Culture of Hong Kong - Pop Culture

Pop Culture

Music: Cantopop has dominated and become synonymous with local music culture since its birth in Hong Kong. While many other forms of music exist, Cantopop still enjoys mass popularity. However, the global influence of Mandarin has influenced the style. Mandopop from Taiwan is fast gaining ground. Most artists are essentially multilingual, singing in both Cantonese and Mandarin. Hong Kong English pop, Japanese, Korean and western music are too popular among Hong Kongers.

TV Dramas: Besides from the staple of TVB dramas, citizens also watch a substantial number of dramas from Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The most notable is Korea's Dae Jang Geum. Its 2005 broadcast on TVB was extremely popular. On the night of the series' finale, the streets were unusually quiet, due to people staying at home to watch it.

Celebrity: Hong Kong can be described as "gossip mad". The personal lives of singers, actors and celebrities in general are popular conversation topics and tabloid material. Hong Kong's thirst for gossip is not limited to local celebrities, but extends to celebrities from Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Many gossip magazines are also in circulation, and one of the most notable (or notorious) sections is the "HD Reality" section. Introduced after the implementation of HD broadcasting, the highly popular section shows HD photos of celebrities and analyses their attractiveness or unattractiveness.