In recent weeks the Chinese Communist regime has ceaselessly interfered with NTD's dance competition in Hong Kong, attracting opposition from Hong Kong's art community. A famous figure in Hong Kong's art world, Sou Ji-kiu, is calling on Hong Kong's art community to oppose the regime's interferance.
Sou Ji-kiu is the founder and editor of Hong Kong Art Review and has a unique view when it comes to appraising visual art. When it comes to NTD Television bringing world class dance to Hong Kong—through its Fifth International Classical Chinese Dance Competition held this month—Sou Ji-kiu offers his full support.
[Sou Ji-kiu, HK Art Review Editor]:
“NTD holding the preliminary rounds of the dance competition here in Hong Kong, really has the inner meaning of a pledge to support freedom and I personally really support that. From the standpoint of beauty, they are promoting the goodness in people’s hearts, the value of truth, goodness and beauty is expressed in the traditions of our Chinese culture.”
On the issue of the Chinese Communist regime’s ongoing interference with the competition and trying to stop Mainland contestants taking part in recent months, Sou Ji-kiu said that this really makes people angry and shows how weak the CCP’s grip on power is.
[Sou Ji-kiu, HK Art Review Editor]:
“Even though it is just art, it is very deep and has no political flavor behind it, they still feel they can’t tolerate it—that is really detestable, Hong Kong is now the last semi-free place in the whole of China, so we are definitely playing attention to this and cannot let them go on doing this.”
Sou Ji-kiu, who has already bought a ticket to the competition, is calling on the art world to support the event, and defend Hong Kong’s freedom and democracy.
[Sou Ji-kiu, HK Art Review Editor]:
“I feel that this kind of thing shouldn’t happen in Hong Kong, yet I see it happening. If we watch from the sidelines and don’t do anything, actually we have already lost our last little bit of freedom.”
Sou Ji-kiu says he is going to write the officials in the Hong Kong government’s culture department, and invite them to come and watch the competition. He believes this will also serve as a sign of whether Hong Kong has cultural freedom.
NTD News Hong Kong
