Module Three - Verity - the Difficult Truth

What are the important questions to ask about life in a city? How do we capture the spirit, the soul, the character of a city or a village or a community? How do we cut past the marketing claims, the spin, the propaganda and the promotion to something more authentic, reliable and honest?

Read this poem about verity by Michael Leunig and discuss with your partner its meaning for the study of other countries, cities and places.

What kinds of questions should we be asking about Hong Kong?

Here are a few suggestions. Add 8-10 more to your cluster diagram.

• Is it kind and friendly or cold and harsh?
• Is it fair? Just? Unfair? Unjust?
• Is life getting better or worse?

Do these photographs suggest any more questions? (click to enlarge)

Does Hong Kong have soul?
Can you find gentleness? generosity? joy? a dog run?

One may never come to know any city fully, even if one lives there, but the depth and quality of the knowing depends to some extent upon the types of questions generated to probe beyond the surface.

Next Module. Please do not move to the next module until your group leaders ask you to do so.