Introduction: mainstreaming Hong Kong popular music

Made in Hong Kong is perhaps the first project where local and international scholars have systematically documented and narrated the history of Hong Kong popular music and largely Cantopop. Returning to the question of pedagogy, owing to the general neglect, if not marginalization, of pop music in Hong Kong’s academies, there are few systematic works contributing to the study of Cantopop. One important missed opportunity in the pedagogy of Cantopop is its alignment with Hong Kong’s sociolinguistic development. Music reflects not only the sentiment of a generation, but also its use of language. As most articles in this volume suggest, Cantopop reflects Hong Kong people’s identities, preserves social memories, and voices the anxieties and bubbling gaieties of youth. Many Hong Kong songs are also outlets for emotion, anger, and frustration—nickel-and-dime stuff for leisure and entertainment, love ballads for young people, affection-imbued songs for karaoke, cultural products for the music industry, and media products for financial revenue.