In this essay, I would to discuss the relationship between the songs of Sam Hui and the identity of Hong Kong people and their worried of coming 1997. Also, can the songs help nurture the indigenous identity? Sometimes the lyrics of Sam Hui are humorous, and sometimes satirical. One can say if you listen to his albums in chronological order, you will get a history lesson for HK. Look past his lyrics and you will see his music also merged rock music and Cantonese lyrics, without which you will not get bands like Beyond or singers like Danny Summer.
His ballads are extremely catchy and ever-growing in complexity. Sam is not the greatest of vocalists, but his vocals are extremely natural and are matched by few in delivery and diction. HK pop, and HK pop culture in general, owes a debt to his continued influence until this very day. His title of "God of Songs" is more than well-deserved. Then, let's take a deep look into this topic. Samuel Hui is the pioneer of Hong Kong pop music, which became a genre known as "Cantopop".
The most important figure in HK pop music, Sam Hui's musical legacy looms over everyone in HK pop music. Sam Hui not only sings the songs HK people enjoy, he wrote the vast majority of them as well. Most will know him from his humorous songs about life in HK, but behind each of these songs are reflections of HK society. His songs were so down-to-earth, describing the working lives of Hong Kong's everyday folk. His music connected with the people across the economic divide, whether they were rich, in the middle or relatively poor.
His songs are well accepted by people of all ages. His songs are sung over and over again by today's pop singers (either through live performances, or re-singing them into their respective singles or albums). Sam's songs shall be everlasting classics to be enjoyed for many generations to come. Historical records indicate that the area now known as Hong Kong has been inhabited for about 6,000 years. When the British arrived in the early 19th century there was a population of about 3650 people in the harbor.
Hong Kong Island became British territory when China was forced to cede the territory during the First Opium War under the Convention of Chuengpi, which was signed on January 20, 1841. The British wanted the island because of its fine anchorage and strategic location on the Far East trade routes. Hostilities between Britain and China concerning trading and diplomatic rights continued through 1860 and ended with the signing of the Convention of Peking, which led to a lease of the land on the Kowloon Peninsula.
By a convention signed in Peking in 1898, Britain leased the remainder of what is now Hong Kong including the New Territories and 235 islands for a period of 99 years. By the 1990's, the city had grown to become one of Asia's largest and most efficient regional financing, business, and media centers. The government hopes to turn Hong Kong, which escaped the worst of the regional financial crisis in 1997 and 1998, into a technology center in the coming years. Britain's rule of Hong Kong ended in 1997 when the 99-year lease on much of the land in Kowloon and the New Territories ended.
Britain's rule of Hong Kong ended in 1997 when the 99-year lease on much of the land in Kowloon and the New Territories ended. While the British government owned Hong Kong Island outright it chose to give that small piece of land back to China as apart of the Handover agreement. The city's sovereignty returned to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997 as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. Today the social, administrative and legal framework of Hong Kong is guaranteed by the government of the PRC for fifty years starting from the handover day.
Much has remained the same from the period before the return to Chinese rule. Because Hong Kong has become one of Asia's largest and most efficient regional financing, business, and media centers. Hong Kong people are proud of themselves who have very good living conditions so they do not want to change suddenly. I chosen two songs—"Whatever 1997????? " and "IN THE SAME SHIP???? " from Sam Hui that describes the situation of Hongkongese. For the detail of this two songs, please refer to index 1. "Whatever 1997 " is one of the song which describes the worried of Hongkongese.
People are also worried about the future a good deal, depending on which aspect of it you ask about, and that worry has been growing, not diminishing, as the handover nears. People are also increasingly worried about the efficiency of the government after the handover and about corruption, and concern over corruption has been rising dramatically, Corruption is becoming a focus of concern, and this is the greatest danger Hong Kong faces. So many people expect, or fear, that by 2000 or later Hong Kong will become much more of a corrupt place, with a less responsive and less open government.