The rise and fall of Hong Kong showbiz 香港娛樂業的興衰起伏

馬國民

海詞積累

1. showbiz n. 娛樂界;娛樂性行業

2. Cantonese n. 粵語

3. isolated adj. 孤獨的;單獨的

4. quasi-?類似（詞前綴）

5. overshadow v. 使失色;使蒙上陰影

The boom of Hong Kong's entertainment industry took place in the 1970s to 1980s， driven by the city's rapid economic growth.

At its zenith， Hong Kong stars were household names among the Chinese community worldwide， a source of pride for the city. In the past decade， however， with fans' attention turning to K-pop and local artistes taking their acts to the more mainland market， where money was more easily earned; some of this glory has been lost.

In the 1980s and 1990s， Hong Kong's film industry was the third-largest in the world after Bollywood and Hollywood. By then， names such as Jackie Chan， Bruce Lee and filmmaker Wong Kar-wai had gained international reputation.

But the blossoming of showbiz in Hong Kong came a decade before such heights. Canto-pop took rise in the mid-1970s when “God of Songs” Sam Hui Koon-Kit began singing love songs in Cantonese. Marrying the tones of Western music to modern Chinese lyrics sung in Cantonese， the emerging style immediately captured the hearts of Hongkongers.

The city's entertainment industry came together， as television， film and music formed a collective empire.

In the 1980s， all-round film， television， and music performers spread Hong Kong's culture to the world. In an industry where stars can rise and fall with the sun， Hong Kong's first superstars have remained well-loved and admired， some even in death.

Over the last two decades， however， annual music record sales have dropped from HK$1.6 billion to HK$200 million. Sadly， this is not an isolated trend. The film industry has also witnessed decline in the past decade. The city produced more than 400 films a year in the early 1990s， but this figure dropped to as low as 60 in 2017. In 1996， five of the top 10 films in Hong Kong were local productions. Twenty years on， only one quasi-home-made flick made the top 10.

Some blamed the fall on a talent drain to mainland China. With its soaring new-found wealth， Canto-pop started to be overshadowed by Mando-pop as the mainland opened up and cultivate its own stars. More worryingly for the local sector though， the flavour for fans seems to have shifted to Republic of Korea in recent years.

Reading Check

1. In what order does the author compare the rise and fall of Hong Kong showbiz？

A. Time.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?B. Space.? ? ? ? ? ? ? C. People.? ? ? ? ? ? ? D. Importance.

2. What does the underlined word “zenith” in paragraph 2 mean？

A. A favorable situation.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?B. A developing period.

C. The most successful time.? ?; ? ? ? ? ? ? D. The most important point.

3. Which word can best describe Sam Hui Koon-Kit's music？

A. Moving.? ? ? ? ? ? B. Fashionable.? ? ? ?C. Plain.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? D. Creative.

4. How many reasons for the fall of Hong Kong showbiz are mentioned according to the last paragraph？

A. 1.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? B. 2.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? C. 3.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? D. 4.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

動詞擬人化的用法

The film industry has also witnessed decline in the past decade. 在過去的十年里，電影業也出現了下滑。

英語中的有些動詞如see、witness、hear、appear，以及find等?？捎糜跀M人手法中，以使表達更加栩栩如生。如：

The past 10 years has witnessed great changes in my hometown. 過去十年，我的家鄉發生了巨大的變化。