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Viewpoints Are Hong Kong People Feeling More Chinese 10 Years After The Handover?
Viewpoints Are Hong Kong People Feeling More Chinese 10 Years After The Handover? | Are Hong Kong People Feeling More Chinese 10 Years After The Handover? |
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| Viewpoints | |
| Friday, 22 June 2007 | |
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July 1st 1997 is the date Hong Kong was handed back to China. 10 years on, are British Chinese still dining well on the Great Chinese Take Away? Kwok W Wan investigates… Barry Li was born in England, lives in England, but his roots are in Hong Kong. He is second generation Chinese and his parent came to England in the 1960’s. He’s been to Hong Kong many times, both before 1997 and after. “Before 1997, the streets were jammed with dirty public buses and people, sweating in the humidity. Air conditioning boxes rusted in high rise apartment buildings and dripped water below. Before the handover, everyone talked about the handover. Some people were very scared and migrated to other countries. Others were happy, finally to be reunited with the motherland. Most just looked on, resigned to whatever fate China had for them.” After The Tienanmen Square massacre in 1989, tensions about the handover were at an all time high. This was not helped by the appointment of Tung Chee Hwa as Hong Kong’s first Chief Executive in 1997, seen by many as a yes-man to the China’s Communist Party, later replaced by Donald Tsang in 2005. This year, they had its first contested election to decide if he would continue as Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Sow Keat Tok, a researcher at the China Policy Institute at Nottingham University, was in Hong Kong this year covering the election. He too has visited Hong Kong many times, before and after the handover. “Nothing has changed, except the post boxes are now green instead of read,” says Tok. “There have been very few observable changes for ordinary Hong Kongers. The only other thing is the change of flags.” Tok believes the biggest change has been the mentality of Hong Kong people. A native Singaporean, he recalls his first visit to Hong Kong with a friend. “He told me to speak English and not Mandarin. If you speak Mandarin, they’ll assume you’re from the mainland and will not be bothered with you. Before 1997 Hong Kongers were resistant to anything Chinese. But in 2007, that resistance was broken.” Professor Hong Liu, Director for the Centre for Chinese Studies at the University of Manchester agrees. “There is a greater degree of acceptance now. More and more Hong Kong people are conscience of being Chinese.” Professor Liu has also seen evidence of changing immigration patterns. “Before the handover, many people were leaving Hong Kong and moving to the USA or Europe. In the last five years, we have seen a reverse migration. Hong Kong professionals, such as lawyers or bankers, have found it difficult to find the similar paying jobs abroad. Many are now coming back, and the number of people returning is now larger than the number of people leaving.” Both Tok and Professor Liu believe the key to this harmonic transition has been economical. “Money is the ultimate language,” says Tok, “They have kept Hong Kong as the main trading hub to the Canton delta, while Shanghai takes care of the Yangtze delta. Hong Kong still gets preferential treatment with things like the Closer Economy Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). This agreement gives concessions for Hong Kong service sector businesses to move into China and there is no export tariff. There is no reciprocal arrangement for mainland businesses.” Professor Lui adds: “Hong Kong people are now willing to work in China. They used to only like being paid in Hong Kong or US dollars. Now everyone wants Renminbi (the official currency in China).” There is a sense of relief for many British Chinese about the state of Hong Kong at this present moment. Li, who was also in Hong Kong this year reflects the views of many who go back. “It still feels the same. There’s just more people speaking Mandarin in the streets. That’s it.” When we talk about the future of Hong Kong, the familiar fears gently return. “I’m not worried at the moment, but I do think about human rights and freedom of speech sometimes.” Dr. Lily Chen, Chinese Media lecturer at Sheffield University has also seen this trend in young people. “My students from Hong Kong say they used to enjoy more economical favour before the handover. Now they feel like they’re not the favourite and they will lose more of their advantages. They feel China is focusing on Shanghai, who will catch up and replace Hong Kong as the main business centre in Asia.” After a rocky start to the relationship with Hong Kong, it seems China has finally managed to please the people. “After getting rid of the lame duck Chief Executive, Tung Chee Hwa, there has been a growth in good will toward China,” says Tok. “They have left Hong Kong intact and Hong Kong people appreciate that.” In March this year, Tsang faced his first elected contest to remain Chief Executive. For the first time in Hong Kong’s history, the election had candidates from different political parties. Tsang, a Beijing backed candidate, was up against Alan Leong, a pro-democracy candidate. Even though it did not involve direct voting from the public, both candidates ran campaigns to reach out to ordinary Hong Kong people. Tsang won the election, but what surprised observers was how popular Tsang was in the opinion polls. “Trust of the “One Country, Two Systems” is at an all time high,” adds Tok. Dr Chen has also found young people are “more patriotic” and feel like they have more ownership of their territory. “They never felt part of the elite under British colonial rule. They almost felt like second class citizens” The next ten years will never be easy to predict, especially with interlinking world markets and unstable political countries. “There is no strong movement for democratisation at the moment,” says Tok. “Hong Kong people are not overtly interested in politics. Making a good living is more important.” Li is slightly more cautious. “I’m not sure how Hong Kong can integrate itself fully with China. Everything is ok now, but China is so much more powerful than Hong Kong. The future could be a very dangerous time.” |
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