An Alternative Revival
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It isn’t often that a group of volunteers steal the show at an event attended by thousands but the Renaissance Foundation doesn’t recruit ordinary volunteers. For its Renaissance 2012 Music Festival in the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong， this fledgling NGO pulled out the big guns.
Among their ranks are China’s favorite writer-spokesmodel-rally-driver Han Han， multiple award-winning independent director Jia Zhangke， veteran Taiwanese lyricist Yao Qian and Shu Kei， dean of film and television studies at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts， to name just a few.
Their leader， and likely the busiest of the group， is alternative singer， composer and music producer Anthony Wong a muchloved Hong Kong performer who has consistently bridged the gap between the independent and mainstream music industries in the region.
On the evening of November 24， 2012， Wong closed out the festival， which， for the first time， brought together alternative and independent musicians from the mainland， Hong Kong and Taiwan in an all-star showcase. And in stark contrast to Hong Kong’s overtly commercialized and often prohibitively expensive entertainment world， the festival was free of charge.
Wong， the festival’s organizer， is the founding president of the Renaissance Foundation， an NGO founded by a group of leading figures in Chinese art and literature. “All those involved believe that art and literature are very important， or even the most important things，” said Anthony Wong.
A successful alternative singer who made his name in the 1980s， Wong is one of the few in Hong Kong’s pop music scene best known for his attempts to push back musical frontiers.
The foundation was formally established on September 29， and put on its first largescale event， the free music festival， just two months later. Without pausing for breath， the group held a film festival from November 25 to December 16， screening arthouse and independent movies from across Greater China. A series of funding schemes for 2013 were also unveiled.
Clearly， Wong and his star-studded staff have been working nonstop， with a firm belief that independent Chinese culture has the strength to survive. “It’s an attempt at self-rescue by independent intellectuals and artists，” said Wong， 50.
“Suppose we don’t need literature and art. We don’t have discussions. We don’t read books only comics. All lyrics talk about is love， and we don’t have spiritual enjoyment or think on a more abstract level. Will we be happy？” he asked. “If we only work to make money， and then we spend our money， we are no different from machines.”
Right Place， Right Time
Wong has attained widespread popularity in Hong Kong， Taiwan and the mainland， yet his style is distinctly different from the rest of the heavily-sanitized pop industry. When Wong was a radio DJ 37 years ago， another young composer and guitarist Tats Lau advertised in a music magazine looking for a singer. Wong went for an audition， and the two formed a group： the Tat Ming Pair.
With elements of western music styles like new wave and post-punk， their music clashed heavily with the Hong Kong pop scene， and Wong’s long hair and glam-rock style makeup made the duo’s statement even bolder. However， their music was also catchy， with thoughtful， poetic lyrics that earned them significant market recognition. They soon became one of the biggest groups in Hong Kong.
The group’s songs touched a wide range of social issues such as homosexuality， nuclear power plants， emigration and AIDS. “Music can be cloistered. But it can also record changes in society. I think the latter is very important. That’s why I chose to devote myself to music，”said Wong. Meanwhile， he also noted that the “openness” of the time had contributed largely to the group’s success.
Hong Kong’s economy took off in the 1960s， and by the 1980s， it had become one of the most developed areas in the world. “People became richer， and they wanted more choice，” said Wong. Also， as a former British colony， Hong Kong was exposed to heavy cultural influences from the West. Besides the Tat Ming Pair， there were also several other alternative bands and groups， introducing elements of rock， rap and electronic music to Hong Kong listeners.
In 1991， Tats Ming Pair disbanded due to musical differences， alongside various other reasons. Meanwhile， the space for independent music in Hong Kong was also shrinking quickly. “The media talked mainly about the economy， GDP ， entertainment and gossip. There were few people who cared about art and independent music，” said Liang Dong， spokesperson for the Renaissance Foundation.“Since then， not a single music magazine has survived in Hong Kong.”
Bridging the Gap
Yet Wong’s solo career went pretty well. In the mid-1990s， plenty of his songs hit the top on Hong Kong’s pop charts， and he received many prestigious music awards.
Wong still persisted with his pursuit of independent music. In 1999， he founded the music production company People Mountain People Sea. The company not only produced and released albums for high-profile pop singers but also local alternative and experimental musicians and groups like At17 and PixelToy.
However， promoting independent music and culture wasn’t easy. Zhang Tie-zhi， a famous Taiwanese music critic and adviser to the Renaissance Foundation， said that the space for independent creativity has been suppressed by strong commercial interests over the last decade. “A good musician could hardly make any money， unless they signed with a major record company， which are only interested the market. Commercial temptations have seriously affected independent creativity，” he said. For Wong， independent music and culture become even more important under such conditions. “Independent artists are pioneers. They walk faster than others. They often impact the mainstream and push forward，” said Wong. He remains optimistic about his efforts： “I think that there is fertile soil for avant-garde and experimental culture everywhere. Hong Kong has this soil， with its strong social order and openness，” he said.
The Renaissance Foundation aims to build a platform for communication between independent artists from the mainland， Hong Kong， Taiwan and Macau. Wong’s pursuit of independent culture， and his popularity in all four markets， make him the perfect frontman for the organization.
“In Hong Kong， there are few singers like Wong who have survived in the independent and mainstream scenes， without being swallowed by the latter，” said Liang Dong. “The foundation needs people like Anthony Wong and Han Han，” said Zhang Tie-zhi. “They have remained independent， yet are influential in the market.”
However， it has been suggested that this group of singers， writers， directors and critics might be too idealistic to run the foundation practically and effectively. Wong responded to the doubt by affirming his endeavor： “We do not just provide sponsorship for independent creators. More importantly， we cooperate with them closely and give them professional and artistic direction，” he said. Over his decades of experience in the independent scene， Wong has found that independent artists often have the desire to create， but lack powers of execution. The foundation aims to “provide independent creators with direction， and an atmosphere for creation.”
As the foundation has just been established， Wong has much to ascertain before moving forward. “There are too many things to think about. What kind of music should we give the audience？ How can we support independent creators？ Yet one thing is for sure： independent work will make waves in the mainstream， while itself continuing to move ahead.”