American cultural guru pleads for the arts to be recognised in efficiency-crazy Hong Kong
Former head of the Hong Kong office of the Asian Cultural Council praises the growth of the city’s arts over the past three decades
The city’s high-geared efficiency is conducive to productivity in all but the arts, a veteran cultural executive has observed.
Michelle Vosper, former director of the Asian Cultural Council’s Hong Kong office, said it took some getting used to during a revisit to the city she had lived in for 30 years before returning to the United States in 2012.
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The council is an American cultural exchange organisation that awards fellowships to Asian arts specialists for training, research and creative work in the US. Vosper headed the Hong Kong office for more than two decades.
“Coming back to Hong Kong is always a shock to the system because one has to shift into high gear in order to keep up with the pace of people’s minds and movements,” said the New Jersey native in Hong Kong for the Lunar New Year.
“It can be exhausting at first, but it is always a relief to be back in ‘The Land of Great Service’, the most efficient and organised place in the world,” she added.
Speaking Putonghua like a native, the American began to realise what she missed after relocating back to the US.
“I always marvelled at the Hong Kong working style. The people are focused, speedy, punctual and their work is accurate and complete. They don’t like to make mistakes,” she said.