During Hong Kong Night 2001, an audience of about 180 people will take a trip back in time.
With an international student as its guide, the audience will watch a series of scenes representing Hong Kong in the present and in the past. Beginning in a residence hall room and flashing back to a 1930s Hong Kong fishing village, the audience will then watch as the scenes move to a 1970s factory setting and finally to modern-day Hong Kong.The Hong Kong Student Association is hosting the sixth annual event this Sunday. By combining Chinese tradition with entertainment, the group will use the time-travel skit as a way to take a historical look at Hong Kong.
Members of the group said they want the audience to feel that they are involved in the show, while at the same time clearing up misconceptions regarding the culture in Hong Kong.
David Wong, co-director of the group and a senior business major from Portland, said people often connect Chinese culture with movies such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” or with action-film hero Jackie Chan. But the night will offer the audience a new perspective, he said.
“It is important to know different cultures,” said Jasmine Lu, who has been editing the script and directing the skit in preparation for the event.
Dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. in the EMU Skylight. Participants will have an opportunity to savor typical Chinese dishes that represent Hong Kong culture, such as sticky rice, fried noodles and salt-baked chicken.
“It’s food we’ve missed and want Eugene to try,” said Lu, a junior marketing major from Hong Kong.
Ernest Wong, director of Hong Kong Night 2001 and a junior finance and marketing major from Hong Kong, said this year’s committee began organizing two months ago — and the meetings would sometimes last for more than eight hours when trying to come up with creative ideas for the event.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the EMU Fir Room, followed by a movie at 9:30 p.m. But Lu said the evening is not just about entertainment: She wants people to learn from the cultural night.
“We want the performance to continue after we close our curtains,” she said.
Tickets for Hong Kong Night 2001 are available for $6 at the EMU Ticket Office.