Third Silk Road: An Empire of the Mind

As the Asia Cultural Cooperation Forum 2005 came to a close in Hong Kong, Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr. Patrick Ho, told participants that “the 21st century will see us here embarking on the third Silk Road, trading for creative ideas, creative products and creative talents.”

“This modern Silk Road,” he said, “travels neither by sea nor on land, but travels through the inner workings of the human minds driven by a desire to captivate the cutting edges of peaceful competition in this globalized 
world.”

Discussions during the four-day Forum revolved around “Brand Asia”, and covered issues of branding, intellectual property and the crux of Asia’s creative business. 

Brands are inescapable, said Dr. Ho, but he cautioned against “slavish imitation” of Western branding and the problem of uniformity that comes with globalization. “Merely imitating the superficial features of a successful brand renders us hollow at our core, and borrowing from TS Eliott, it is only adopting the shape without its form, shade without its colours, and 
gestures without motion.”

The shared family values, social norms, cultural aspirations and understanding amongst Eastern cultures makes “copying from our neighbours” another story, said Dr. Ho. 

Dr. Ho pointed out that Asian products, trends, arts and fashions have a growing influence on Western markets. “But is branding bringing us benefits in Asia?” he asked, making a strong case for developing branding specific to Asia. 

This branding would be, said Dr. Ho, “deeply and intricately bound up with our collective identity. Something that stems from within our own respective 
cultures and common legacies.”  He urged his listeners to look inward and to consolidate their own cultural vision in creative industries, such as film. Collective self-awareness and the revival of collective cultural identity, he said, require that the state, society and individual artists and writers all 
play vital roles.

While the two previous Silk Roads linked actual trading locations across sea and land, the modern Silk Road as envisioned by Dr. Ho will “travel through the inner workings of the human minds, driven by a desire to captivate the cutting edges of peaceful competition in this globalize world.”

This third Silk Road is, stated Dr. Ho, “our answer and response to globalization of our cultural needs.” He described its purpose as “not to establish an empire of might, but to extend our empire of minds.

“After all, brand names, like individuals, come and go, but civilization must live on.”

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