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Key to success in China

Understanding Mainland
culture, taste essential

Financial Secretary Henry Tang (left) and Vice Minister of Commerce An Min at CEPA ceremonies earlier this year. (Courtesy of Trade Development Council.)

By Kayu Wong

The Hong Kong government has placed emphasis on the development of creative industries in order to boost the region’s slumping economy, as highlighted in the Chief Executive’s Policy Address 2003.

While the opening of the vast Chinese market provides creative industries with prospects for new developments, the success of the industries’ expansion in the Mainland depends on investors’ knowledge of the market, as well as the quality of their creative ideas.

Prof. Kwok Siu Tong of the Department of History at The Chinese University of Hong Kong said, “Although Hong Kong enjoys the advantage of geographical proximity to the Mainland, Hong Kong people’s knowledge of the culture and mentality of Mainlanders has remained shallow.”

Prof. Kwok has conducted extensive research on the history and the government’s strategic planning for creative industries in Hong Kong. He offered a course in the university in September to study and compare the history and development of creative industries in both Hong Kong and on the Mainland.

“Mainlanders have become richer and better educated. They now demand a higher quality of life,” said Prof. Kwok.

“The key to succeed in the China market is to find out the attitudes, values, perceptions and desires of people there,” Prof Kwok added.

“Hong Kong is slower and weaker than other multi-national corporations in this aspect.” Prof. Kwok said.

The Coca-Cola Company was the earliest multi-national corporation to land in China. Its first branch was set up in Shanghai in 1927. Later, in the 1980s, other corporations followed into the market. All these corporations spent considerable resources on research into the consumption patterns in the region before entering the market.

However, Prof. Kwok said Hong Kong still enjoys a certain degree of advantages in the development of creative industries in the Mainland.

According to Prof. Kwok, Hong Kong’s colonial past has made the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures possible. The open social atmosphere and freedom of speech in Hong Kong have created an excellent breeding ground for creative ideas to develop. Hong Kong also possesses sufficient human resources and knowledge in marketing and management to turn its cultural heritage into goods and services.

“The problem is that many Hong Kong people now seem to lack confidence in the quality of their creative ideas,” he said.

“Since 1998, Hong Kong has experienced economic downturn, political crisis and natural disaster such as SARS. Together with the turbulent change of economic relationship with the Pearl River Delta region, the creative industries are facing a lot of difficulties in adjusting their competitiveness and defining its own position in the market.” Prof Kwok said.

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