Recently, Lunar New Year Messages from the British Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau have been among the most talked about videos in Hong Kong. The total views, including both Cantonese and English (above) versions, have surpassed 85,000 in four days.
Not surprisingly, it’s the Cantonese version that’s drawn the most attention. It’s not just because Caroline Wilson, the British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau, speaks in Cantonese, but because she writes in traditional Chinese.
And the video is titled “Lunar New Year,” not “Spring Festival,” the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. People never use the term “Spring Festival” in Hong Kong.
The US Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau also uploaded a Chinese New Year Greetings video to YouTube, and you can find some Gangnam Style in it. Indeed, the American Institute in Taiwan has uploaded a similar video, which is even funnier than the one from Hong Kong.
Both the US and British videos have received positive comments, mainly because Hong Kongers appreciate the local traditions and cheerfulness that are depicted. By the way, if you have time, you may want to view CY Leung’s one-minute video. In it, the chief executive wishes Hong Kong people and their families happiness, good health and great success in the year ahead.
In other words: economic development and prosperity. Boring. But at least better than President Hu’s.
A piece of friendly advice to the propaganda department in China: please do something creative with Xi Jinping in his future New Year address — simply change the backdrop, play some music, and remind Xi to smile more.
