The Grand Illusion
By Chip Tsao | published Nov 25, 2010
The SAR government has been left stranded in its insistence on hawking a plan to host the 2023 Asian Games with the fabulous cost of more than HK$6 billion.
It’s no easy task to convince Hong Kong people that the global status of the last former British colony in Asia would be boosted by one Norman Foster-designed white elephant in West Kowloon followed by an extravagant Soviet-style opening ceremony to a sporting event. It’s as challenging as coaxing a struggling baby to drink a bowl of Chinese herbal tea by pretending it’s actually a tasty chocolate milkshake. The irritated mother can maybe force the baby to drink the tea by slapping aside his Buzz Lightyear toy, but the bowl of black bitter liquid will still spill upon the bed sheets and there’ll be squeals that will wake up a few of the neighbors.
The government simply needs to tell better lies to a people who care little about sports apart from the traditional tile-shuffling of mahjong. The tag “Asian,” above all, is the least attractive element of the pitch. Who wants to be labeled an “Asian” in the global village and identify with Burma and Laos as a community? The trendier term is “Asia-Pacific,” which includes countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States. Even Mexico and Chile join the party.
Hong Kong’s TV stations engage in fierce civil wars, squandering billions to bid for broadcasting rights to the FA Cup or UEFA Cup because these brands refer to the Englishman’s or the European’s tournaments. Names like Chelsea and Manchester United raise the blood pressure and cause a commotion among emotional crowds in a Wan Chai pub more than any badminton match between Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei, or a volleyball game between Bangladesh and Mongolia. For years even the annual rugby tournament scores more international press coverage for Hong Kong, with its rowdy half-drunk striped-T-shirt-wearing white men roaring around on the MTR heading for Wan Chai, harassing a few Suzie Wongs on their way. “Asia” is somehow an enviable term at the Financial Times, thanks to the connotations of high GDP growth, but ask any Chinese shopper if the term carries a market value—chances are they’ll see it more in terms of silk ties in Stanley Market rather than the Vacheron Constantin diamond watches sold on Canton Road.
It’s all about perception. The image of “Asia” is unfortunately still associated with the word “jungle” and is rife with notions of “Asian values,” such as nepotism and corruption. People tend to believe the winner of the gold medal in diving might be a result of a secret deal between his government and the referee to cover the latter’s daughter’s tuition fees at an English boarding school. Hosting the Commonwealth Games could have boosted Hong Kong’s status as an international city—not because of the participation of Nigerian athletes but because, I hate to say this, of Prince Charles’s attendance at the opening ceremony. But it’s too late.
The SAR government has been left stranded in its insistence on hawking a plan to host the 2023 Asian Games with the fabulous cost of more than HK$6 billion.
It’s no easy task to convince Hong Kong people that the global status of the last former British colony in Asia would be boosted by one Norman Foster-designed white elephant in West Kowloon followed by an extravagant Soviet-style opening ceremony to a sporting event. It’s as challenging as coaxing a struggling baby to drink a bowl of Chinese herbal tea by pretending it’s actually a tasty chocolate milkshake. The irritated mother can maybe force the baby to drink the tea by slapping aside his Buzz Lightyear toy, but the bowl of black bitter liquid will still spill upon the bed sheets and there’ll be squeals that will wake up a few of the neighbors.
The government simply needs to tell better lies to a people who care little about sports apart from the traditional tile-shuffling of mahjong. The tag “Asian,” above all, is the least attractive element of the pitch. Who wants to be labeled an “Asian” in the global village and identify with Burma and Laos as a community? The trendier term is “Asia-Pacific,” which includes countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States. Even Mexico and Chile join the party.
Hong Kong’s TV stations engage in fierce civil wars, squandering billions to bid for broadcasting rights to the FA Cup or UEFA Cup because these brands refer to the Englishman’s or the European’s tournaments. Names like Chelsea and Manchester United raise the blood pressure and cause a commotion among emotional crowds in a Wan Chai pub more than any badminton match between Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei, or a volleyball game between Bangladesh and Mongolia. For years even the annual rugby tournament scores more international press coverage for Hong Kong, with its rowdy half-drunk striped-T-shirt-wearing white men roaring around on the MTR heading for Wan Chai, harassing a few Suzie Wongs on their way. “Asia” is somehow an enviable term at the Financial Times, thanks to the connotations of high GDP growth, but ask any Chinese shopper if the term carries a market value—chances are they’ll see it more in terms of silk ties in Stanley Market rather than the Vacheron Constantin diamond watches sold on Canton Road.
It’s all about perception. The image of “Asia” is unfortunately still associated with the word “jungle” and is rife with notions of “Asian values,” such as nepotism and corruption. People tend to believe the winner of the gold medal in diving might be a result of a secret deal between his government and the referee to cover the latter’s daughter’s tuition fees at an English boarding school. Hosting the Commonwealth Games could have boosted Hong Kong’s status as an international city—not because of the participation of Nigerian athletes but because, I hate to say this, of Prince Charles’s attendance at the opening ceremony. But it’s too late.
Labels: Politically Incorrect, 陶傑
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