Cultural Policy and East Asian Rivalry

Hong Kong was once an established hub of creativity in Asia recognized internationally for its cinema, Bruce Lee and Kung Fu. Cantopop, its particular form of pop music, was popular throughout China and East Asia from the 1970s. So why is Hong Kong’s creative industry today in a state of stagnation? Cultural Policy and East Asian Rivalry unravels the challenges faced by the creative industries in Hong Kong in relation to the wider East Asian context in countries including Singapore, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and China. Based on a four-year study of the gaming industry in Hong Kong, this book explores the barriers that creative industries face in the region. Fung argues that a lack of cultural policy in Hong Kong has damaged the gaming industry and by extension all creative industries in the region by rendering them uncompetitive. Conversely, the growing strength of cultural policy in other countries across the region has created further barriers for the industry.