Please answer each of these questions in a few sentences and generate two additional questions of your own.
“Cantopop: The Voice of Hong Kong”
- The authors write: “Generally speaking, Asian societies shore up their cultural identities through reaffirmation of local cultural themes and traditions, coupled with crude attempts to shield their populations from Western cultural influences” (218). How does the music we’ve examined so far confirm or complicate this idea?
- How do the authors define “Cantopop”? Where does that term originate? What are its basic musical characteristics?
- Who is Sam Hui? Does he seem to have an equivalent in any of the other scenes/genres we’ve discussed so far?
- Why do the authors think Cantonese theme songs for locally produced television programs from 1975 onwards were so important to the formation of a Hong Kong cultural identity?
- Name and briefly describe the periods of Cantopop the authors propose.
“Before and After the Fall: Mapping Hong Kong Cantopop in the Global Era”
- What does Chow think has contributed to the decline of Cantopop?
- Who are the “Four Heavenly Kings”? How does Chow think they contributed to the decline of Cantopop specifically?
- What role has globalization played?
- How did the Asian financial crisis affect Cantopop?
