Where Guangdong Meets Shanghai: Hong Kong Culture in a Trans-regional Context
Where Guangdong Meets Shanghai: Hong Kong Culture in a Trans-regional Context
To evaluate Hong Kong's positioning for its residents, past and present, a regional cultural context is essential. By the 1920s, established Guangdong merchants in Shanghai patronized their native place activities through their regional associations, martial arts and athletic societies, theaters, and department stores. It was under these circumstances in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong, in a spirit of openness and adventure, that instrumental music, songs, and operas identified as Cantonese flourished. New artistic talents, supported by cosmopolitan mercantile interests, absorbed fresh nutrients from Western and other regional traditions. These cultural energies gave the region a competitive edge as China's window to the world. It allowed Hong Kong residents and business interests a hinterland far beyond Hong Kong's physical and administrative boundaries. Residents strategically used different cultural codes of conduct for economic survival and social advancement.
Keywords: Guangdong merchants, Cantonese businessmen, China, Western culture, cultural blending
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