Mutale Kampuni explores Siu-pong Wong’s Obedience.
It’s the 26th day of the Lunar Year, and all roads lead to Kwun Yum Temple for the Treasury Opening Ceremony. People trek across the country to the district of Hung Hom, home to the most venerated temple. Men and women from all walks of life, young and old, travel far and wide through Hong Kong to pay homage and seek blessings and good fortune. The elaborate opening ceremonies promise financial prosperity for the coming year. Pilgrims line the streets for hours to enter the temple, with police on hand to maintain order and loudhailers reminding people to put safety first and take care with their incense sticks.
From these opening scenes, the viewer is introduced to an altogether different spectacle one street away—where a parallel existence plays out, portraying the drudgery and poverty-stricken, humdrum lives of slum dwellers. Men and women who appear to be well beyond pensionable age shuffle around, wheeling and dealing amongst garbage heaps. Silhouettes of new buildings and construction sites dominate the skyline, overshadowing everything and signifying wealth.
The popular view of Hong Kong is one of affluence, towering skyscrapers, high-functioning technology and perfection—it is almost inconceivable that sights any less than this are real. In the not-too-distant past (and memory), under British rule for 154 years, Hong Kong was regarded as having progressive and stable economic systems in place—so much so that it was seen as a foremost international trading centre into the foreseeable future. Obedience offers a glimpse into aspects of the city unseen by visitors and the local populace alike—dawn markets, garbage collectors, recycling shops—the grassroots economy that keeps the city running. Daily life happens in silence, actions speaking louder than words.
Wong cited personal reasons for his interest in Hung Hom, having once experienced selling items on the streets, though he would not go into any more detail. He shares the insights he garnered from the area. Years later, he returned to the city and discovered that very little had changed, prompting him to reflect on how the mentality and values of Hong Kong and its inhabitants might be defined. Wong was able to gain the trust of the residents of Hung Hom, who gave him permission to document their lives. He sought answers as to why people still engaged in the practice, whether there was a difference in how things were done before, and whether there was something he was missing. All of this forms the backdrop to Obedience.
Wong explains that the title Obedience is not the literal meaning of the film but the closest interpretation from Chinese. In questioning the values of the city, he notes that despite the temple’s proximity to the garbage dump, the traffic of devotees flows on, oblivious to all else—an example of how the masses in Hong Kong obey. They have no idea who they are being obedient to—they do it without a second thought. Wong said he wanted to question this process of obeying.
Overall, Wong says he would like to see a change in the way the ‘invisible’ people are perceived because they are essential to Hong Kong. This is the message he puts forward in his work.
Obedience is available to stream online now.
