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Introduction
- Hong Kong University Press, HKU
- Chapter
- Additional Information
ntroduction Introduction At midnight on 30 June 1997, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. A city which came into existence under British colonial rule and grew to be a major nodal point in the global capitalist network was belatedly to enter the post-colonial world, experiencing not independence, but absorption into a much larger entit y with alie n political values. From the point o f view o f China, the transfer o f sovereignty whic h too k place at the mid-point o f 1997 was simply a moment in a larger story of selfhood regained : the reclaiming of Hon g Kong fed a growing sense of national pride which China's economic resurgence in the post-Cultural Revolution er a had encouraged , an d whic h th e decline of widespread belie f i n communist ideolog y mad e politicall y necessary . From the point of view of Hong Kong, however, the end o f colonial rule was a much more complicated an d eve n troubling affair. Hon g Kong people were being treated a s the objects of someone else's historical narrative and no t being offered a long-overdue chance to become the subjects of their own . ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Dissatisfactio n a t being excluded fro m importan t decision s concernin g thei r own future wa s prevalent amongs t Hong Kong people at the time of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, which set the timetable for Hong Kong' s return to Chinese sovereignty. It became more intense, however, following th e violent suppression o f the Beijin g democracy movemen t o n 4 June 1989 , an event which made th e prospect o f a smooth convergence with China i n 1997 seem much less likely Th e colonial government was faced wit h a rapid erosion of its already shak y politica l legitimacy i n the wake o f this bloody crackdown , which Hon g Kong residents (man y of whom wer e themselve s refugees fro m th e oppressiv e politica l environmen t o f the People's Republi c o f China) watche d unfol d o n thei r television screens. The bland promises of 'stability and prosperity', which the two sovereign powers had been making, were no longer sufficient t o pacify th e local population, and growing demands for democracy were heard. Powerfu l advocates o f legislativ e refor m emerge d an d Hon g Kon g becam e politicize d a s neve r before . Give n th e unrepresentative nature of the colonial legislature, it was perhaps not surprising that much of the new concern fo r [44.205.5.65] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 17:52 GMT) empowerment wa s no t simpl y directe d int o part y political activity, but found it s expression on the streets in the form o f marches and demonstrations . The mos t massive o f thes e had occurre d directl y followin g th e Beijing crackdown, but such spatialized manifestation s of protest were to become common in Hong Kong right through the handover period . The rise of a local consciousness in Hong Kong, fed b y the traum a o f th e Beijin g crackdown , shattere d th e fragile consensus between Britain and China which had prevailed i n the earl y post-Joint Declaratio n era . Th e colonial government , no w seriousl y lackin g i n legitimacy, announce d a n extensiv e programm e o f public works as part of an attempt to restore morale and boost economic growth in the run up t o the handover . The centrepiec e o f thi s programm e wa s a ne w international airport , t o be locate d o n th e fa r sid e of Lantau Island at Chek Lap Kok. Although constructio n of this airport took place almost unobserved by the vast majority o f Hong Kong's inhabitants o n account of its remote location , the creation of the road an d rai l link s necessary to connect the airport t o the city itself wa s a much mor e high-profil e affair . Th e waterfront o f th e Central district of Hong Kong Island, for instance, was completely transforme d du e t o extensive reclamatio n...