Die-hard fans of comics and animation are lucky this year to enjoy a busy summer schedule of comic events: the Hong Kong Ani-com Summer 2013, which lasts for two months, has already started; the first revitalization project of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) at Mallory Street in Wan Chai opened on Aug 18, spending HK$200 million on converting the Green Houses, which were listed as Grade II historic buildings, into a Comix Home Base; the Hong Kong Arts Centre was appointed by the URA to operate and manage the base under a five-year contract, using it as the platform for exchange and interaction of the comic industry both locally and overseas; the 15th ACGHK 2013 (ACG represents Animation, Comics and Games) was successfully held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, attracting nearly 730,000 people in only five days, reaching great numbers in estimated attendance and revenue.

Having listed all these successful activities though, I personally don't think the local comic industry has been paid enough attention. As the vice-president of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, I have heard some friends in the toy industry complaining about this several times: to their knowledge, Hong Kong's animations are broadcast on the Chinese mainland, Australia, and other areas, but locally, it's extremely rare to see any on TV; as for supporting policies, the government does not take enough initiative in promoting the whole industry.

Actually, the comic industry is full of potential. First of all, this is the industry that befits the young generation to take advantage of their creativity and thus help to improve employment.

Second, popular comics and animation work have the power to take the lead to stimulate the sales of their derivational products, such as toys, video games, clothes, stationary, commodities, and etc, and therefore, the manufacturing and retail industries are promoted. We can judge the phenomenon from observing products like Doraemon, Hello Kitty and other cartoon figures which have been sought after for decades.

Also, because the popular works can help build the reputation of an area, the local tourism will flourish consequently. The social and economic effects produced are considerable. Take Japan as an example - a country known as the kingdom of comics and animation - where the comic industry takes up 10 percent of the whole country's GDP in its peak years. In the past half century, the Japanese comic industry has developed into one that's worth $75 billion, playing an indispensable role in the economy.

Of course, I'm not saying that every potential and profitable industry is suitable for our city and must be developed, but this one is worth propelling.

For starters, elements of traditional Chinese culture combining British Western influences have shaped Hong Kong in every facet of the city's culture. This particular feature allows distinguished themes and topics to be generated in creating comic works, with Chinese and Western styles integrated, enabling young artists to have lots of subject matter to play with.

Moreover, the comic industry belongs to the tertiary industry, which Hong Kong's future economy depends on. As a matter of fact, I have mentioned many times on different occasions, including my previous articles, that Hong Kong's future economic development will be mostly driven by the tertiary industry, given that Hong Kong is a land-scarce but densely populated city. The leading role of the manufacturing-based secondary industry will eventually be replaced by the service sector, which is oriented toward creation and professional services. From this perspective, the comic industry seems like a really good choice.

In conclusion, I sincerely hope that the SAR government can attach greater importance to this rising industry. It is strongly recommended that the related departments should consider putting more comic elements into their public service advertisements or propaganda leaflets, for it not only increases the readability and attractiveness, but also encourages more people to be committed to this newly developing industry, injecting fresh blood into Hong Kong's economy.

The author is the vice-president of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong.

(HK Edition 08/23/2013 page9)