Is Cantonese in danger? Hongkongers take steps to protect their heritage
Worried that the future of Cantonese is under threat, some Hongkongers are taking it upon themselves to prevent their heritage from disappearing altogether, writes Ben Sin
When the Education Bureau stated on its website last month that Cantonese was not an official language of Hong Kong, it struck a nerve with citizens. After all, the language is spoken by 97 per cent of the population.
A swift apology from education officials notwithstanding, many Hongkongers saw it as a sign of the government's continued sidelining of Cantonese in favour of Putonghua.
The bureau's actions really have me worried that Cantonese is in danger
A couple of days later, local news site Passion Times shone light on a video produced by HKedCity, which literally demonised Cantonese. Its crude plot revolved around a devil using Cantonese in an evil scheme to rule the world, but is eventually defeated by a group of Putonghua-speaking heroines.
With the video coming from the Education Bureau's e-learning portal, graphic designer and illustrator Ng Kap-chuen saw it as propaganda.
"The bureau's actions really have me worried that Cantonese is in danger," he says.
The 32-year-old was already active on popular online forum Hong Kong Golden under the nom de plume, Ah To. But as he joined others in venting his discontent on the forum, where discussions are seen as an indicator of the local zeitgeist, Ng decided he could do something to help protect his culture.
