[District Council Election] Participating in the Hope to build a humanities community artist.. Dull Parliament needs more creativity

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Written by: Lu Yi'an

2019-11-23 18:00

The district board election is approaching. There are over a thousand candidates from the 452 constituencies in the district. There are at least two candidates competing in each constituency. It is the first time since the reunification that no one has been automatically elected. In the election, there are several people in the art and the election. I hope that after the last Yang Xueying won a seat in Wanchai, more people will enter the parliament. The artists who participated in the competition came from different fields. The woodcarving artist Wang Tianren challenged the scenic spot and the photographer Cai Xuwei was selected for the Shata District. The Wan Chai District also had a number of arts and cultural planning circles to form the "Wan Chai Start", which is expected to be built from the bottom up. The platform for discussion. In the end, what power can an artist play in the district council?

The visual artist Chen Jincheng worked and lived in Wanchai many years ago. He participated in the Blue House Revitalization Project and made guided tours. The experience of meeting and creating together with the neighbourhood in the past opened up his imagination of the community. This time he was elected to the Southorn District and most hoped to promote the participation of the neighbours. "If urban planning lacks residents' participation, it will make a lot of things that are not applicable. On the contrary, it can enhance your sense of belonging to the community."

Chen Jincheng (left) worked and lived in Wan Chai many years ago. He participated in the Blue House Revitalization Project and made guided tours. This time he was selected for the Southorn District and most hoped to promote the participation of the neighbourhood in urban planning. (photo by Huang Shuhui)

Wan Chai has special significance for art workers. There are Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and many important cultural events are held here every year. There are many reconstruction projects in this area. The Blue House Complex and No. 7 Maoluo Street are places with strong cultural atmosphere. Chen Jincheng is a frequent visitor to the Hong Kong Arts Centre. He has seen many exhibitions, movies and theaters. Wan Chai can be said to be the starting point for his understanding of art. Later, he rented a studio in Wanchai and met the head of the St. James' Settlement in Shishuiqu Street, Wanchai, and became a core member of the Wan Chai Folk Life Museum. The Wan Chai Folk Living Museum is the later Hong Kong Story House. It is the product of the Blue House Revitalization Project. It is located in the Blue House. In the process of renovation and renovation of the Blue House, the Folk Life Museum has continuously recruited neighborhoods and opened up work linking the communities. "I am mainly engaged in design and creation. I will help me in meetings and exhibitions and get to know some neighborhoods."

If urban planning lacks residents' participation, it will make a lot of things that are not applicable. On the contrary, it can strengthen everyone's sense of belonging to the community... I understand that the district councils have limited things to do, and they can't do it in four years. Then they will do it for another four years.

At that time, there were many interesting activities in Wan Chai, such as finding a neighborhood to make a community guided tour, replacing money with time-based vouchers, and residents participating in the design of Wang Wang Street Rest. The time vouchers are proposed by St. James. The exchanges exchange skills and services, calculate the labor effort in time, and exchange the time needed for the activities. The activities not only promote the interaction between the neighborhoods, but also help to build a community network. The community has saved itself. The residents of Wan Chai have already demonstrated as early as ten years ago. Chen Jincheng remembers these experiences. Another example is the Dawangdong Street Rest Area, where residents rarely participate in discussions and give opinions. The architect hopes that there will be more cultural and artistic elements in the rest area and find Chen Jincheng and Ma Qiongzhu to create. Chen Jincheng is responsible for one of the murals on the stone wall. "I asked the neighborhood to take some old objects and share the relationship between the old things and them. I built a picture with those objects and painted the walls together with the neighborhood." The experience of accomplishing one thing made him realize that it is not the snakes, but the most basic care and interaction between people.

The Wan Chai Folk Living Museum is the later Hong Kong Story House. It is the product of the Blue House Revitalization Project. It is located in the Blue House. (Photo picture / Lin Ruoqin photo)

Urgent need for people in need

In Wanchai, there were two district board members who paid more attention to community building. One was Huang Yingqi and the other was Yang Xueying (Da Hang) who was elected last time. During his tenure, Huang Yingqi actively participated in community planning and promoted citizen participation. The activation of Blue House is one of them. Yang Xueying is an art department and often speaks for art and literature, focusing on the activation of public buildings and public spaces. In addition to her and Chen Jincheng, there are two other artists in this Wanchai candidate, Luo Weishan (Aiqun) and Zhang Jiali (Happy Valley). The former is engaged in art administration and has worked in the geisha bookstore in Fudelou, Wanchai for many years. The latter is an art curator and has many new ideas for the community, such as proposing an ecological guided tour group and exploring the human history in the neighborhood.

"Humanistic care is very important, because in these months of exercise, we can't see the value of people. It is regarded as an object, a yellow object, and it seems that it is not a human being," Chen Jincheng said. He refused to be an off-site artist and believed that the community should reshape the human values ​​and listen to the voices of the residents. He said that in the past, the district boards were not doing enough. They often only knew how to repair roads and repair traffic lights. "I don't mean that these are not important, but how to connect everyday things to care. We are behind the traffic lights. The people who are inconvenient and old and weak, but the District Council only emphasizes what has been done and cannot say why."

In the election, there are several people in the art and the election. I hope that after the last Yang Xueying won a seat in Wanchai, more people will enter the parliament. (Photo picture / Luo Junhao photo)

The District Council is criticized for its lack of decision-making power. The work of district board members is limited to people's livelihood and has little to do with policy formulation and monitoring. There is a distance between ideals and reality. "I admire Yang Xueying. She is one of the few (Wan Chai District Council). This time we formed Wanchai to start. If there are ten people in the good color, it will become the most. The District Council has most people with similar ideas. The biggest change is to openly discuss the real needs of the residents." Chen Jincheng believes that the role of the district board members can also be done. The key is that it is not impossible. "Sometimes it is because you try your best." During the promotion period, there are The neighborhood is worried, saying that there are SEN (special education needs) children in the family, but the community has no support. The hospital schedule has to wait for three years. In the past three years, the parents were helpless and did not know what to do. Chen Jincheng asked the district boards to have resources to help these children. "There are 100 million lectures in the district. Instead of spending money on landmarks such as fountains, why don't we use these resources to do some workshops, let the children stretch through sports, art and creation? Physical and mental." The need of an urgent person is urgently needed, and it is his hope for the identity of the district board member.

It’s hopeful to stick to the community.

In recent years, he was elected as an elected member of the visual arts community of the Arts Development Council to help approve the funding and monitoring system. The ADC has a system of lectures, and the examination and approval is not transparent enough. It is not a big deal in the eyes of artists. He is in it, but he has another feeling. Dealing with officials, he found that there is no shortage of people inside, and the other side hopes to promote the development of art and try to move within the system. "After six years ago, I selected a lot of friends and said that I couldn’t do anything inside. I went in. I still have something to do, such as simplifying the approval process and creating more space. The space managed by the ADC in the past few years. Many people are paying attention to the factory studios. We have been lobbying officials for ten years to revise the building regulations. The art studios can be exempted. Some things you know in them will be known."

Chen Jincheng believes that the role of a district board member can also be done. The key is that it is not something that can't be done. "Sometimes it is you who do your best." (photo by Huang Shuhui)

The same situation can be applied to the District Councils. It should not be tried because there are too many limitations. "The District Councils have their own resources and those resources can be used better. Taking cultural projects as an example, the district boards are now engaged in concerts and tour groups. Apart from eating and drinking, is cultural tourism feasible? Can we provide Spiritual Snake Cake?” For example, collecting stories from neighborhoods and sharing in the community. When young people encounter difficulties and think of these fragments, they may not choose to be suicidal. "I understand that the District Councils have limited things to do, but we must continue to think about it. If we can't do it in four years, then we will do it for another four years. We must insist on doing it, and the community will have hope."

Artists in politics may not be able to attack a rigid system, but at least they can bring a little more imagination to the dull council. "Now is not creative enough. You have to talk to someone tomorrow. What background do you have? What words should be used to make them understand that this is a kind of creativity." Community creation requires creativity, and community activities involve creativity. "The establishment is here. After doing it for more than ten years, will we have other possibilities in this state? Try it, if you can't finish it, then you will return to your previous life."

Other candidates for the relevant constituencies in this session are - Kwai Tsing District Lai King: Zhou Yixi; North District Sanda: Gao Wiki; Wan Chai District Southorn: Li Biyi; Wan Chai District Tai Hang: Liao Tiancheng; Wanchai District Aiqun: Mu Jiajun; Happy Valley, Wan Chai District: Chen Yuxia (2047 Hong Kong Supervision), Wu Zesen.

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The above is published in the 189th issue of "Hong Kong 01" Weekly (November 18, 2019). "Artists are looking forward to building a humanities community. "The dull council needs more creativity."

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01 Weekly District Council District Council Election 2019