Post-colonizing Hong Kong (March 13)

1. Ambivalent identities: (post)colonial traces

1.1. Local identities in the colonial context
-Nationalist
-Comprador
-Refugee

1.2. De-colonialization without independence (沒有獨立的非殖民化／Lau Siu Kai)

1.3. Resumption of sovereignty without de-colonialization?

1.4. A nationalist project: defining the identity of people

1.5. Ambivalent identities: Who am I? Pro-China or pro-Britain?


2. Infernal Affairs: a political allegory(政治寓言)

2.1. What is "allegory"?
-a short moral story (often with animal characters)
-a visible symbol representing an abstract idea an expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances
-an extended metaphor.

2.2. The historical and political background of Infernal Affairs II: The transitional period and handover

2.3. The shifting identities of Hong Kong people (gangster<-->police)

2.4. Allegory is not necessarily a mirror reflecting the reality. But it inspires our allegorical thinking of the reality.


3. "Undercover" movie as a special genre (類型) of Hong Kong movie

3.1. Man on the brink(1981, 邊緣人), directed by Zhang guoming(章國明)

3.2. City on Fire (1987, 龍虎風雲), directed by Ringo Lam (林嶺東)

3.3. Undercover
-a disguised police/gangster
-real identity being hidden and suppressed
-an in-between identity
-an ambivalent identity

3.4. Police: modern (westernized), rational, rule of law, justice

3.5. Gangster: traditional, sentimental, criminal, yiqi (義氣: botherhood, friendship, ... ...)

3.6. Undercover: a tragic hero

4. Infernal affairs: "To start over"（重新做人）and "To be a good person" (我想做好人)

4.1. Two meanings of "To start over"

4.2. For Chan Wing Yan (陳永仁), it refers to recovering his authentic identity and getting out of his ambivalent and in-between position.

4.3. For Lau Kin Ming(劉建明), it refers to covering up his past and making further collaboration (勾結) with others.

4.4. Death (Chan): Pursuing authentic identity

4.5. Survival (Lau): Covering up more "dirty pasts" to disguise himself as a cop (Infernal Affairs 無間道)

4.6. Infernal affairs: suffering from ambivalent and in-between identities

5. Infernal Affairs II: 1991-1997

5.1. A story happens before 1997 but told in 2003.

5.2. A legend was born at "the best of times" and "the worst of times".

5.3. Ambivalent and collaborative identities:

*Chan Wing Yan: "To be a good person"
-A son of a gangster family (Ngai)
-He wanted to join police force for getting rid of his past (his relationship with gangsters).
-He became an undercover cop in order to be a "good person".

*Inspector Wong(黃 sir)
-Collaborating with Hon Sum's (韓琛) wife to kill Ngan Kwan for revenge.
-Covering up his collaboration with gangsters.

*Lau Kin Ming
-Undercover gangster in police force
-Betraying Hon Sum's wife for being an undercover in police force.

*Ngai Wing Hao(倪永孝)
-Maintaining the authority and power of Ngai's family
-Pursuing the identity of businessman
-Making collaboration with political people and China government

*Hon Sum:
-The winner is the guy who could make collaboration with others.

5.4. Analysis of two scenes

5.4.1. Scene I (Chapter 13):
-Covering up the "pasts"-collaboration-modern legal system
"The law will continue to back me up"

5.4.2. Scene II (Chapter 16):
-Handover in 1997
-Hon Sum (the winner) joined the cocktail party to celebrate the "Handover".
-Collaboration continues... ...

6. Infernal Affairs III: The victory of the modern power?

6.1. What are the symbolic meanings of the character of Yeung Kam Wing(楊錦榮)?
-He is good at playing politics and collaborating with everyone.
-His past remains a mystery
-He knows and keeps file records

6.2. Why did Lau Kin Ming become a loser?
-He felt anxious about his ambivalent identity
-He attempts to reveal Yeung's identity

7. Infernal affairs: Hong Kong's postcoloniality

7.1. Hong Kong is NOT a fusion of the West and the East but trapped in the confrontation between two worlds

7.2. The modern world: rationality, rule of law, justice, ... ...

7.3. The underworld: irrationality, violence, "relation", dirty politics, ... ...
Example: Election(2005)
Election in the triad society: Election of Chief Executive

7.4. Ambivalent identities: shuttling between these two worlds

7.5. Collaborative (post-)colonialism (Donald Tsang? A colonial bureaucrat? A patriot? A salesman? )

7.6. "Infernal affairs" as a metaphor: Hong Kong's ontological situatation in the post-colonial politics.

Reading:
羅永生＜作为政治寓言的「无间道系列」＞

Next week
Wong Kar Wai 2046 and In the mood for love (2000)