Hong Kong had long been a British colony. Western cultural influences started early and seeped into people’s daily life as early as the 1920s.
Cultural influences from the West took an upward turn in the 1950s, firstly through films. During the time when Wong Jum-sum grew up, the number of Western films on show every year was never less than 200. The West was also prominent in radio broadcast. Thanks to the work of progressive radio show hosts like Aileen Woods and Uncle Ray, a whole generation came to be exposed to all styles and genres of Western pop music. They helped to nurture a world where one could embrace simultaneously the diverse sound and sentiments of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Benny Goodman. A new collective outlook was thus embodied in the skin and bone of the baby boomer generation.
Films were a major carrier of Western culture. They carried bright stars, big glamour and small habits. They also carried a sound that stuck to people for life.
In this section, we particularly recommend a tune Cherry Pink and Blossom White. Its title meant little to most, but the actual tune was immediately recognizable for almost all who grew up with Wong’s generation. A tune repeatedly used in the sound track of uncountable Cantonese films, ‘Cherry Pink’ represents the invisible but indelible connection between Western film music and a collective local sentiment soon to see daylight at that time.
