Anybody who doesn't think that Hong Kong has to depend on the PRC (China) must be the biggest idiot on earth because you are talking about getting access to a 1.3 billion people market.
Hong Kong people say Hong Kong needs to preserve its uniqueness. I say Hong Kong's uniqueness is in its diversity, its tolerance of difference cultures... China does not want to see Hong Kong in decline. I have full confidence in its future.
English is my second language, but in Hong Kong, they don't know that I'm from China. They think I'm from Hollywood because all the films they see are from here. China and Hong Kong are very different places, but they're starting to merge. Still the culture is very different.
When I look at 'Fallen Angels,' I realize it is not a film that is truly about Hong Kong. It's more like my Hong Kong fantasy. I want Hong Kong to be quiet, with less people.
With a population of 1.4 billion, China is a lucrative market. But getting into that market isn't cheap. At best, the price of doing business in China is silence; at worst, it's reading talking points straight from the Chinese Communist Party. Beijing is not subtle about it.
One of my goals is to have a base near mainland China. I think Hong Kong would be a good match for me. I like being in Hong Kong.
When I escaped from China and came to Hong Kong, the contrast was that China was like hell and Hong Kong like heaven. Though I was very poor, I smelled the air of freedom and was full of hope for the future. That's the way I thought heaven is.
My films are never about what Hong Kong is like, or anything approaching a realistic portrait, but what I think about Hong Kong and what I want it to be.
There was the Cultural Revolution just over the border, and Hong Kong felt quite dodgy. My younger brother's wife actually swam from China to Hong Kong to escape. I realised in the '60s that I had to get out.
People are very surprised when they come to Hong Kong after seeing my films, because my version of it is quite different than Hong Kong in reality.
Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong. There's a lot of restriction for contemporary films simply because of subject matter.
Hong Kong is the bellwether. If the Chinese stick to their agreement to let Hong Kong go its own path, then China will also go that way. If they don't, that is a very bad sign. I'm optimistic.
Hong Kong compatriots will surely display great love for the motherland and for Hong Kong and take it as their utmost honor to maintain long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and safeguard the fundamental interests of the country.
I hope Hong Kong isn't just named Hong Kong but it can still be the Hong Kong we desire.
An affection for Hong Kong and a national identity are not mutually exclusive. We can let children learn more about Hong Kong's history, culture, politics, and social development, and at the same time, we must make them have their national identity.
Bo Innovation is there for anyone who comes to Hong Kong and wants to learn about Hong Kong in the shortest amount of time.
People in Hong Kong are stylish and fashionable, which is one of the many reasons making Hong Kong itself such an energetic place.