Lingual Harmony
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Sep 13, 2023
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
DREAM SEQUENCE
SOMEWHERE in TIME
Surrounded by OTHERS, PETER hums.
PETER (V.O.): Let me sing my song.
We hear Peter singing in Mandarin: "快樂的生活"... then he stops.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Why would I sing in Mandarin? My mother tongue is Cantonese.
Remembering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's the 1st phrase, the 2nd one is in spoken Cantonese and the 3rd one is in English .
We then hear Peter singing in Cantonese: "冇人會嫌多" and then in English "Let's get together"...
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yes, I structured my trilingual song "快樂的生活" or "冇人會嫌多" or "Do good for you and me" like that.
END DREAM SEQUENCE
Act 2
INT. HK CLUB - 13:15
A stylish room. A HOST is having lunch with GUESTS including Peter. They are all Chinese.
PETER (V.O.): Cantonese prefer to speak in Cantonese. Few can speak fluent Mandarin.
The host speaks in Cantonese and guests, except one, respond in Cantonese.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Few non-Cantonese can speak Cantonese. Those living in Hong Kong long enough may be able to understand some.
The host then speaks in Mandarin and all guests respond in Mandarin.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For Cantonese to speak in Mandarin, few can be as fluent as Mandarin speakers.
The host then speaks in English and all guests interact in English.
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - 15:15
LADIES and GENTLEMEN. Quoting taglines in stories in his smartphone, Peter speaks in Mandarin. When remarking, Peter continues to speak in Mandarin.
PETER: Oh, I'm still speaking Mandarin.
We hear some laughter. Peter then speaks in English.
INT. LIFT LOBBY/MTR STATION - 17:30
Before taking a lift, Peter chats with a GENTLEMAN.
PETER (V.O.): He's an entrepreneur.
Inside the MTR station, Peter is having screen time.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The entrepreneur is a video game developer. Who are his target customers?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've never played any video game.
After downloading a video game, Peter sees on screen a language option: 中文 or English.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That makes sense.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But written Cantonese like "冇人會嫌多" isn't readily understood for non-Cantonese.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I wrote my trilingual song "冇人會嫌多" in 2011 for a special purpose.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A high-ranking lady colleague resigned abruptly about a year before, due to health concerns.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Another high-ranking gentleman colleague felt bad that there was no farewell party for the lady colleague.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Upon hearing that the lady colleague could join a farewell party, the gentleman colleague asked me if I could entertain all with something.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I thought of writing and performing a melodic and meaningful song that all guests, irrespective of their origins, would be able to sing along.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In the farewell party, I led all guests to sing - some in Mandarin, some in English, some in Cantonese, and some trilingually.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Since that farewell party, I've never had another live performance as successful as that!
Act 3
INT. STUDIO - 23:00
Having input the prompt: "Lingual Harmony" in an AI art generator in his smartphone, Peter sees a cubist image appearing.
PETER (V.O.): The lyrics of my trilingual songs capture the essence of human emotions and experience, making them relatable and enduring.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The poetic Mandarin and English phrases carry the essence of the Cantonese slangs, bridging cross-cultural understanding.
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's my dream to preserve and promote Hong Kong's unique culture.
FADE OUT
THE END
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