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43 years old, pop culture maven

By his own standards, Wong Chi-chung makes an exemplary hero: “A hero to me should be down to earth and real,” says the softly-spoken music critic, former radio show host, curator, filmmaker, singer, impresario, university lecturer, PhD candidate, photographer, artist, VJ, environmentalist, author, voice-over artist, husband, and father. You can’t get any more real than Chi-chung, whose name and voice is known to tens of thousands of Hong Kong music fans who grew up listening to his immensely popular CR2 radio show Chi-chung’s Choice in the 80s and 90s. Despite the fact he has rubbed shoulders with the likes of U2, David Bowie, and Public Enemy, he has his feet set firmly on the ground here in Hong Kong. Never one to turn down an opportunity to help promote the local music and arts scene, Chi-chung exhibits an ease and friendliness that is almost disarming in a city so focused on cold, hard cash.

But despite the fact he’s a nice guy, he’s not afraid to speak his mind about Hong Kong’s arts scene. “Hong Kong is still very deficient in worldwide culture and music lifestyle. We still have a void and need the urge to fill it in. That’s my passion – I have to do that.” As evidenced by that long string of roles listed above, he’s gone about that task with alacrity, helping to launch the careers of bands such as Beyond (he was the first person to play one of their songs on the radio), and organising music events of all shapes and sizes, from mega-rock shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum to a Hawaiian family festival in the New Territories. As his wife Yvonne wrote in an email to Time Out stating her reasons for supporting him as a hero, “He always reflects on the fact that he’s a regular boy from the Chinese projects who has made his mark as an artist by working hard.” And, as a regular columnist for Time Out Hong Kong, we’re proud to call him one of our own. Hamish McKenzie