Singapore’s former foreign minister George Yeo has given a sterling endorsement of late Hong Kong wuxia novelist Louis Cha Leung-yung, or Jin Yong, recognising his works as “good wine with multi-layers” while the much-touted Taylor Swift concerts in the city state are like “enjoying a soda” with an immediate sweet kick.
Yeo offered his compliments on Friday after attending the opening of the “A Path to Glory – Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial” exhibit to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the novelist’s birth.
It is the latest mega event following a recent debate in Hong Kong among lawmakers and business leaders about whether the city should bring in big concerts by superstars such as Taylor Swift who had her Southeast Asian tour exclusive to Singapore earlier this month.
“Taylor Swift is like enjoying a soda. It will give you an immediate kick. It’s fizzy, it’s sweet,” said the Hong Kong-based Yeo, who is a fan of Jin Yong.
“[For]Jin Yong, it is like enjoying a very, very good wine. It’s multilayered. And it is of the past and of the future. There’s no comparison in my mind between Taylor Swift and Jin Yong.”
Concerts by the American star in Singapore became a hot topic in Hong Kong after the latter pledged to boost its local economy through hosting a string of mega events.
Singapore paid the American pop star to make the city state the sole Southeast Asian stop on her world tour. Economists estimated the deal would bring US$372 million in tourist receipts for the country.
Novelist Louis Cha’s characters come to life in Hong Kong sculpture exhibitions
Novelist Louis Cha’s characters come to life in Hong Kong sculpture exhibitions
Yeo, who moved to Hong Kong to join the private sector after losing his parliamentary seat in the 2011 general election, endorsed the exhibition, which features sculptures of characters Cha created in his works.
“Of course, it’s good for tourism. I have no doubts that when they [tourists] come here, they will want to visit the exhibition. Many of them grew up with Jin Yong,” he said.
The two instalments of sculptures, part of the city’s “Art March”, opened to the public for free at Edinburgh Place in Central and the Heritage Museum in Sha Tin from Friday.
Yeo said Hong Kong needed patience in its efforts to reap the rewards of boosting tourism. He said there were stumbling block such as the ongoing Western campaign to pull down the city by making it “seem as if it is oppressed, barbed wires everywhere, policemen with sticks and so on”.
“It’s of course completely untrue. It will take time for Hong Kong to ride out this phase. So we must not be impatient … Do not see this as something which can be corrected with one or two events,” he said.
When asked whether his home country was doing a better job of hosting mega events than Hong Kong, Yeo said both had their own irreplaceable advantages and rivalry indeed existed “at the margin”.
World in ‘transition’ from US-led order to multipolar one: Singapore’s George Yeo
World in ‘transition’ from US-led order to multipolar one: Singapore’s George Yeo
“But we cannot own Jin Yong the way Hong Kong can own him. And we cannot celebrate him the way Hong Kong can celebrate him,” he said.
A military officer-turned-politician, Yeo also gave his support for the city’s looming domestic national security law, saying the legislation would serve Hong Kong’s interests and deal with “troublemakers” who try to cause disruption.
“You must have it. It should have been done much earlier,” he said.
Hong Kong is fast-tracking the Safeguarding National Security Bill with a series of marathon vetting meetings held by the Legislative Council since last Friday.
The bill, which is expected to be on the statute books in days, is mandated under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, and will complement the 2020 Beijing-imposed national security law.
