On the first of July, 1997, the British colonial possession of Hong Kong was formally transferred to China under a one party, two systems policy. Twenty-five years on, Hong Kong continues to resist and adapt to Chinese rule as they fight to keep their rights and freedoms under an authoritarian state.
The story of Hong Kong begins in the mid 1800s with the start of the Opium wars. In simple terms, the British were illegally exporting opium, an addictive drug, from India into China. At that time, China was under the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). As the British continued to export illegal opium into China, it took its toll on the country. In the 1820s, the trade grew dramatically resulting in social and economic disruption, as more and more of the Chinese population developed an addiction for the drug. In 1839, Chinese authorities seized more than a thousand tons of opium from a warehouse in modern-day Guangzhou. As tensions between the British and Chinese simmered, they reached a boiling point in July when a Chinese villager was killed by drunk British sailors. When British warships broke through a Chinese blockade of the pearl river, the First Opium war began. After a series of battles, the more advanced British army was able to take control of Hong Kong in 1840 and continued pushing into China. When the British captured the city of Nanjing, the war was over.
As the war came to a close the Treaty of Nanjing signed on August 29, 1842. The treaty increased the number of British ports in China, made the Chinese pay reparations and cede Hong Kong to the british. The British continued to seek expansion, gaining the Kowloon peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium war. On the first of July, 1898, during the second convention of Peking, it was decided that China would lease the territories of Hong Kong to the British for ninety-nine years. This set the deadline of July 1st, 1997 for when Hong Kong would be returned to China.
During their ninety-nine years of rule, the British transformed the small rocky islands of Hong Kong into a capitalist global hub. Their 156 years of rule means that Hong Kong is a british bubble in east asia. On the streets of Hong Kong you can see the merge of chinese and british culture. A mix of british street names with traditional chinese ones. You can find delicious dim sum and London-style double decker buses. But as the 1997 timer grew closer, the people of Hong Kong began to question the future of their politics, identity and freedom.
On the 19th of December, 1984, British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang signed an agreement certifying that the British would return all of Hong Kong back to China, but with one caveat. Hong Kong would remain autonomous and maintain its capitalist system for fifty more years, known as the one party, two systems policy. This means while officially part of China, Hong Kong can maintain its autonomy for fifty more years after reunification. This acts as an expiration date for Hong Kong, as they will be fully incorporated into China on July 1st, 2047. But it's more than just the Hong Kong-China border that will expire, but the way of life in Hong Kong. Under the Communist party, China has restricted freedoms, such as freedom of speech, the press and religious freedom. Hong Kongers, on the other hand, enjoy all of these freedoms, as well as a capitalist economic system. But once fully reunited with China these freedoms will be no more, as Hong Kong will be under the direct rule of the communist party.
While the border between China and Hong Kong is meant to stay intact until 2047, it is growing ever more porous politically, as China begins to bring Hong Kong back into its orbit. In the years following 1997, China mostly respected Hong Kong authorities, allowing the city to continue to prosper as an asian economic hub. However, in recent years, protests have erupted in Hong Kong as China attempts to infringe on their autonomy. In 2019, Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong introduced an extradition bill, allowing those arrested in Hong Kong to be extradited to China. This sparked widespread protests and soon enough half a million Hong Kongers were protesting on the streets. While the bill was withdrawn after weeks of protests, citizens continued to take to the streets to protest the growing Chinese influence in autonomous Hong Kong. Demonstrations continued as more pro-china bills were introduced. In 2020, a bill that would criminalize disrespect to the Chinese national anthem was introduced, resulting in widespread protests in the heart of the city. China continues to exert control over Hong Kong, quelling demonstrations and arresting pro-democracy journalists. There has been a clear shift in China's attitude toward Hong Kong in the early years of the One Party, Two Systems agreement compared with recent years. Earlier on, China respected Hong Kong’s autonomy, but now it's encroaching ever more on Hong Kong’s freedoms and politics. A film released by Vox, China is Erasing its Border with Hong Kong, explained that it was in Chinese interests to respect Hong Kong’s autonomy in the early years because of how important it was for them economically. In the early 90s, Hong Kong made up 27% of China’s GDP as it flourished under capitalism. However, today it makes just 3% as China has developed rapidly over the last few decades. This means that it's no longer so important for China to respect Hong Kong’s autonomy, and that's clear as they have projected their influence in recent years. The Chinese government has been trying to subtly get the message across that Hong Kong is China. They attempted to get teachers to use a textbook to learn about China that advertises the one party system as the ideal type and best for the people. The evening news in Hong Kong has begun using the Chinese national anthem before its broadcast. It's also in Mandarin, China’s national language, not Hong Kong’s Cantonese.
The story of Hong Kong is one of resilience, resistance, and the long-lasting impact of colonialism. The story of how a few rocky islands transformed into a global economic hub. The story of a people with a convoluted identity. The first of July, 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the 1997 handover, signifying 25 years more left on the timer for Hong Kong’s autonomy. For now, we can only wait for what the future of Hong Kong has in store and what the great city will look like in 2047.
References
“Britain Agrees to Return Hong Kong to China.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Feb. 2010, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/britain-agrees-to-return-hong-kong-to-china
Commonwealth Parliament; Parliament House, Canberra. “Hong Kong and the Transfer to China: Issues and Prospects.” Home – Parliament of Australia, Commonwealth Parliament; Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, 2600; Contact=+61 2 6277 7111, 18 Feb. 2013, https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/CIB/CIB9697/97cib33#:~:text=On%201%20July%201997%20sovereignty,law%20enjoyed%20under%20British%20rule.
Little, Becky. “How Hong Kong Came under 'One Country, Two Systems' Rule.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 3 Sept. 2019, https://www.history.com/news/hong-kong-china-great-britain.
Pletcher, Kenneth. “Opium Wars.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Opium-Wars.
Staff, Reuters. “Timeline: Key Dates in Hong Kong's Anti-Government Protests.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 30 May 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests-timeline/timeline-key-dates-in-hong-kongs-anti-government-protests-idUSKBN23608O.
Voxdotcom, director. China Is Erasing Its Border with Hong Kong. YouTube, YouTube, 25 July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQyxG4vTyZ8&t=272s. Accessed 28 June 2022.
Voxdotcom, director. How 156 Years of British Rule Shaped Hong Kong. YouTube, YouTube, 18 July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StW7oGSR_Mg. Accessed 28 June 2022.
Image Sources
By Studio Incendo - Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protest, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79933246
By Miller - http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/129008.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12151756
By Simeon W from Wellington, New Zealand - The Peak, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66317428
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