Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 653

Proceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities and Arts (SSHA 2022)

An Analysis of the Impact of the Development of Hong

Kong Society on Local Romance Films between 1990-
2000
Xulin Tang1,*
1
The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, EH8 9LH
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
Hong Kong, has its own historical and political background, has therefore developed a unique film culture. This paper
will take Hong Kong romance films created in the 1990s and 2000s as its research subject, and provide an analysis of
the development of the genre during this period of change in Hong Kong society. The period of study for this paper is
circa 1990, before Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule. The second period is from 1990 to 2000, when Hong Kong was
transferring from UK rule to China. The third period is circa 2000, when the handover was complete. By watching Hong
Kong romance films from these three periods, and by studying the relevant literature, the following thoughts have been
drawn. During this period Hong Kong romance films have blended the characteristics of the West and the East due to
various historical, political and social factors. As such the films produced are injected with the values of both Mainland
China and overseas territories, allowing for development in terms of plot, direction, and production methods. Finally, it
is concluded that societal development reflects Hong Kong romance films from the period.

Keywords: Hong Kong films, Romance films, Societal Development, Film localization, 1990s-2000s

1. INTRODUCTION society. As a result, the question of how far local

romance films have been influenced by this upheaval has
As a former British colony, and now a Special become a question worthy of attention. Therefore, the
Administrative Region of China, Hong Kong is a unique author will focus on the Hong Kong romance films from
location with very a specific film culture. On one hand, this period. This is because local romance films are the
evidence shows that there is a close connection between evidence of the progress of the times, while their
the film industries of Mainland China and Hong Kong. focusing on a variety of important aspects of life for
Many of the founders of the Hong Kong film industry Hong Kong people presents a rich and complex picture
came from Shanghai. They moved south to escape the of Hong Kong society and culture at the time. This
War of Resistance against Japan before settling and research will by watching Hong Kong romance films
working in Hong Kong with local filmmakers[1]. from the 1990s to the 2000s and studying the relevant
Therefore, Hong Kong film has been significantly literature as approaches to explore the impact of the
influenced by Chinese film. However, as a British colony, development of Hong Kong society on Hong Kong
Hong Kong has also been suffused with the more romance films at this specific time. Further, it will
prevalent film culture of Western society. Many Hong explore the changing political and economic situation
Kong directors studied at film schools of the United across these three periods of time, including circa 1990,
States and the United Kingdom, leading to the from 1990 to 2000 and circa 2000, and how the impact
development of the New Wave of Hong Kong films of these factors can be seen in the locally produced films.
between 1970 and 2000. Due to the academic The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship
background of these directors, the shooting style of their among society, politics, and film, and to offer some
films shows heavy influence from European films[2]. feasible directions for further study into the resurgence
The period from 1990 to 2000 was marked by a dramatic of Hong Kong romance films.
upheaval in Hong Kong which resulted from the regime
change and surrounding developments in Hong Kong

Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 license -http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. 112
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2. DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE THREE year between 1990 to 1995. [6] In addition to trade with
PERIODS Mainland China, overseas trade also contributed to a
heyday for Hong Kong's economy. Hong Kong's GDP
2.1 Circa 1990: Small Person in a Gang rose from US$76.93 billion to US$144.65 billion, an
average annual growth rate of 6.076%. [7] The
Before 1990, Hong Kong was ruled by the British favourable economic situation has resulted in a period of
Government. Although the Chinese government did not success for the Hong Kong film industry. On the political
yet have jurisdiction over Hong Kong, the battle between front, the incoming regime change caused an
the Chinese and the British governments between 1984 unprecedented sense of anxiety among Hong Kong’s
and 1988 shows the determination of the Chinese public as a result of their changing sense of cultural
government to take back the colony, which eventually identity. Influenced by this, many local directors became
occurred in 1997. This situation therefore created more concerned with expressing their local identity and
uncertainty in Hong Kong between 1980 and 1990, their concern at Hong Kong’s uncertain future[8]. For
during which Hong Kong society faced a crisis of example, the films Comrades Almost a Love Story was
identity and confidence as a result of the unknown future released in 1996 and City of Glass was released in 1998.
for Hongkongers, a situation which resulted in social Comrades Almost a Love Story is a representative film
turmoil[3]. The situation of anarchy and confusion in the of the time, and discusses the two waves of migration that
psyche of the public meant that Hong Kong Triad gangs occurred during this period. One was the migration of
were prevalent at the time. These gangs were in cahoots mainlanders to Hong Kong who came in search of
with the local police, meaning they effectively had free financial fortune. The other was the emigration of Hong
reign to operate however they pleased. At the time, many Kong people overseas, due to their lack of faith in the
young boys were proud to join the triads, putting their future, and their frustration with Hong Kong’s prospects.
faith in the values of loyalty, unity, and righteousness[4]. Both films explore the theme of the pursuit of self and
The gang culture that emerged from this turbulent the search for cultural identity. In terms of film
political context was gradually incorporated into production, the pictures were shot in several countries
mainstream culture. As a result, a considerable number and used different languages and ethnic groups on screen,
of romance films were made which combined the subject as a result of the expanded budgets available to the
matter of the Triads, and youth, such as As Tears Go by directors as a result of improved sponsorship. Meanwhile,
in 1988, My Heart Is That Eternal Rose in 1989 and A many directors at the time had experienced life among
Moment of Romance in 1990. These films focus on the different cultures, such as Peter Chan, director of
fate of the small person, who is seen as drifter. The plots Comrades Almost a Love Story, who had spent time
of these films are concerned with the protagonist living in Thailand, the United States, and China. The
pursuing the dream of a reversal of fortune, when in the director of City of Glass, Mabel Cheung, had experience
end, the protagonist realizes they are unable to escape studying experiences in the United Kingdom, the United
their destiny. The theme of conflict is often used to States, and China. This exposure to other cultures meant
express great joy and sorrow in these films, which keeps that the directors’ own backgrounds influenced their
the audience deeply engaged. At the same time, directors cultural awareness, identity and their definition of home,
influenced by Western culture or the New Wave of Hong thus influencing their work in terms of plot and their
Kong film show a strong desire to express the dichotomy knowledge of filmmaking technology and techniques. As
between local traditions and the impact of western a result, most of the films of this period are big-budget
cultures[5]. These directors use filmmaking technology, production, which has a grand theme, and place the
such as slow-motion, romantic visuals, exaggerated interactions of their characters in a sweeping historical
Cantonese tunes and the beautiful setting of the Hong context with a strong sense of political and cultural
Kong Streets to mean that films from the period are anxiety. It can be said that Hong Kong romance films
considered classics of the era. Therefore, many of these produced during this period incorporate diverse cultural
films focus their attention on ordinary people, promoting themes, connotations and filmmaking technology.
individual heroism, and subsequent tragedy, with an eye
to artistic form and thematic pursuits. 2.3 Circa 2000: Commercial Co-production
Becoms a Mainstream Trend
2.2 1990 to 2000: Sweeping Historical Themes
and Big Budget Productions Around 2000, after the handover, the regime
gradually began to stabilize under the conceptual
In the early 1990s, after negotiations between China framework of “one country, two systems”. On 29 June
and the UK, the reunification of Hong Kong with China 2003, Mainland China and Hong Kong signed a free
began to be seen as an inevitability. This resulted in a trade agreement known as the Closer Economic
range of political, economic, and cultural changes. The Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). This not only further
economy saw a dramatic increase in trade between Hong strengthened the economic cooperation and integration
Kong and Mainland China at an average rate of 28% per between Hong Kong and the Mainland, but also fostered

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interaction and cooperation in areas like culture and historical context and incorporating different cultural
politics[9]. Against the backdrop of Hollywood films connotations. Many of the films produced during this
dominating world cinema, the impact of rampant piracy time were big-budget productions, resulting from the
and the Asian financial crisis, Hong Kong films were favourable economic situation in Hong Kong society at
caught in an industrial downturn. Meanwhile, films from that time. Circa 2000, the Chinese government stabilized
the Mainland were also in a state of crisis, having been its influence over Hong Kong. As a result, the improving
forced to open their market after the accession to The economic ties between Hong Kong and mainland China,
World Trade Organization (WTO)[10]. Therefore, under as well as overseas powers, prompted the injection of
the influence of policy and market forces, Hong Kong foreign capital and culture into local romantic films. The
films have increasingly become co-produced with majority of films produced during this period explore the
Mainland China, for example Marriage with a Fool in inner worlds of characters through the lens of their light-
2004 and Perhaps Love in 2005. These films have been hearted plots. They are entertaining in nature and are
injected with financial capital and acting talent from more commercially oriented. It can be concluded that
Mainland China, utilizing production from mainland Hong Kong romance films have evolved as a result of
companies, Chinese actors and directors, etc. In addition societal development and influences like economic and
to the impact of the progressing integration with political changes and progress, resulting in changes in
Mainland China, foreign culture and capital also had a terms of plot, direction and production methods.
significant influence at this time, seen through several However, this study is subject to some limitations, and
multi-national co-productions such as Moonlight the relationship between Hong Kong romance films and
Express in 1999 and A Fighter's Blues in 2000. These societal development would benefit from a broader
films were sponsored by Japanese companies and analysis spanning a longer time frame. Future studies
featured a Japanese female lead. During this period, could also explore the social factors resulting in the
directors preferred to place a spotlight on middle-class decline of Hong Kong romance films after ten years, and
men and women in the modern city, portraying an how they might make a comeback in the future.
egalitarian view of love and providing a greater focus on
the inner world of the individuals concerned. Romance ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
films produced in 2000, also added an element of
comedy, contributing to a cleaner, lighter, and more I would like to thank the following people for helping
enjoyable style, such as Need You and Summer Holiday, with this paper:
both released in 2000. Hong Kong romance films in this David Howard, my professor from the University of
later period were more commercial and diversified in Southern California, gave me a new angle from which to
terms of genre, and focused more on pure entertainment think about how to incorporate cultural elements into
in terms of plot, due to the injection of outside capital and films, leading to the initial inspiration of this paper.
culture.
Patricia Routh, my undergraduate lecturer from
3. CONCLUSION Coventry University, gave me confidence in my abilities
and skills through her encouragement on social media.
This paper has investigated the relationship between
My parents and friends for their patience and support.
Hong Kong romance films and the development of
society during the 1990s and 2000s when Hong Kong
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