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Writer's pictureChapman Chen

Is "Glory to Hong Kong" Blasphemous? 願榮光歸香港褻瀆神明?By Chapman Chen, HKBNews




"Glory to Hong Kong願榮光歸香港 ", the popular new "national anthem" of Hong Kong, has made its way to "Time". Some critics, like HK American Pastor Bob Kraft, opine that "Glory to Hong Kong", which is the title of the song as well as its last line, is blasphemous as Glory is due to God the Lord only. I suggest that the Chinese phrase be changed to願神光興香港[May God's Light Raise up Hong Kong], its English rendition to "May Heaven Help Hong Kong" as the Supreme Power's help is crucial for the victory of any revolution. The detailed rationale is as follows:


"Honor" instead of "glory"

The accurate English translation of the Chinese phrase wing4gwong1榮光is "honor" rather than "glory". For the original Chinese song shows a consistent pattern of inverting certain two-character phrases, e.g., wing4gwong1榮光instead of gwong1wing4光榮[honor]; mak6cam4默沉 instead of cam4mak6沉默[silent]; kong3deoi3抗對instead of 對抗deoi3kong3[resist]. By jyun6 wing4gwong1 gwai1 hoeng1gong2願榮光歸香港, the lyrist of the Chinese original (t, lihkg young people) probably means "May honor [of the Time Revolution] be to Hong Kong as a whole nation instead of to individuals."


The Supreme Power's Blessing is Crucial

Both Pastor Bob Kraft and I opine that for a revolution to win against all odds, people need the blessing of the Supreme Power of the universe, for human strength is limited. "In God is our trust" precisely appears in the "Star Spangled Banner." 243 years ago, The American Independence Revolution managed to chase away the then strongest colonizer in the whole world because in God the American revolutionaries trusted. I believe human strength is like direct current, the Supreme Power alternating current. Batteries run out of power very soon while AC continuously flows and is immensely more powerful. You may call the Supreme Power God or the Creator or Heaven or the Supreme Consciousness, etc.


May Heaven Help Hong Kong

In order to fit in with the tune and invoke the Supreme Power's blessing, I suggest that the title and the last line of the song in Chinese be changed to jyun6 san4gwong1 hing1 hoeng1gong2願神光興香港[May God's Light Raise up Hong Kong], its English equivalent to "May Heaven Help Hong Kong".


Voting Required for National Anthem

Pastor Kraft and I think that which song and which version will eventually be the official anthem of Hong Kong should be determined by universal suffrage when the revolution succeeds.


The composer of the song is Thomas dgx yhl.


Pic credit: A Group of Hong Kong Movie Workers


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Web link: https://www.hongkongbilingualnews.com/post/is-glory-to-hong-kong-blasphemous-%E9%A1%98%E6%A6%AE%E5%85%89%E6%AD%B8%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E8%A4%BB%E7%80%86%E7%A5%9E%E6%98%8E%EF%BC%9Fby-chapman-chen-hkbnews


Video of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7yRDOLCy4Y


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