A rebellious gangster then. . .

A talented critic now

By Sam Ho

Taking some tobacco out, Leung Man Tau put it onto a cigarette paper and wrapped it carefully.

Mr. Leung, 30, is an art critic, a consultant for various cultural organisations, a judge for numerous drama competitions, and a columnist.

The ethusiast in arts and drama had his wild days. “I was once a gangster during my studies in Taiwan. I was so aggressive that I joined gang fights. I didn’t pay for meals and damaged school facilities.

“I was dissatisfied with my school life. The classroom atmosphere was so suffocating.

“There were soldiers in schools in Taiwan. This made it extremely uncomfortable to learn.”

“I knew lots of gangsters in Taiwan. One day, a number of them came to my school and asked me to join them. The way they suddenly showed up really made the schoolmates nervous,” said he.

Finally, Mr. Leung was expelled from the school. Then he came back to Hong Kong to continue his education.

In 1988, Mr. Leung wrote his first article on drama.

“I read a drama review in Xin Poa but didn’t quite agree with it. So, I wrote some feedback that was published two weeks later,” said he.

“One day, my mother received a call from the editor. He said, ‘Can I speak to Miss Leung Man Tau please?’ My mother said I was a boy and was in school now.

“The editor asked if I was a teacher and he was quite astonished to know the truth.

“This was my debut article.”

His tidy handwriting looks like a girl’s.

This is how his career as a critic began. Gradually, he became a social critic as well.

“I would like to speak out about any unfairness,” said he. “And writing gives me a chance to view an issue from different perspectives.”

Mr. Leung was one of the writers and editors of the government-funded magazine Xpression. The publication created a lot of noise since it criticised the government’s cultural policies and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

“I don’t think that the magazine’s main purpose is to criticise. We just talked about things that were worth discussion.

“I didn’t feel any pressure. Nevertheless, I sensed that some organisations were dissatified. They thought that it was inappropriate to use government funding to criticise government policies.”

Mr. Leung finished his bachelor’s studies at the Department of Philosophy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

A few months after his graduation, he pursued a master’s degree in philosophy.

However, he did not graduate in the required 4 years as he failed to hand in his thesis on time.

Said he: “I had many things to do, say, writing reviews for newspapers.

“I did not feel disappointed for I had really learnt a lot, and the degree is just a symbol. It’s not that important.

“However, I did feel sorry for my teacher. He was kind to me and so I thought that I had disappointed him.

“In fact, he wasn’t. He even made a joke about me, telling me that I was the first one who set a precedent for other students to follow by not turning in my thesis on time,” said he.

After graduation, Mr. Leung continues to be a critic and engages in drama production as well.

“I enjoy the creation of a performance. When the production is finished, I, as a drama critic, give them opinions for improvement. This is really fun,” said he.

“I regret not developing a specific thing. And I was used to being too narrow-minded,” he said. “Yet, I have never forced myself to do anything I don’t like.”

Asked to give advice to youths, he advised youths to develop a hobby.

“I feel that youngsters nowadays do not have hobbies. No leisure activities can entertain a person for a lifetime, but a hobby can,” said he.

Photos by Sam Ho