SSPS students learn cultural traditions and society through documentaries

The Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS) believes that providing diverse learning experience could further arouse students’ interest in local history, cultures, and society. Activities such as visits to heritage sites, museum exhibition, workshops on studying archives, and documentary screenings can also inspire students to explore the subjects beyond classroom lectures. In February 2024, SSPS organised campus screenings of two documentary films—Rhymes of Shui Hau (水口婆婆的山歌) and To Be Continued (尚未完場)—on two consecutive days primarily for students enrolled in “Study of Local History” (course code: SSC3058) and “Chinese Culture and Identity” (course code: SSC1011).

Rhymes of Shui Hau documents stories of three grannies from the village of Shui Hau on Southern Lantau and the rhymes they hum in Wai Tau Wa, an age-old dialect that few Hong Kong people can understand nowadays. The elderly also recalled in the movie how the nearby Shek Pik village was buried under water because of the construction work of the Shek Pik reservoir between the late 1950s and early 1960s. The documentary reminds people that rural Hong Kong is linguistically diverse and community interconnected, offering a glimpse of Hong Kong’s past before the city became industrialised and urbanised.

To Be Continued is a documentary about the grassroot conservation campaign to save the iconic State Theatre in North Point. The campaign evolved into five years of extensive research on Harry Odell, an Egypt-born Russian Jewish impresario from the 1950s. Odell played a pivotal role in the establishment of Emperor Theatre in 1952, which was later renamed State Theatre in 1959. The documentary showcases the process of conducting historical research using various methods and sources, while portraying Odell’s adventures that captured the open and dynamic ethos of the 1950s and pushed the cultural frontiers of his adopted home of Hong Kong.

Dr Matt Ma Kin-hang from SSPS, the faculty member who designed the screenings, said: “I hope the screenings could provide a chance for viewers to gain a deeper understanding of local cultures in Hong Kong. I think Chinese culture is rich in its composition. The Wai Tau Wa folk songs sung by elderly women from Shui Hau could enable us to hear the voice of women, who are often neglected by the male-dominant rural society and its politics. Through To Be Continued, viewers can learn more about Harry Odell and his contributions to the development of the local entertainment industry in Hong Kong since the 1950s. I believe this can supplement our understanding about our city’s history.”

While designing the screening, Dr Ma aimed to showcase both the rural and urban aspects of Hong Kong. “The Wai Tau Wa folk songs, ‘mountain songs’ as they are known among villagers, may disappear if not properly conserved. This would be a loss to the city as these songs reflect the customs, lives, and cultural landscape of a rural community like Shui Hau. Harry Odell had a charismatic personality and a passion for high-quality entertainment. He brought many world-class musicians and artists to perform at Emperor Theatre and other venues. His passionate work contributes to the cultural expansion in Hong Kong, bringing pleasure to its people.” he said.

As a teacher of humanities and social sciences, Dr Ma always believes human subjectivities are not static. By studying people’s practice of culture, it provides us opportunities to explore different cultural meanings and their intertwined relationship with different institutional structures such as social, economic, and power. It is meaningful to observe how beliefs and actions shape their identity, bring joy and pride to their life and affect the broader community.

The screenings also aimed at challenging viewers' perceptions of the city's past and its narrative. It could be problematic if people simply accept their understanding of their own society and culture without recognising their “home blindness” and comprehending the “otherness” of the past. Moreover, providing only homogenized descriptions of large-scale trends like urbanisation and social mobility would overlook regional and communal variations. However, by asking questions such as “Who am I?”, “Who are the ‘others’?”, “How do we describe them?”, and by paying attention to different communities and individuals, we can open up the possibility of understanding and communicating an individual's experience of broader socio-cultural changes.

“Rhymes of Shui Hau includes records about the customs and social history of Shui Hau village, particularly the changes in women's lives before and after marriage. To Be Continued showcases how the entertainment mogul pioneered various live music and art performance in the city, enriching the cultural life of post-war Hong Kong. It also explores the impact of Second World War on individuals and the expatriate community during and after that period. By watching these two films, students had the opportunity to reconsider how people with different backgrounds identify themselves and adapt to social changes. Localities are not bounded and closed communities as we can see when we examine them in a broader context.” Dr Ma continued to elucidate.

The screenings were not restricted to students enrolled in “Study of Local History” (SSC3058) and “Chinese Culture and Identity” (SSC1011) courses. All students, academics, and administrative staff members from the University were welcome to attend. Mr Fredie Chan Ho-lun, director of Rhymes of Shui Hau, Ms Dora Choi, the executive producer and the co-director of To Be Continued, were invited to the screenings held on 28 and 29 February respectively to share their perspectives on the creation of the documentaries. Professor Lui Tai-lok, Adjunct Research Chair Professor of the University, also joined the second screening as a discussant, offering his expertise and analysis.

“Besides enjoying the documentary, I believe that these screenings provided an opportunity for students to interact with the production team and discussants. The directors of documentaries are history and culture researchers who present their research findings in the form of visual images on the big screen while Professor Lui provided us insights into the culture and society of 1950s Hong Kong. I am pleased to see students asking questions, whether they ask the film producers how to extract useful information from archives, or how to interview people with very different life experience and worldview, or how to create a good vibe and rapport with informants to encourage them to comfortably express their ideas and emotions. I believe these are important skills that students can learn from the directors' first-hand experiences,” Dr Ma said.

With a doctoral degree in humanities focusing on history and anthropology, Dr Ma joined EdUHK’s Department of Social Sciences, the predecessor of SSPS, in 2017. He has been actively using documentaries as a tool to broaden student’s view in culture and society subjects. He screened Ballad On The Shore (岸上漁歌) and Home of My Heart (心之所居) in 2018/19 academic year, Bamboo Theatre (戲棚), Chuen Kee Ferry (全記渡) and I Wish (風調雨順) in the 2022/23 academic year.