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“The first time I went abroad after Hong Kong’s return, I was finally able to write the word ‘ China’ on the departure form. My tears started flowing right at that moment.”
As the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland approaches on Friday, Eric Tsang ( Tsang Chiwai), a famous Hong Kong actor and general manager of TVB, sat down with the Global Times for an exclusive interview to talk about his past and relationship with the country.
The 69- year- old took over as general manager of TVB in 2021, after which the TVB documentary No Poverty Land became a hit in the Chinese mainland. Like many of the characters he has played over the years, Tsang is talkative and easygoing. During the interview, he said that Hong Kong should be grateful to the motherland and that his return to TVB has allowed more people to get to know the country again. He recalled the feeling he had when issuing a joint statement to support the National Security Law for Hong Kong, noting that the law “is like a light in the dark.”
GT:
Can you still remember the day Hong Kong returned to the motherland on July 1, 1997?
Tsang: I watched the entire flagraising ceremony on TV in the early morning. We had been listening to the British national anthem since childhood, so when we heard our own national anthem and raised our national flag, we were very moved.
The return was a big change for us. Before the return, whenever we went abroad, we had to fill in “Hong Kong” as our nationality. But if the word “Hong Kong” was not followed by the word “UK,” people would ask “Is Hong Kong a ‘ nationality?’” If we filled in “UK,” British people would say “are you really British?”
It was not a good feeling.
GT: Your ancestral home is in South China’s Guangdong Province. Do you have any impressions of your hometown?
Tsang: It was a novel experience for me to go back to my hometown at first, but I always wanted to go back and find my roots. I went back for a visit about 10 years ago. Many villagers took me with them and told me that my ancestors came from this place and I was very happy.
Why do we search for our roots? Because many of the things we have were given to us by the country. Hong Kong residents today should be very grateful to our country. I still remember when I was a kid, there was a water supply control policy in Hong Kong. We had to wait in line with a bucket to get water every four days. After our country imported water from the Dongjiang River, the water supply was no longer limited.
GT: Do you remember your first trip to the mainland?
Tsang: That was in 1991. I went to Beijing along with 70 artists for charity work after a flood hit East China. At the time, I was naive and told everyone: “Seventy people go, 70 people come back. Not one person less.”
When I got off the plane, I asked, “Is this Beijing?” There seemed to be no people on the road. Our tour bus then brought us to the city center and I saw people dancing in the park, but there were no lights. At that time, it was dinner time. Many chimneys had smoke coming out, because everyone was cooking and using coal as fuel.
But think about how the motherland has developed over the past 30 years? The contrast is too great.
GT: Your acting career has been very successful, so why have you chosen to work at TVB when it is having difficulties?
Tsang: Why would I come back if TVB was at its peak? Because I myself have experienced challenges, I want to do something for it. It’s similar to why I returned to my hometown back then, TVB is where
I grew up. TVB made me what I am today.
What is the most important thing for me to do when I come back?
To tell young people about TVB’s history and our work ethic. I often tell them that TVB is the largest communication platform in Hong Kong. It should have a sense of social responsibility.
GT: The TVB documentary
has a good reputation in the mainland. Why did TVB choose such a topic?
No Poverty Land
Tsang: I once spent eight months filming in the mainland during the pandemic, which greatly affected me. While traveling, I saw huge progress has been made over the past decades, while Hong Kong has been left behind. We chose the title No Poverty Land to tell our audiences how extremely impoverished villages in the mainland had been uplifted over several years. Our next season will focus on environmental protection.
GT: In your previous interviews you’ve mentioned young Hongkongers don’t know enough about the mainland. Why is this still the case?
Tsang: Communication is still just surface level. Many young Hongkongers don’t have the opportunity to learn about everyday life in the mainland so they still believe that Hong Kong is more advanced than the mainland. I sometimes tell my friends to send their children to the mainland for schooling, because I think a good learning atmosphere is also very important.
GT:
You publicly support the national security law. Why W did you choose to give your support?
Tsang: A lot of Hong Kong residents saw the violent behavior occurring at the time and they didn’t know what to do. Things were really chaotic at the time, to the point there was no law and those doing violence had too many ways to avoid punishment. Hong Kong is a society with a civilized legal system. How can Hong Kong be a hopeful place if our legislation is destroyed and the police under attack? The regulations were needed to stop the violence. The national security law is like a light in the dark.
GT:
What is your biggest expectation for the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland?
Tsang: I hope Hong Kong can get back on its feet again. I expect a deeper connection with the mainland, and I hope young Hongkongers can appreciate our country with a grateful heart.