A participant performs at the first Greater Bay Area Golden Bauhinia Magic Championship in Hong Kong in January. CHINA DAILY
John Chung Lai-ho wielded a pair of kitchen tongs in the air, and suddenly a fish ball appeared to materialize out of nowhere. He brandished the tongs once again, and the fish ball seemed to vanish into thin air.
The art of making objects appear and disappear is a classic magic trick, but the 24-year-old Hong Kong magician chose a curry fish ball — a beloved street food in his hometown — as the object for his sleight of hand.
It was just one of the Hong Kong cultural elements that Chung integrated into his performance at the inaugural Greater Bay Area Golden Bauhinia Magic Championship, held in Hong Kong in January.
During his seven-minute show, the stage was designed to mirror a street view of the city, featuring neon signs against a backdrop. The act's soundtrack reverberated with spoken Cantonese, interspersed with the familiar ticking sound of Hong Kong's traffic lights.
Chung took center stage in front of a mobile food stall, which doubled as his magic table. Wearing an apron, he looked like a real curry fish ball vendor. Chung first made a bottle of condiments appear from a towel, then transformed the fish into a fish ball. He then multiplied a single fish ball into dozens of them. Using a series of magic effects, he replicated the process of making a curry fish ball.
As the performance neared the end, mock sirens blared through the venue, accompanied by a commanding voice shouting, "Stop, don't move!" Pretending to be scared, Chung rushed from the stage leaving his stall behind.
The audience clapped. They understood the story Chung told through his magic, even though they might not have heard of the Cantonese phrase jau gwei. The term refers to the sudden abandonment of stalls by illegal street vendors when law enforcement officers approach. For over a century, such scenes have been part of the city's street-hawker culture.
Chung took third place in the competition. However, what pleased him most was showcasing Hong Kong-themed magic to an audience, demonstrating the art form can not only entertain, but also promote culture.
"Magic has a marginalized position in the city," Chung said. "I want to change that situation."
John Chung Lai-ho uses a curry fish ball in his magic performance. CHINA DAILY
Former golden age
Ernest Pui Chun-hin is the founder of the Hong Kong Schools Magic Association, a local nonprofit organization that has dedicated more than a decade to the study of magic.
The niche art form once experienced a golden era in the city, Pui said. Hong Kong's association with magic performances goes back more than 70 years, with its origins credited to Chu Wang-yu, the city's first magician.
Chu came from the Chinese mainland and relocated to Hong Kong. He became proficient in English, and read foreign magazines where he came across articles on magic that ignited his interest in the art of illusion. Subsequently, he immersed himself in books to master the craft.
In 1939, Chu established WY Chu Magic Studio, the first magic emporium in Hong Kong, specializing in magicians' apparatus.
Chu's props stood out for their ingenious mechanisms. Stylistically, he blended Eastern and Western aesthetics and embellished large props with intricate Eastern motifs such as dragons and phoenixes. His creations swiftly captivated magic lovers around the world.
"That marked the onset of a golden period," Pui said.
"Many magic enthusiasts from Australia, Britain, the United States, India, and beyond, flocked to Hong Kong to buy Chu's props. As Chu sold props exclusively to his students, he converted many customers into his students."
Due to Chu's influence, Hong Kong fostered a community of magic enthusiasts. By 1956, these aficionados organized the city's first industry association, the Guild of Oriental Magicians, with Chu as president.
Many renowned lawyers, high-ranking officials, and businessmen were guild members. Alexander Grantham, the then-governor of Hong Kong, was the guild's honorary adviser.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Hong Kong witnessed a period of economic prosperity and cultural advancement, and the art of magic also gained in popularity.
A wave of local magicians emerged, and many overseas artists came to the city to perform.
In 1989, a cohort of magicians established the Magicians' Association of Hong Kong, the city's first such organization to receive international recognition.
Television also helped popularize magic shows in the city.
In 2011, Television Broadcasts Limited launched the city's first magic-themed reality show, The Magic Ring, and two years later, the broadcaster aired another magic show, Street Sorcerers. These programs uncovered many talented local magicians, and helped generate greater interest in the art form.
John Chung Lai-ho uses a curry fish ball in his magic performance. CHINA DAILY
Disappearing acts
In recent years, however, the development of magic in Hong Kong has stagnated, said Albert Tam Wing-chuen, honorary president of the Magicians' Association of Hong Kong.
Tam began performing magic in the 1980s, and has seen firsthand its trajectory over four decades.
In the 1980s, nightclubs were popular and featured magic shows almost every night, and in the 1990s magicians were often invited to entertain at banquets and pubs. In the 21st century, magicians were popular performers at shopping malls, corporate events, private parties, and other events.
However, today magicians struggle to book shows. Due to the social unrest in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, the city's economic situation has also deteriorated, posing economic challenges for the entire entertainment industry. Magic, a niche art form, has been particularly hard hit.
As a ripple effect of the economic downturn, some shopping malls and companies have stopped organizing banquets, while organizers of these events now prioritize music performances over magic shows.
"Twenty years ago, I was able to conduct five shows a night around Christmastime, however, in recent years I haven't received a single invitation," Tam said.
Mainstream art forms like film and music have been given government support to survive the economic downturn, but magicians have not received similar backing, Tam said.
The Hong Kong Arts Development Council, responsible for fostering arts in the special administrative region, focuses on 10 art forms but excludes magic.
Similarly, the HKADC's Project Grant system omits magic. The Project Grant's mission statement points out that the HKADC will not accept applications for magic, martial arts, gymnastics, cooking or gardening projects.
Tam believes Hong Kong has undervalued niche art forms for many years. However, many regions nearby have recognized their worth and actively make use of their value, he said.
On the mainland, magic and acrobatics are closely related and both are overseen by the China Acrobats Association. The association coordinates magic competitions, performances, forums, and other activities. One university — Beijing Polytechnic — has introduced a program focused on magic design and performance, the first university in the world to offer such a program.
More than a decade ago, South Korea integrated cultural industries, including magic, into its core development sectors. Today, South Korea boasts numerous companies associated with the magic industry and has trained many magicians who have won international competitions.
Winners pose for a photo at the first Greater Bay Area Golden Bauhinia Magic Championship. CHINA DAILY
Master's apprentice
Hong Kong's magicians and magic enthusiasts have dedicated their own finances, resources, and time to foster the growth of the art form in the city.
The Magicians' Association of Hong Kong boasts more than 200 members and has orchestrated numerous events, including the first Greater Bay Area Golden Bauhinia Magic Competition. Pui's Hong Kong Schools Magic Association has also organized 10 magic competitions over the past decade.
Bond Lee, president of the Hong Kong Magic School, which was established about 13 years ago, believes that nurturing talent is crucial to the development of the industry.
John Chung Lai-ho was one of Lee's students.
Chung discovered his love for magic in primary school while playing with magic props brought by his classmates.
After discovering a nearby magic shop, he asked his parents to buy him some magic props. His parents did so after he fulfilled a commitment to do well in his school studies.
Realizing the child's dedication to prestidigitation, his family enrolled him in a magic course at a community center.
"Throughout my childhood, I delved into myriad activities like playing the piano, boxing and other activities, but none could hold my interest for more than three months — only magic maintained a constant allure for me," Chung said.
After two years of studying magic, Chung won his first magic competition. The first prize was a chance to take one of Bond Lee's master classes, and Chung eventually became Lee's apprentice.
Under Lee's mentorship for a decade, Chung learned tricks, honed his craft, did performances, and entered competitions to test his skills. In his junior year at Hong Kong Baptist University, he made a bold decision — to forgo his studies and commit to a career as a full-time magician.
"I didn't want to waste any more time. The call to immerse myself in magic was undeniable at that time," Chung said.
However, shortly after making his career decision, COVID-19 swept through Hong Kong, halting all performances.
Eventually, in search of fresh opportunities, Chung went to the mainland. Through a series of trials, he teamed up with like-minded friends and opened a comedy and magic theater in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.
Albert Tam Wing-chuen, honorary president of the Magicians' Association of Hong Kong, performs magic. CHINA DAILY
Greater opportunities
Chung found that being a magician on the mainland was more economically feasible than in Hong Kong. Rents were lower, and the government was willing to support magic events, unlike in Hong Kong.
To elevate the profile of Hong Kong magic, Chung has embarked on a mission to infuse his performances with the city's culture.
He spent a year and a half developing the fish-ball seller performance for the Greater Bay Area Golden Bauhinia Magic Competition. Chung said the idea for the performance came from his father, who was a fish-ball vendor for a year.
In his quest for authenticity, Chung sought out a fish-ball vendor in Mongkok and offered him HK$2,000 ($257) for the opportunity to follow him and sell fish balls for a week.
"The job is boring, but it provided me with invaluable insights into the entire fish ball-making process and the interactions between the vendor and passersby," Chung said.
"The vendor utilized a range of tactics to draw in customers, such as enhancing the aroma and generating smoke to waft the fragrance over a distance — I incorporated all these details into my performances."
After Chung performed his show at a magic competition in Thailand, the president of a renowned international magic association praised it as "very special".This gave Chung the confidence to believe that his magic act could be understood by people around the world.
Before he turns 30, Chung hopes to represent Hong Kong at the FISM World Championships, present his performance on the global stage, and win an international magic competition.
Chung said he wants to demonstrate that magic shows emanating from Hong Kong can be a powerful way to disseminate the city's culture as well as glimpses of its cultural heritage.
CHINA DAILY
