Seeking out ‘soft resistance' will harm Hong Kong artists, prominent playwright says after minister's warning of scrutiny
Actively looking for 'soft resistance' will harm Hong Kong artists and their works, prominent playwright Candace Chong has said, after a minister vowed to scrutinise event subsidies and performance venues.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Chong said she was worried the focus on 'soft resistance' would become an operation to 'disturb people,' as every minor detail and every report from 'a nobody' might be considered as evidence of soft resistance.
Chong's remarks come after local media outlets, including am730 and Beijing-backed newspaper Wen Wei Po, published interviews with Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law, in which she warned about ongoing threats from 'soft resistance.'
The interviews were published on Friday, 10 days before the city marks five years since Beijing imposed a national security law.
Law said 'soft resistance' may take the form of performance content, song lyrics, and storylines, and therefore, authorities would vet applications for event subsidies and performance venues, as well as exhibition content and library collections.
In the Chinese-language post, Chong wrote: 'Breaking the law is breaking the law. You can prosecute someone suspected of breaking the law. [But] looking for soft resistance, that would become an operation to disturb people.
'Because your staff at every level will scrutinise us under a microscope, as [they] want to please their superiors or they are just afraid of making mistakes… how many innocent people and pieces of work would be wronged?'
The 48-year-old playwright also asked: 'And will I be classified as 'soft resistance' for honestly sharing my opinions?'
Chong is known for writing scripts for plays such as The French Kiss, The Wild Boar, Murder in San José, and May 35th. She has won the Hong Kong Drama Award's Best Script prize seven times. In 2010, she received the title Best Drama (Artist) from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
'Visible cancellations, invisible suppression'
Since 2021, government officials have cited 'soft resistance' as a threat to national security, although they have not provided a clear definition of the term.
Authorities have also encouraged members of the public to report incidents or people suspected of endangering national security via a national security hotline established in late 2020.
Security chief Chris Tang said earlier in June that the hotline had received over 920,000 reports over the past four years.
Chong also said on Sunday that 'too many productions and artists have been cancelled over the past few years. There were some visible cancellations, and some invisible suppression.'
Hong Kong has seen sudden cancellations of cultural events, including a school cancelling the lease agreement with a performance arts group; the West Kowloon Cultural District axing the venue booking of Cantopop singer Pong Nan, known for his support of the 2019 anti-extradition bill movement; and parody singer Sunny Lam calling off his concert after 'careful consideration.'
urging for clarification on 'soft resistance' and the 'bottom line' of the national security law. Chan said that a lack of certainty around what was allowed had left Hongkongers afraid to speak up.
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