automatically won the Oscar candidacy for best documentary, which is a typical example. However, what Hong Kong currently lacks most is the ability to promote local creations to the world, whether it is individuals or organizations, translation or promotion activities. It seems that there must be more capable people in this area.
The third is the cross-border integration between Hong Kong and Taiwan. Before the “Umbrella Movement” in 2014, Hong Kong had little relationship with Taiwan’s civil movements; after the “Zhou Tzuyu Incident” in Taiwan in 2016, Taiwanese people were further suppressed by the mainland, and they began to care about the fate of Hong Kong. Since 2019, the real feelings that are related to each other have risen sharply, and this time it is reflected through the Golden Horse Awards. It can be seen that the folk and cultural integration between Hong Kong and Taiwan is bound to increase in the future.
──The above-mentioned films that reflect the aspirations of the people have their vitality and combat effectiveness, but looking at the Hong Kong film industry from another angle, it is worrying. In recent years, filmmakers have often said: Chinese films have their eyes on the world, and Hong Kong films have their eyes on the mainland; this means that many Hong Kong films have underestimated the value of their works in order to cater to the mainland market. As a result, some mainland movies are more dynamic than Hong Kong movies, which have been shrinking and their output has been greatly reduced. Nowadays, the quality of mainland movies is improving, and the demand for Hong Kong filmmakers is falling like a waterfall. Can it be too frustrating!
──Cultural workers who are aspiring to create independently and reflect the times and people’s aspirations may be able to use the political depression in front of them to create outstanding works in one go, but if they only rely on the political sadness in front of them, they do not seek diversification and high-quality works. It will be short-lived, and it will be even more difficult to create a handed-down work.
The above three points are both vitality and crisis. The key is: can we live and work wisely and courageously? Otherwise, they will only suicide under pressure.
(3) Mainland China: “Story-telling ability” for drinking poison to quench thirst
──The attitude of mainland officials towards the Golden Horse Awards is obviously a cocoon. In recent years, the mainland has either lured or suppressed Taiwanese artists, and Taiwanese people know it well. The mainland believes that by controlling the access standards of the Chinese market, it can force the outside world to submit, but it does not realize that the power of culture is far more stubborn than the economy. Now that they boycott the Golden Horse Award for three consecutive years, they have voluntarily given up their cultural influence on the people of Taiwan and the market. In other words, Taiwan lost the mainland market and gained popular support, while the mainland lost market, popular support, and influence.
──Look a little further, if the Oscar film awards also become the space for the development of Hong Kong’s protest films, will the mainland even boycott the Oscars? If so, how can Chinese movies go to the world? Do you remember that Zhang Yimou’s movies were also banned in the Mainland, and only then did he go abroad. Beijing should think: Why is it that the Hundred Flowers Award and the Golden Rooster Award are not as influential as the Golden Horse Award, let alone the Oscars? Why is the “Confucius Peace Prize” hard to expect the Nobel Peace Prize to end without any disease?
──This year’s Golden Horse Awards also set off a unique scene in the mainland: mainstream media did not report, but some websites were broken into pieces, rolling reports, and the newspaper was deleted, and the report was deleted and reported again. Many netizens followed closely, and the next day it became catchy. Even the “Muddy Water Rafting” that “cheered for Hong Kong” was familiar. This is all thanks to the “rebellious aura” stimulated by the government.
In short, China can make breakthroughs in economy, technology, military, etc. Why is the “ability of telling stories” that both suffocates the population and poisons one’s own throats, resulting in “heavy rains on everything, and no sunshine adds to the injury”?
