EAST ASIAN POPULAR CULTURE The Disappearance of Hong Kong in Comics, Advertising and Graphic Design WENDY SIUYI WONG East Asian Popular Culture Series Editors Yasue Kuwahara Department of Communication Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY, USA John A. Lent International Journal of Comic Art Drexel Hill, PA, USA This series focuses on the study of popular culture in East Asia (referring to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan) in order to meet a growing interest in the subject among students as well as scholars of various disciplines. The series examines cultural production in East Asian countries, both individually and collectively, as its popularity extends beyond the region. It continues the scholarly discourse on the recent prominence of East Asian popular culture as well as the give and take between Eastern and Western cultures. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14958 Wendy Siuyi Wong The Disappearance of Hong Kong in Comics, Advertising and Graphic Design Wendy Siuyi Wong Department of Design York University Toronto, ON, Canada East Asian Popular Culture ISBN 978-3-319-92095-5 ISBN 978-3-319-92096-2 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92096-2 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018954942 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover credit: Aurora Photos/Alamy Stock Photo This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland P reface This book continues the work in visual cultural history and contextual studies which I have been engaged in since I started my academic journey. After my undergraduate studies, I entered graphic design as a profession, using design skills and creative thinking to deliver visual communications in the various platforms that clients demand. However, I found that often account service colleagues and clients would not explain why they accepted or rejected design proposals. To find out the rationale behind these judg- ments and to develop a critical perspective on the art of visual representa- tion, beyond the manipulation I had been engaged in to make a living, I returned to school for graduate studies. I embarked on an academic career in 1997, aiming to combine practical and critical proficiency with a vision to bridge design practice and theories. This book is a reflection of my per- sonal experience growing up and being educated in Hong Kong, which has informed my professional and academic work. Now, the former British colony has been the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China since 1 July 1997 for over 20 years and Beijing’s heavy-handed interference in Hong Kong’s affairs and its increasing authoritarianism is likely to continue. By studying three under- researched areas—comics, advertising and graphic design—of Hong Kong, I hope to contribute to preserving their cultural legacy for the articulation of the space of disappearance of Hong Kong. I also wish to pay homage to this term, interpreted by Ackbar Abbas in his book published in 1997, as a reminder of the disappearance of memories, experience and innovation of Hong Kong. It is an open question whether the once successful independent label of “Hong Kong” will continue to v vi PREFACE express a unique cultural identity in the future. This may depend on what strategies can be developed to resist recolonization. Comics, advertising and graphic design have always been closely aligned professional practices, especially in the production system commonly used before the era of computers. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the work of Hong Kong artists and designers often crossed over between fields. Interestingly, over the last decade, they seem to be rediscovering this crossover work practice. This book is intended for readers who are inter- ested in visual cultural history for communication and media studies, and students and researchers engaged in East Asian studies and beyond. The case studies will enrich the readers’ knowledge within their own cultural contexts for international understanding. This book is unique in that it significantly advances the development of its three key subjects in terms of identity, communication and cultural politics, aiming to reach a wide range of multidisciplinary readers rather than only specialists. It is my hope that this book will contribute to the newly emerging field of Hong Kong studies, following the appearance of the first academic journal dedicated to the subject, Hong Kong Studies, and the launch in March 2018 of the international academic association, the Society for Hong Kong Studies. I would like to express my gratitude to Hong Kong for what it has been given me and wish the best for this place in every aspect. I would like to make special mention of my dissertation supervisor, Dr. Jackie Yanchi Kwok of the School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, now retired, and thank her for her guidance. I also express my appreciation to all who have taught me there. I would like to thank several groups for their direct and indirect contributions to the completion of this book. First, I would like to express my gratitude to York University in Toronto, Canada, where I have resided since 2002, for making it possible for me to pursue the research interests that first interested me in Hong Kong. The Department of Design at York University has been a supportive and col- legial home, as has the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) where I have met wonderful colleagues who share similar research interests. I can- not express enough of my appreciation to Alicia Filipowich, YCAR’s Coordinator, to whom I owe so much. Colleagues from the research network of East Asian design history, Yuko Kikuchi and Christine Guth, and The International Committee for Design History & Design Studies (ICDHS) have helped sustain my con- fidence in intellectual work on design history for the Sinophone region and provided me with collaborative opportunities. Norm Beach has been PREFACE vii marvelous in polishing my writing and helping to make this book happen. Thanks also to Jillaine Burnham and Gigi Chang who aided me in the process of preparing manuscripts. I greatly appreciate all the designers who given me permission to reprint their work in this book. I thank the anonymous reviewers of the manuscript and the editorial and production team of Palgrave Macmillan. Lee Wai-chun, the comics artist, has always given me encouragement over the past two decades. Last, special and per- sonal thanks to Gloria Hau and her family for feeding me delicious home- made meals and soups always. Toronto, ON, Canada Wendy Siuyi Wong Supported by Hong Kong Arts Development Council fully supports freedom of artistic expression. The views and opinions expressed in this project do not represent the stand of the Council. r , n t omanization ames and ranslation  t of itles To distinguish the Romanization of the language spoken in Hong Kong, Cantonese, jyutping or the casual Hong Kong Romanization styles are used interchangeably in the Chinese titles for comics, films and graphic design. For Chinese titles and names from mainland China, Romanization will be according to the pinyin system. Chinese names are generally given in the order of surname first, unless the person has been well known with a Western given name. In the section on comics, the translated publication titles in English are the author’s own or as found in the publication. The Hong Kong dollar has been pegged at a rate of HKD 7.8 to USD 1 since 1983, and currency has floated between HKD 7.75 and HKD 7.85 since 18 May 2005. xi