''Ngai jong'' is a cultural phenomenon in

universities of Hong Kong The following is a list of higher education institutions in Hong Kong, under Hong Kong law. Only the first three categories ( UGC-funded institutions, self-funded institutions and public institutions, except Hong Kong Institute of Vocational ...

. ''Ngai'' () means shout, while ''jong'' () refers to the

executive committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

of a college, department or society under the university's students' union. Every university has different

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

s, departments and

societies A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

, and each of them will have an executive committee (''jong''), charged with organising

student activities Student activities (also known as campus activities) are student-focused extracurricular clubs and programs offered at a college or university. Student activities are generally designed to allow students to become more involved on campus. Often, s ...

and offering aid to students. When a team of people want to become an executive committee, they form a proposed cabinet ahead of the election day. If elected, the proposed cabinet becomes the real committee for the coming school year. ''Ngai jong'' is generally conduced by all proposed cabinets of all societies during the promotion period (called ''pro P'' in casual parlance), in which the cabinets campaign ahead of the election.. When proposed cabinets ''ngai jong'', all members stand together and shout

slogans A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a more defined target group. T ...

, their full address, polling dates or sing songs to promote themselves. They also wear eye-catching costumes in order to stand out from other cabinets. A rule is that students can use only their own voice and body parts –

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...

s, drums, or

loudspeaker A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or ...

s are not allowed.

Purpose

The purpose of ''ngai jong'' is to promote the proposed cabinet. When the whole cabinet stands together and shouts slogans, people will see and listen to what they are doing. Also, their costumes will catch the eyes of pedestrians, including their basic members, so members will know the existence of this proposed cabinet and know when and how to vote. When the whole cabinet shouts their slogans or full address, teammates will have a sense of belonging, as they are promoting the cabinet together, and teammates are wearing the same costume, which can unite the whole cabinet. When cabinets ''ngai jong'', they will shout slogans that introduce the cabinet, as well as slogans that include polling dates and venue. Since ''ngai jong'' is a special cultural phenomenon of universities in Hong Kong, proposed cabinets will automatically do this as it is a part of the whole election.

Advantages

For cabinet members

Through shouting slogans and standing together while wearing the same costume, the whole cabinet will have a sense of belonging. When the team is more united, they can work better together. Through shouting slogans and standing together publicly, the cabinet will have the chance to promote themselves and catch the attention of the people who walk by. This is the most direct form of promotion in the university since the shouting of slogans will cause noises and people can hear their slogans and get to know them. When a society has two or more proposed cabinets, they can use "Ngai Jong" as a way to compete, since all cabinets will be at the same area at the same time. By shouting their own slogans, designing eye-catching costumes and designing colorful posters, they can use these peaceful methods to attract the attention of basic members, and the cabinet that shouts more loudly will gain more attention. This peaceful method of competing can prevent body contact. To the members of proposed cabinets, "Ngai Jong" is unforgettable, since it is a tiring but meaningful thing to do during the promotion period. It requires creativity in designing the slogans and it brings physical challenges as cabinets need to stay overnight outdoors for weeks at the university entrance in order to get a good position that is eye catching.

For observers

When cabinets shout at the entrance,

podium A podium (plural podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek ''πόδι'' (foot). In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used ...

canteen {{Primary sources, date=February 2007 Canteen is an Australian national support organisation for young people (aged 12–25) living with cancer; including cancer patients, their brothers and sisters, and young people with parents or primary carers ...

, the students who walk by will feel refreshed since the cabinets all wear colorful costumes and shout loudly. Also, the posters and

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

of the cabinet will add liveliness to the campus. "Ngai Jong" is a unique culture of the universities in Hong Kong and this is seldom found in other

regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

. Foreign and exchange students will have a more fruitful and entertaining university life in Hong Kong.

Tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

are attracted by this activity, and people who visit the universities can experience and feel the spirit of competing cabinets. To non- members of the cabinet, "Ngai Jong" can enhance their sense of belonging to the university. This activity also gives them entertainment in school life since they participate as an audience. "Ngai Jong" also arouses their sense of

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

as they have voting rights in the polling day to support the cabinet they trust.

Disadvantages

The students having lessons in classrooms that are near the places of "Ngai Jong" may not be able to concentrate on their lesson because of the noise. Some people in the common resting areas of the university may be disturbed by the noise given out by "Ngai Jong", as the activity is held everywhere in the university. There are time slots for the activity, which are mainly in the morning, noontime and the afternoon, but people may still be affected by the noise. In many universities, complaints from the residents are received every year during the committee election periods. Because the activity “Ngai Jong” is held at

public spaces A public space is a place that is open and accessible to the general public. Roads (including the pavement), public squares, parks, and beaches are typically considered public space. To a limited extent, government buildings which are open to ...

like the university entrance, corridors or near canteens, the noise may cause disturb to passers- by and the general public near the university or those who are using the university facilities. More and more complaints are received, which affects the university’s image and reputation. Since students are only allowed to use their own voices and body parts during "Ngai Jong" without the help of microphones or other sound systems, students would have to shout loudly in order to catch attention. The long time of shouting affects their

vocal cords In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speec ...

, causing voice loss or

headaches Headache is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. Headaches can occur as a result ...

. Also, as students have to stay outdoors overnight to get a good place for "Ngai Jong", they may lack sleep.

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