From Beijing to Hong Kong: The Story of a Playwright Nourished by Two Cities

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

By Chen Juan，Zheng Aotian

"After watching 'The Top Restaurant', an audience member asked me: how did I make a roast duck so poetic?" The Chinese screenwriter He Jiping told the reporter from Global People Magazine with a proud smile, "The secret is turning the 'five flavors in the plate to the 'five flavors in life'."

During the the 2024 Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength, He participated the the Sub-forum on Cultural Strength and Development Opportunities of the Greater Bay Area in Shenzhen. During the interview, she said Beijing and Hong Kong are two of the most important cities in her life.

Growing up in Beijing, She is familiar with the taste of Beijing Duck. As she moved to Hong Kong, she also fell in love with the tasty Hong Kong roasted duck. To some extent, this journey of cuisine symbolized the nourishment these two cities offered her.

In He's view, Chinese cuisine is always more than food:"There is a proverb in China:‘Book of Change talks about cooking in a tripod, and the Book of Documents talks about the salted plum. ’It tells us that the most important classics of Chinese philosophy are connected to cuisines. The Chinese even turned the art of cuisine into a philosophy of running a society. This is the charm of Chinese culture."

As two of the most famous cities in Chinese modern history, Beijing and Hong Kong seem to represent two sides of China. "I grow up in Beijing. It is during that time that traditional Chinese culture takes root in my heart. Hong Kong, on the other hand, is the place where Chinese and Western cultures meet. I feel the collision, the communion, and the mutual acceptance of these two cultures in Hong Kong. "This unique experience inspired her to write the script for the hit show"Deling and Cixi", which told the story of a modern educated woman living in the forbidden palace with the famous queen mother Cixi.

"I don't think we have to stress what is the most popular thing in our time, what is popular in the west, what is popular in the east. The important thing is whether the art flows out of the writer's heart and becomes something that touches the audience. That's what matters. "He said.

As one of the most successful screenwriters in China, He views Chinese culture as the foundation of her creativity:"Without the Chinese culture, our artistic creation will be hollow and meaningless. It will become a mere story without meaning and perspective. The culture of my two homelands(Beijing and Hong Kong)nourished my creative work."

He is very optimistic about the future of Hong Kong: "I think Hong Kong, in all aspects, has a mature side. Especially now with the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong has connected to a wider and greater world. I believe that with this kind of support from the Mainland, Hong Kong will make greater achievements in art and culture."