“There’s no difference between a sardine and a man without a dream” – Shaolin Soccer
In this generation, most of us grew up watching Stephen Chow's movies, often saying a dialogue or two occasionally, your friends can always continue the line endlessly.
The Hong Kong style of humor 無[Mou4] 厘[Lei4] 頭[Tau4] culture refers to a culture that insists on linking several unrelated things together to create a funny effect. It is a subculture that emerged in Hong Kong in the 1990s and Stephen Chow’s movie is among the top in the Hong Kong film Industry. It has dominated Hong Kong’s entertainment culture since The June 4th Incident, and it slowly faded after the Asian financial crisis. 無[Mou4] 厘[Lei4] 頭[Tau4] culture developed through the popularity of Hong Kong's comedy film and television works, and was widely accepted by Cantonese-speaking regions. Young generation born after the 1970s also widely accepted the performance form of its comedy art and gradually used it in real life.
The idea of 無[Mou4] 厘[Lei4] 頭[Tau4] came from Canton regions, means “ Silly talking” or “ make no sense”. However, the language has profound social connotations through it’s playful, ridiculous and cynical appearance in order to create resonance with the audiences. The humor that focuses on local life scenes, through self-deprecation of themselves in heartless jokes to pave the way of sympathy and the emotion of "tears in laughter".
In the early 1980s, as the social focus shifted to the transfer of Hong Kong's sovereignty, the term Hong Kong-style humor changed to mainly refer to humorous creations of political figures and events. How to use humor to resolve or alleviate political problems and social conflicts at a higher level, and overcome all kinds of hardships in life, has become a part of Hong Kong's core values.
Classic Hong Kong Style Humor films and TV shows every HongKonger has watched:
From Beijing with love (國產凌凌漆) 1994
A Chinese Odyssey I & II（西遊記）1995
Shaolin Soccer（少林足球）2001
Kung Fu Hustle (功夫) 2004
Headliner（頭條新聞）1989-2020
Enjoy Yourself Tonight（歡樂今宵）1967-1994
#MUMIGOOUT
Reference:
1. https://www.thenewslens.com/article/131100
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_lei_tau
3. https://theinitium.com/article/20160913-culture-standupcomedy-wongtzewah-1/
4. https://popula.com/2020/01/07/stephen-chow-hong-kongs-king-of-comedy/
6. https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/film/best-stephen-chow-movie-film-hong-kong
Photo reference:
1. https://www.sohu.com/a/320906814_120016329
2. https://tw.aboluowang.com/2020/0522/1454340.html
3. https://www.ettoday.net/news/20150430/500198.htm
4. http://oceandeeop3000.blogspot.com/2014/07/blog-post_16.html
