前回の入賞スピーチ　２位

Theme: What makes Hong Kong unique?

Kung-fu, what makes Hong Kong what it is.

Ayaka Fujiwara / Keio University

“Who is this super hero? Sarge?... NO.
Rosemary, the telephone operator? ... NO.
Penry, the mild-mannered janitor? ... COULD BE!”

This is the introduction of my favorite cartoon series, Hong Kong Phooey. Hong Kong Phooey is a cartoon that first aired on American TV station, from 1974 to 1976. Hong Kong Phooey, the star of this cartoon, is a secret alter ego of Penry, an anthromorphic dog. Usually he works at a police station as a mild-mannered janitor, but when danger threatens the city or vicious criminals are too tough for the police, Penry magically transforms into the masked martial artist, Hong Kong Phooey. He then goes off to the city to solve the problem and no matter how tough the enemy is, he brilliantly solves the problem every single time, with a little help of his faithful companion, which is a cat called Spot.

Just like it is illustrated in “Hong Kong Phooey”, Kung-fu, the martial art from Hong Kong, has enormous energy in it. There is something about it that makes us excited even looking at it in movies. In fact, I’m thrilled every time I watch movies about Kung-fu.

Another thing that thrills me about Kung-fu is its meaning. Kung-fu means “invention”. It means that practicing or trying something very hard without giving up can result to something new. This is the reason why Kung-fu movies tell us stories about weak main character becoming stronger and stronger after many days of practicing and eventually reaching his goal. By the time one has mastered the martial art of Kung-fu, he is not his weak self anymore. Because he has “Kung-fued” and fought his way out to his stronger self, he is not the same somebody that he initially was anymore.

When I think of Hong Kong, I’m always reminded of its Kung-fu and Jackie Chan but also its energy as one of the world’s most international place. Today, Hong Kong holds the world's 10th largest trading economy. It is a crucial trading partner for many countries, including Japan. When I think of Hong Kong, it always makes me go “WOW!” and makes me proud that Japan is part of the Asian countries as Hong Kong is. But it always makes me wonder, “Where does their energy come from?” “What makes Hong Kong so special?” I came to think that there is a quality about Hong Kong people that doesn’t quite change, even after having been under British rule and after having faced transfer of sovereignty to China.

Since Kung-fu is one of the cultures Hong Kong is famous for, in a way, I believe it represents the characteristics of people in Hong Kong. And I think it is this particular characteristic that makes Hong Kong so important for many other countries. They Kung-fu, meaning they invent, they practice and they try very hard in order to reach their goals. During my last year of Canadian high school, I was lucky enough to become friends with a girl from Hong Kong and we became very close. What I was surprised about her was how diligently she works. When we did a school project together, she worked whenever she had time and never gave up on researches that needed to be done. I was very inspired by her and I was motivated to make that project something better. At the end, we got one of the highest marks for that project. Although English was not her mother language, she still managed to deliver interesting arguments.

I believe this diligent characteristic that could be seen from Kung-fu is one of the qualities of Hong Kong that we, young Japanese, should always look up to. It is something we should be inspired from. It is something we should learn. I’d like to tell the young Japanese: do enjoy Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen. Do enjoy Hong Kong city, its energy and its food. But please remember that there is an underlying meaning to Kung-fu that is crucial when we try to understand what made Hong Kong something so special, something it is today.

Although the great Hong Kong Phooey is quite good at fighting his enemies, it has to be said that he is much helped by his faithful companion Spot, who secretly supports Hong Kong Phooey by making sure he is safe while he is fighting. We know that in real world, Hong Kong is playing the role of Hong Kong Phooey, but who is playing the role of Spot?

In the future, I’d like Japan to support Hong Kong, and have good influence from this country. I’d like Japan to play the role of Spot, the faithful companion that always supports Hong Kong Phooey. I believe Japan and Hong Kong could be great partners, economically speaking but also as leading Asian countries. Just like Hong Kong Phooey and Spot in the real world, I would like us to go hand in hand with each other. Thank you very much for your close attention.

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