From the BBC:
“Queen Elizabeth II: Hong
Kong's grief sends message to Beijing”
(Hong Kongers lay flowers for the
Queen outside the UK Consulate)
Hong Kongers have been lining up
for hours this week to pay their respects to the Queen in what has been perhaps
the biggest display of affection for the late monarch seen outside the UK. But
the collective outpouring of grief says as much about the present as it does
about the past, and comes as Beijing has been tightening its grip. The long
queues, piles of flowers and cards in the city's Admiralty district contrast
with more muted reactions seen in other former British colonies. Hong Kong
returned to Chinese rule under "one country, two systems", which
promised that the city's way of life - including civil liberties unavailable in
the mainland - would be kept for at least 50 years. But a crackdown on
protests, Beijing's imposition of its national security law and only allowing
"patriots" to govern are seen by many as reneging on that promise. "There
is a mix of complex emotions," said Dr Li Mei Ting, a cultural and
religious studies lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Outside the
British consulate, mourners opened umbrellas to hide from the scorching sun
while "God Save the Queen" played softly from a mobile phone. Parents
brought their children along, and one father even wrapped his seven-month-old
daughter in a Union Jack flag. "I don't remember ever seeing Hong Kongers
doing this to any leader who passed away," Ted Hui, a former Hong Kong MP
who now lives in Australia, told the BBC.
Nostalgia for a 'golden age'
(Queen Elizabeth II's visit to
Hong Kong in 1975)
In the city, the Queen was
affectionately called si tau por, which means "boss lady" in
Cantonese. Many in the queue were older people, among them Mr Lee, aged in his
60s, who had brought chrysanthemums. "I hadn't bought any flowers before,
not even when I was courting girls." He said he was grateful for the Queen
as Hong Kong's economy flourished and society became liberal and open under
colonial rule. Others said the education and medical systems were hugely
improved and the city also enjoyed the rule of law under British rule. Hong
Kong became a British colony after two Opium Wars in the 19th century and
colonial rule lasted for 156 years. Meanwhile mainland China was swept by
political turmoil including the Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution. "Hong
Kong was peaceful during those days," said Ms Fung, 75. When Hong Kong
people reminisce about the colonial era, they are often referring to the period
from the mid-1970s to 1990s, says Dr Li. "People who experienced this
period see it as Hong Kong's golden age," she said. The British colonial
government changed its governance model as a response to deadly anti-colonial
riots in 1967, which were sparked by a labour dispute and supported by Beijing.
More public housing was built and free primary education was introduced, partly
in a bid to ward off further social movements, Dr Li says. But US-based
activist Jeffrey Ngo says the last three decades of the colonial period do not
give the full picture - and that the British empire had played a "very big
role" in paving the way for the current situation. "Plenty of
activists have been prosecuted, especially since 2019, under laws that were put
in place by the colonial government and were never repealed before 1997." Last
week five speech therapists were convicted under the colonial-era sedition law,
for publishing children's books which portray the Chinese government as wolves
and Hong Kongers as sheep. The judge said it was a "brainwashing
exercise", while critics say the sentence was a blow to freedom of speech. The UK also did little to democratise the
city for much of the colonial period, Mr Ngo said.
Current day discontent
(Mr Tse and his Corgi)
For some, commemorating the Queen
is a way to express their unhappiness at the Hong Kong government. Protest is
no longer possible under Beijing's sweeping national security law and stringent
Covid rules. Mr Tse, who brought his pet Corgi on a leash with a Union Jack,
said the mourning was an "alternative form of political expression". Flying
that flag on another day could risk arrest or even prosecution under the
national security law - but it is being tolerated for now because of the
Queen's death, he added. Mr Chan came with his wife and two children. He said
the family felt close to the Queen as all members were born at Queen Elizabeth
Hospital, which was opened in 1963. "We will pay tribute to whoever merits
our respect. [Authorities] should not easily accuse people of collusion with
foreign forces but not reflect on their own behaviour that causes so much
unhappiness among Hong Kongers," he said. Some in the line were also
planning to leave the city. Hong Kong's population has shrunk by almost 200,000
in two years - and many of those leaving plan to settle in the UK. "Hong
Kongers are queuing under such heat. We share the same ideas and no words are
needed to explain," said Ms Lee, who came with her 21-year-old daughter. "There
is a huge contrast between the past and the present... Now we have lost what we
had and many people I know are emigrating," she added before confirming
that they plan to leave too.
Hong Kong's identity
(This father says he will teach
his daughter about Hong Kong's colonial history when she grows up)
Younger people without direct
experience of the colonial era were also in the queue. Some said they were
worried that Hong Kong's colonial past would be buried under Beijing's drive to
reshape the city. New textbooks now say Hong Kong was never a British colony
but was merely occupied by a foreign power. Law student Sam said his
grandmother fled mainland China by swimming to the city. "Immigration
officers said to my grandma that our si tau por was also a woman, so she would
be taken care of in Hong Kong." Christopher, 15, said traces of Hong
Kong's colonial history are still visible - such as the old banknotes and
street signs. "But it feels like they are fading." "No matter
our criticism, the colonial period was part of our Hong Kong identity and
history," said Dr Li.
^ The people of Hong Kong
currently live under a Communist Dictatorship ruled from Beijing. It is not
surprising that so many of them look fondly back on when it was a British
Colony and they had more freedom. ^
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