#OpinionArticle
Hong Kong mourns the end of its way of life as China cracks down on dissent
//Hong Kong exists, as writer Han Suyin put it in the 1950s, âon borrowed time in a borrowed place.â Throughout its history, the city has been a bargaining chip in negotiations, its fate decided by other powers, each treaty setting out new expiration dates. Its identity is laced with unease about the cityâs inevitable end as we locals know it, with our powerlessness in the face of time.
//There was the countdown to 1997, when Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule after 150 years as a British colony. Britain and China had agreed in 1984 that after the handover, Hong Kong would be guaranteed its capitalist lifestyle and freedoms for 50 years.
//Now the countdown to 2047 is underway, to the end of the 50-year arrangement known as âOne Country, Two Systems.â But last year, the government proposed an extradition bill that would allow suspected criminals to be sent to the mainland, setting in motion Hong Kongâs worst political crisis in decades. In June, Beijing fast-tracked a sweeping national security law that essentially criminalizes dissent.
//After the law, which allows closed-door trials and life imprisonment, was announced, headlines read like obituaries: âThe saddest day in Hong Kongâs history,â âAn official death sentence for Hong Kong.â
//The day after the national security law came into force, thousands took to the streets on July 1. A banner was unfurled, declaring: âWe really f---ing like Hong Kong.â The message was clear: despite the law, Hong Kongers will continue to resist because they really, really like this place.
//To love Hong Kong is to be in a state of constant anxiety about its future. âItâs like watching a patient with cancer finally die,â said a student protester at Polytechnic University, who asked that her name not be published out of fear of arrest. âItâs something heartbreaking that would eventually happen. Now, it has happened.â
//Many Hong Kongers feel the city changes too quickly. The landscape is constantly evolving, the pace of gentrification dizzying. Chronic nostalgia is a part of the cityâs soul: we cling onto our present as if it were already our past, because we donât know how long it will last. We lament the disappearance of âdai pai dongsâ (street food stalls), âsi doâ (mom-and-pop stores), and neon signs. Retro shops and restaurants flourish.
//Cantonese, the slangy, colloquial language of Hong Kong that all but requires an irreverent attitude to be spoken authentically, is one of the cultural elements that many fear is under threat. As Beijingâs influence grows, Mandarin, which is spoken on the mainland and is mutually unintelligible to Cantonese, has become more prominent. The government has encouraged schools to teach Chinese language classes in Mandarin instead of Cantonese.
//New forms of resistance have already emerged: activists hoist blank sheets of paper instead of posters, and share graphics that replace Chinese characters with shapes, still recognizable as slogans to those in the know. They sing âGlory to Hong Kong,â the ânational anthemâ penned by protesters, with a string of numbers in place of the lyrics.
//âI still have hope that the people of Hong Kong will not give up on the city,â said Jeffrey Andrews, a Hong Konger of Indian origin. We spoke at the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, the place he feels most connected to the city, where one can see the iconic view of the harbor. To him it represents both the cityâs progress and heritage. Itâs also a place for locals to relax: âWe need that now more than ever in this current crisis.â
//He believes in Hong Kongâs future. In June, he became the first ethnic minority to run for a lawmaker seat. âYes, there's this law against us. But freedom is within the heart, mind and soul. I believe in the goodness of Hong Kong people. We will overcome, as always.â
Full article: National Geographic, (1-Sep) by Laurel Chor
#NationalSecurityLaw #China #Protest #TheEndofHongKong #ExtraditionBill
Hong Kong mourns the end of its way of life as China cracks down on dissent
//Hong Kong exists, as writer Han Suyin put it in the 1950s, âon borrowed time in a borrowed place.â Throughout its history, the city has been a bargaining chip in negotiations, its fate decided by other powers, each treaty setting out new expiration dates. Its identity is laced with unease about the cityâs inevitable end as we locals know it, with our powerlessness in the face of time.
//There was the countdown to 1997, when Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule after 150 years as a British colony. Britain and China had agreed in 1984 that after the handover, Hong Kong would be guaranteed its capitalist lifestyle and freedoms for 50 years.
//Now the countdown to 2047 is underway, to the end of the 50-year arrangement known as âOne Country, Two Systems.â But last year, the government proposed an extradition bill that would allow suspected criminals to be sent to the mainland, setting in motion Hong Kongâs worst political crisis in decades. In June, Beijing fast-tracked a sweeping national security law that essentially criminalizes dissent.
//After the law, which allows closed-door trials and life imprisonment, was announced, headlines read like obituaries: âThe saddest day in Hong Kongâs history,â âAn official death sentence for Hong Kong.â
//The day after the national security law came into force, thousands took to the streets on July 1. A banner was unfurled, declaring: âWe really f---ing like Hong Kong.â The message was clear: despite the law, Hong Kongers will continue to resist because they really, really like this place.
//To love Hong Kong is to be in a state of constant anxiety about its future. âItâs like watching a patient with cancer finally die,â said a student protester at Polytechnic University, who asked that her name not be published out of fear of arrest. âItâs something heartbreaking that would eventually happen. Now, it has happened.â
//Many Hong Kongers feel the city changes too quickly. The landscape is constantly evolving, the pace of gentrification dizzying. Chronic nostalgia is a part of the cityâs soul: we cling onto our present as if it were already our past, because we donât know how long it will last. We lament the disappearance of âdai pai dongsâ (street food stalls), âsi doâ (mom-and-pop stores), and neon signs. Retro shops and restaurants flourish.
//Cantonese, the slangy, colloquial language of Hong Kong that all but requires an irreverent attitude to be spoken authentically, is one of the cultural elements that many fear is under threat. As Beijingâs influence grows, Mandarin, which is spoken on the mainland and is mutually unintelligible to Cantonese, has become more prominent. The government has encouraged schools to teach Chinese language classes in Mandarin instead of Cantonese.
//New forms of resistance have already emerged: activists hoist blank sheets of paper instead of posters, and share graphics that replace Chinese characters with shapes, still recognizable as slogans to those in the know. They sing âGlory to Hong Kong,â the ânational anthemâ penned by protesters, with a string of numbers in place of the lyrics.
//âI still have hope that the people of Hong Kong will not give up on the city,â said Jeffrey Andrews, a Hong Konger of Indian origin. We spoke at the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, the place he feels most connected to the city, where one can see the iconic view of the harbor. To him it represents both the cityâs progress and heritage. Itâs also a place for locals to relax: âWe need that now more than ever in this current crisis.â
//He believes in Hong Kongâs future. In June, he became the first ethnic minority to run for a lawmaker seat. âYes, there's this law against us. But freedom is within the heart, mind and soul. I believe in the goodness of Hong Kong people. We will overcome, as always.â
Full article: National Geographic, (1-Sep) by Laurel Chor
#NationalSecurityLaw #China #Protest #TheEndofHongKong #ExtraditionBill
Culture
How Hong Kongâs complex history explains its current crisis with China
From a British colony to part of Beijingâs âone country, two systemsâ policy, Hong Kongâs government has almost always been the exceptionânot the rule.
#Newspaper
From defensive, to apologies, to doubling down: How Carrie Lamâs response to Hong Kongâs protest movement evolved over a year 2/2
Aug 9, 2019: Lam described protesters as people who were destroying Hong Kongâs economy and had no stake in society.
Sep 2, 2019: Lam admitted in a leaked recording that she had caused âunforgivable havocâ to the city. She said chose not to resign on the next day.
Sep 4, 2019: Lam announced she would scrap the bill after months of citywide unrest.
Sep 28, 2019: Lam admitted trust in her administration had âfallen off a cliffâ after a public dialogue with 150 randomly selected citizen.
Oct 1, 2019: The government issued a statement to condemn the âriotingâ and support police officers after a secondary school student was shot by the police with a live round.
Oct 4, 2019: Lam invoked colonial-era emergency powers to ban face coverings. and âend violenceâ.
Oct 16, 2019: Lam in her annual policy address accused âriotersâ of initiating attacks and sabotage. She said the government would not tolerate any actions which advocated the independence of Hong Kong.
Nov 11, 2019: Lam lambasted an arson attack in which a protestor set a man on fire. She restated that the government would not back down.
Nov 26, 2019: Lam said district council elections had a greater âpolitical dimensionâ this year following a landslide victory by pro-democracy candidates.
Dec 31, 2019: Lam visited police headquarters and thanked the force for its professionalism. She also said she would not shy away from her responsibility and âwill listen humbly to find a way outâ.
Jan 1, 2020: The government rejected âgrave concernsâ expressed in an open letter by 20 parliamentarians and dignitaries from 18 countries, saying that âHong Kong is being used as a pawn by some in the West to further their own agendasâ.
Jan 21, 2020: Lam alleged there was foreign influence behind the Hong Kong protests at the World Economic Forum.
May 11, 2020: Lam said in the interview with state-run newspaper that students in Hong Kong should be protected from being âpoisonedâ and reminded schools to be wary of âinfiltrationâ in subjects.
May 15, 2020: Lam praised a 999-page report published by the Independent Police Complaints Council on the behaviour of the force during the months of protest and said that it exonerated the force of misconduct.
Full Article: Hong Kong Free Press
https://bit.ly/35EDJkO
#extraditionbill #CarrieLam #HongKongprotests
From defensive, to apologies, to doubling down: How Carrie Lamâs response to Hong Kongâs protest movement evolved over a year 2/2
Aug 9, 2019: Lam described protesters as people who were destroying Hong Kongâs economy and had no stake in society.
Sep 2, 2019: Lam admitted in a leaked recording that she had caused âunforgivable havocâ to the city. She said chose not to resign on the next day.
Sep 4, 2019: Lam announced she would scrap the bill after months of citywide unrest.
Sep 28, 2019: Lam admitted trust in her administration had âfallen off a cliffâ after a public dialogue with 150 randomly selected citizen.
Oct 1, 2019: The government issued a statement to condemn the âriotingâ and support police officers after a secondary school student was shot by the police with a live round.
Oct 4, 2019: Lam invoked colonial-era emergency powers to ban face coverings. and âend violenceâ.
Oct 16, 2019: Lam in her annual policy address accused âriotersâ of initiating attacks and sabotage. She said the government would not tolerate any actions which advocated the independence of Hong Kong.
Nov 11, 2019: Lam lambasted an arson attack in which a protestor set a man on fire. She restated that the government would not back down.
Nov 26, 2019: Lam said district council elections had a greater âpolitical dimensionâ this year following a landslide victory by pro-democracy candidates.
Dec 31, 2019: Lam visited police headquarters and thanked the force for its professionalism. She also said she would not shy away from her responsibility and âwill listen humbly to find a way outâ.
Jan 1, 2020: The government rejected âgrave concernsâ expressed in an open letter by 20 parliamentarians and dignitaries from 18 countries, saying that âHong Kong is being used as a pawn by some in the West to further their own agendasâ.
Jan 21, 2020: Lam alleged there was foreign influence behind the Hong Kong protests at the World Economic Forum.
May 11, 2020: Lam said in the interview with state-run newspaper that students in Hong Kong should be protected from being âpoisonedâ and reminded schools to be wary of âinfiltrationâ in subjects.
May 15, 2020: Lam praised a 999-page report published by the Independent Police Complaints Council on the behaviour of the force during the months of protest and said that it exonerated the force of misconduct.
Full Article: Hong Kong Free Press
https://bit.ly/35EDJkO
#extraditionbill #CarrieLam #HongKongprotests
And one thing leads to another...
#CarrieLam #NationSecurityLaw #ExtraditionBill #policebrutality
#AhTo
#GoHKGraphics
Source: Ah To
#CarrieLam #NationSecurityLaw #ExtraditionBill #policebrutality
#AhTo
#GoHKGraphics
Source: Ah To