Interviews Interview June 2022∣Youth Hong Kong
A global cultural supermarket • Many Hong Kong youth are able to choose what to do with their lives, says Professor Gordon Mathews, but there are many unknowns for them to face. • He uses the image of a global cultural supermarket to evoke the breadth of their opportunities. • Cultural sensitivity is crucial for maximizing their potential, especially when they are unsure of both their own and their city’s sense of identity. • Good communication and trust can grow out of such sensitivity and are needed by everyone who is concerned about Hong Kong’s young people.
YHK You use the phrase “global cultural supermarket”* to describe the environment in which today’s young people live. Can you explain this concept? GM Imagine walking around the supermarket. You can pick and choose what you like from the shelves. I use this image to paint a picture of young people in Hong Kong. Many of them are able to choose what to do with their lives. There is a multitude of opportunities available to them.
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l 香港中文大學人類學系教授 Gordon Mathews 形容，香港青年人生活在一個「全球文化超 市」，他們能夠選擇自己理想的生活，在本地 和海外亦有不同機會；不過，他指近年香港的 環境，的確讓青年難以預視這個城市未來的發 展前景。 l 他觀察到，這裡的年輕人已經開始養成一種 文 化 敏 感 度。 面 對 年 輕 人 與 內 地 的 矛 盾， Gordon Mathews 認為雙方應多溝通，求同存 異。他希望香港繼續成為一個充滿活力的空 間，作出自己獨特的貢獻，不僅對國家，而是 對整個世界。
When they ask, “where should I go?” or “what should I do?” they can look around and choose different options, both overseas and locally. This is true despite troubling recent experiences here. It is also true that we are at a time when they can’t foresee the consequences for Hong Kong’s future. Nevertheless, they have big advantages, including good English and a cosmopolitan outlook. For example, I sometimes hear from past students who are making the world their home – for them it’s like a “global supermarket.” One of them is a journalist in New York,
