The Hong Kong you knew is gone.
In search of the beginning and end of the 'Hong Kong' we remember.

Where did the 'Hong Kong' we know today originate and how did it come to be?
Professor Ryu Young-ha, who has studied Hong Kong for over 30 years with an interest in the formation of Hong Kong society and Hong Konger identity, summarizes how Hong Kong's identity has changed from the Opium War in 1840 to the present.
Through "The Vanished Hong Kong," we will explore the characteristics of the identities of China and Hong Kong, why the two identities were bound to clash, and whether there is a solution to the conflict between the two countries.

The history of Hong Kong, established under British rule after the Opium War in 1840, can be divided into before and after the return of sovereignty to China in 1997.
And with the Hong Kong National Security Law coming into effect in June 2020, Hong Kong's history is divided once again.
The enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law was a stroke of genius for China, flattening the troublesome Hong Kong, and a stroke of luck for Hong Kong.
Since the national security law came into effect, Hong Kong has seen a worsening population decline and brain drain, with activists arrested on charges of “colluding with foreign powers,” humanities seminars shut down, and books on Hong Kong identity suspended.

Hong Kong Island was a very ambiguous place until the outbreak of the Opium Wars in the mid-1800s.
When describing Hong Kong, it is often said that it is in an ambiguous state.
This means that the people who lived there, past or present, have no clear identity.
At the time, Hong Kong Island was a fishing village with a population of about 8,000, under the control of the central government and a place frequented by pirates.
Imperial Britain took notice of Hong Kong Island.
Just looking at a map of Southeast Asia or the world will reveal how important Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula are as transportation hubs.
Hong Kong Island is a gateway connecting mainland China and Southeast Asia, as well as a gateway to the Pacific Ocean.
Furthermore, it is located in a position to connect shipping routes to Europe, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.
It is located at the mouth of the Pearl River, the lifeline of Guangdong Province, making it easy to access inland China.
Moreover, it occupies a route leading up to the Yellow Sea.
This is where the picture of the 'One Belt, One Road' policy, which is the core policy of President Xi Jinping today and aims to connect the world with one belt and one road, is clearly visible.
Hong Kong Island was a natural harbor with deep waters, making it ideal for anchoring large ships.
It once served as a supply base, providing daily necessities to people traveling the world by sea.
Hong Kong 'came to the forefront of history' during the Opium Wars.
No, it is generally described as having appeared on the forefront of history.

--- p.31, from Chapter 1, “Opium, War, and History”

One of the reasons Hong Kongers still cherish British rule is because they enjoyed freedom of education.
Under the Hong Kong Education Act, promulgated in 1971 due to the influence of China's Cultural Revolution, political songs, dances, and slogans were not permitted in classes or related activities.
This law further strengthens the Hong Kong government's commitment to not conducting political education.
It was a time when education was guaranteed freedom from politics.
What naturally follows is academic freedom.
Academic freedom, free from the need to worry about what others think, has led to social progress.
The brains (genes) of Hong Kong people grew up in this environment.
(…)
However, since the return of sovereignty to China in 1997, the state and the people have been constantly provoking the minds of Hong Kong people.
Various activities are being carried out around the 'National Education Center', and from around that time, Hong Kongers have to watch the 'National Promotion Video' called 'The Heart is One with the Motherland' before watching the television news.
In 2015, the Chinese government established 'National Safety Education Day'.
Every year on April 15th, the Education Bureau and the Security Bureau in Hong Kong take the lead in various activities such as lectures and exhibitions.
Starting in 2021, their brains are now being exposed to a completely different (educational) environment, such as being educated about national security starting in elementary school.
Additionally, the brain (genetic) structure will also be recreated.
--- p.100~101, from Chapter 5, “System and Education”

Following the Cultural Revolution, the hearts of Hong Kong people were once again completely turned away from China.
The identity of Hong Kong has been re-empowered.
In Hong Kong, the term “Chinese Communist Party” is taboo.
This has become another opportunity for the dichotomy to take root in the minds of Hong Kongers: “You China” represents dictatorship, cruelty, and barbarism, while “We Hong Kong” represents democracy, humanity, and civilization.
As I said before, the other always appears in ‘collective memory.’
Typing can be described as 'hating', 'differentiating', and 'taking sides'.
The other person becomes someone who ‘cannot be with me.’
(…) The collective memory of the bloody crackdown in Tiananmen Square may be the first factor that constitutes Hong Kongers’ identity.
It was a huge shock to the people of Hong Kong, both in terms of timing and scale.
It was an incident that confirmed and re-instilled the primal fear of the Communist Party that runs deep in the genes of Hong Kong people.
Hong Kongers are in panic.
Stock indices and real estate prices plummeted.
The phrase 'What do you want to do?' became our greeting to each other.
In 1989 alone, when the Tiananmen Square Democratization Movement occurred, 40,000 people left Hong Kong, and in the following year, 1990, 65,000 people (1% of the Hong Kong population) left.
Hong Kong's identity was being transformed and reshaped again.
--- p.192~193, from “Chapter 11 “The 64 Tiananmen Square Democratization Movement”

The 'China-Hong Kong system' is also a structure of opposition between pre-modern and modern times, majority and minority, particularity and universality.
Perhaps all conflicts stem from the schema of modernity and pre-modernity.
While Hong Kong is armed with democracy and science, China puts its nation and people first.
If China still worships a national or ethnic ideology, Hong Kong is an identity that touts rationality at every turn.
The Chinese government believed that instilling a Chinese identity would solve the problem.
China has made every effort to instill its national and ethnic ideology in Hong Kong.
Hong Kongers had to be made citizens within a short period of time.
The identities of China and Hong Kong are further divided into smaller identities.
Both China and Hong Kong have several smaller identities.
In other words, small identities come together to form a large identity, and China and Hong Kong are each the sum of small identities.
Changes in those small identities are directly linked to changes in the larger identity, and the larger identity in turn influences the smaller identities.
As we have seen from the beginning of the book, identity changes constantly depending on external shocks or internal conflicts.
Since the return of sovereignty in 1997, the 'China-Hong Kong system' has shown numerous conflicts.
China has worked to incorporate Hong Kong into its own firm Chinese identity, while Hong Kong has worked to preserve its own identity.
However, compared to the unshakable Chinese identity, Hong Kong's identity has been diversifying at a faster rate.
Just as the history of Hong Kong's identity is created, divided, and reassembled, there is no history that is lost in terms of identity.
History is constantly being reorganized and reassembled.

--- p.352~353, from “Epilogue”