Prelude to the Hong Kong protests …
June 30th 1997, 23:59 pm. Within moments the clock-hand would make a modest shift and a new day would be ushered in. Then they would be on the cusp of significant change. SP, (special powers as he calls himself, though clearly not his real name) recalls the moment the Royal Yacht Britannia drifted on calm water away from Hong Kong harbour. 237 crew led by Captain Chris Clayton would depart from Hong Kong and not return. Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, accompanied by Prince Charles, the Heir to the British throne were among the pilgrims.
For SP (I shan’t use his real name) the moment was sheathed in anxiety. A shadowy and nebulous future – dystopian almost – were laid in bare anticipation. A Hong Kong citizen to Chinese parents SP had zealous reason to oppose Chinese authority. The horizon gobbled the Royal Yacht, and so too did it gobble SP’s hope of democracy.
As the Royal Yacht vanished, apprehension poured into SP’s imagination. Britannia represented freedom; a symbol of western styled democracy firmly rooted in a small Asian territory. The Union flag to be raised no longer; instead the Chinese flag nurtured to the apex of the flag pole. Thunderous cacophony of the March of Volunteers, China’s national anthem, joy illuminating the countenances of Chinese officials. For SP the Hong Kong protests are a battle for democracy over Chinese totalitarianism.
Hong Kong: A Chinese Future?
SP’s facial expression was morose dejection and melancholy. Already more than 10,000 Hong Kong residents had hurried into the Central district to obtain the relevant documents to apply for residency in the United Kingdom after the massacre in Tiananmen Square, Beijing in 1989. Anticipating Chinese rule a tsunami of applications were received from the late 1980’s until 1997. After all, this was the same Communist Party that had initiated the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution under Mao. The consequences were famine and millions of pre-mature deaths.
As a young boy SP recollects his parents decisive instruction to pack a bag for a vacation. Induced by curiosity and inquisitiveness SP obliged. Clothes, toys and food comprised the bulk of the contents, then guided by his parents he entered mainland China. Dismay and disillusionment riddled his comprehension.
“Why were everybody’s clothes restricted to shades of dull pigments such as grey, black and blue? Why a deficiency in food supplies? Why insufficient toys for children to play with? Why such dejection from Chinese people?”
Exposure to these realities had compelled SP’s parents to reject Mao’s policies of transcendent communism. Radical and ceaseless pursuing of economic reform had plunged millions of Chinese people into implicit poverty. Tragedy, barbarism and cannibalism persuaded the family to uproot and attempt a fresh life over the border in Hong Kong.
Life Changed Forever
12:01 am. The Union flag displaced and the Chinese flag hoisted into position, SP deliberated on the future of Hong Kong. Would the Communist Party dislocate his beloved democracy, or would the financial institutions so intrinsic to Hong Kong be displaced by excessive Chinese regulation? Would principles of freedom of speech and assembly be weakened and impaired by mainland propaganda? Would western axioms of education and legal institution be displaced by authoritative communist dogma? Would the Chinese authorities sanction a massacre of the peaceful Hong Kong protests as they did on June 4th 1989 in Tiananmen Square?
Questions such as these posited themselves to SP, but significantly SP’s position was not reflective of all Hong Kong citizens. While many with prior experience of the Chinese Communist Party were understandably anxious about the handover, many embraced reunification and envisaged a glistening future for a powerful and homogeneous China. Others sought total disconnection from China. They sought a Hong Kong liberated from both British colonialism and Chinese imperialism. A country free to pursue its interests as an independent sovereign country. Status quo was another popular alternative; a vision of Hong Kong lead by the British and maintained as a dependent of Britain and subject to its regulations. In essence if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
Will Hong Kong Successfully Secure Democracy?
For me, SP’s story contains powerful imagery. Having spent some time in Hong Kong amidst the political tensions and Hong Kong protests SP’s sorrow is transcendent. Our brief conversation taught me that SP is a gentleman; a man concerned for the future of his fellow countrymen and for his country itself. An advocate of the current political protests overwhelming the streets, SP wants to usher in fresh alternatives.
Yet the tensions between Hong Kong and Beijing have proliferated rapidly and each side appears unrepentant and unwilling to shift. The occurrence of protests were rife when I envisaged this article in Kowloon park on a warm winter afternoon. Abatement was not an objective for the protesters. The reality is that the protesters are disconnected and disunited in their intentions. While some merely want to retain the so called ‘one country two systems’ arrangement some protesters seek a complete separation from Beijing. Divorce is unlikely and as SP maintains Hong Kong relies on China for energy and water supplies which it currently doesn’t acquire from other sources.
Positive or negative, the future of Hong Kong and its fragile democracy is undecided. Chinese victory or triumph for democracy? I know that SP hopes for the latter.
The following are a series of links provided by SP on the current political situation in Hong Kong. They provide details of individuals who have been affected by oppressive Chinese measures.
(1) Umbrella Movement:
Netflix made a documentary about a teenage activist Joshua Wong who took to the streets in a bid to preserve autonomy from China. He recently finished serving his jail time in Hong Kong…
(2) Hong Kong People’s Sorrow during 1989:
We have put in subtitles for a documentary about how people felt during 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. This is a video of 15 minutes if you want to know more about the dilemmas of families immigrating to other countries at that time, followed by how the massacre destroyed the hopes of the people.
(3) 3 Years and 8 Months:
The older generation always talks about Japanese Occupation in World War 2 as ‘3 years and 8 months’. Whilst there are a lot more you can research on the topic, here is 3 minutes worth of memories of a woman recounting her experiences as a child at that time.
(4) Causeway Bay Bookstore Incident
Here’s a short 2 minute clip which briefly explains the incident where owners of a bookstore which sells politically sensitive books have ‘disappeared’ in 2015. This caused extreme anxiety for the people of Hong Kong at that time, as it greatly undermines the principle of ‘one country two systems’.
(5) Interpretation of Basic Law:
Beijing has interpreted the basic law 5 times since the handover, effectively amending and making new laws for Hong Kong. I mentioned that most recently, it has disqualified 6 pro democratic legislators from our Legislative Council. Here is a news article from that period to explain the issue in simple terms.
And a more detailed debate to the differing views at that time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7HjEGhSvkg
(6) Foreign Correspondents’ Club:
After the FCC hosted a talk in August 2018 by Andy Chan (the leader of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party), its Vice President and senior Financial Times Journalist Victor Mallet was denied his Hong Kong work visa renewal. Read more about its significance on free speech here: http://www.atimes.com/article/ft-journalist-denied-hk-visa-after-independence-row/