ULTIMEDIA and ULTILAND have launched meme@HK, a project that aims to place Hong Kong urban culture into the hands of today’s creators and preserve their work through on-chain issuance.
The project text opens with everyday Hong Kong expressions such as 「搵食啫」, meaning making a living, and 「唔紧要」, meaning it’s okay. It frames that tone of self-mockery and mutual understanding as something closer to the city than postcard-style imagery.
City character as the starting point
According to the project description, that character has deep roots. Hong Kong’s port brought waves of people, while postwar migrants, capital, and craft found room in tong lau buildings, factories, and industrial blocks. Garments, plastic flowers, toys, and watches were among the “Made in Hong Kong” products that moved from tight local spaces into the wider world. In that telling, large historical shifts were experienced by ordinary people through work, rent, family life, and the constant need to find a way forward.
The text also points to two works from 1972. Below the Lion Rock focused on daily life in the Wang Tau Hom resettlement estate, while Liu Yichang’s serialized novel Tête-bêche followed two characters along similar streets, one looking back and the other imagining the future. The argument is that Hong Kong cannot be reduced to a single narrative, and that nostalgia has a place, but creation should not stop there.
That is where meme@HK places its pitch. The project says Hong Kong’s strength lies not only in its classics, but in its ability to reuse them in new ways. A Cantonese phrase can become wordplay, a familiar scene can be reframed, and a serious slice of life can suddenly turn playful.
Images, music, short videos, text, and original characters are all listed as valid formats. AI tools can be used, but they are not required. What matters most, the project says, is that each work carries the creator’s own view. People who know Hong Kong may recognize the shared references immediately, while those less familiar with the city can begin to understand it through the works.
Meme Gallery and ARTmeme issuance
The planned Meme Gallery, described as a city culture on-chain chronicle, will sort creative clues from urban history, street life, and pop culture. The idea is to give new works a sense of where they come from and a place where they can remain.
Participants will be able to issue ARTmeme works through ULTILAND, linking each piece to an on-chain issuance record. Related commemorative NFTs will offer another route for audiences to discover and collect works based on their interests. The project text says keeping a record on-chain and preserving the meaning of the creation need to happen together.
FHKDCI joins as a supporting partner
The Federation of Hong Kong Design and Creative Industries, or FHKDCI, has become an important supporting partner of meme@HK. The two sides plan to advance cooperation around culture-themed creation, provenance tracking, youth creator development, salons, and offline exhibitions.
The article says designers, filmmakers, illustrators, and people familiar with internet culture and on-chain creation may not begin with the same language. Still, once a work is placed in front of them, there is room to talk. A single sharing session or exchange could open the door to collaborations that had not been considered before, bringing established craft and younger creative methods into direct contact.
How to take part
People interested in joining can visit ULTILAND’s official Discord or the meme@HK channel on Telegram to learn more about the plan and its rules. The closing message is simple: there is no need to define Hong Kong all at once. A small memory, a familiar tone, or a story that still feels worth telling can be enough to begin.
