Rewriting Hong Kong’s History
Jennings Dixon
Although I’m not personally a historian, I do know that the way in which history is told is hardly ever objective. Historians tend to inject their own biases and opinions, and it’s our job as readers to pull out the subjectivity and evaluate it. Sometimes that’s difficult to do, particularly when you’re in fear of a government that could punish you for being too critical. That’s what students and teachers in Hong Kong now face as their history is getting rewritten.
Maybe sometime soon I’ll write a post about Hong Kong’s contemporary history, because it really is fascinating. Their relationship with the UK and China is pretty unique. But for now, all you need to know is that Hong Kong is technically under a “one country, two systems” agreement with China, which means that they should be operating without Beijing's influence. Unfortunately for Hong Kong, China is a bit too nosy.
A lot of things have happened in the past decade or so that has severely restricted Hong Kong’s autonomy, bringing it a lot closer to China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newest way in trying to evaporate Hong Kong's autonomy is by rewriting its history. A new book called The Chronicles of Hong Kong has been published. It goes back 7,000 years and covers everything there is about Hong Kong. Remember when I said that historians like to inject their own biases into their writings? The Chronicles of Hong Kong is certainly no exception.
The content is inherently anti-Hong Kong. It calls Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy protests “illegal” while praising the late 1960s pro-communist protests. It stresses that since 1997 when the UK relinquished its power over Hong Kong, that Hong Kong is a part of China. Not autonomous like it should be, but a unit of the CCP. The book’s goal according to some is to erase a separate Hong Kong identity, and to ensure allegiance to Beijing.
A powerful way to eradicate culture is to assimilate its people. Get rid of their unique heritage by feeding them the message that the oppressor’s culture is their own. This is scary, not only for Hong Kong’s culture but also for its democracy and shrinking autonomy. The Chronicles of Hong Kong is being taught in schools. These political messages are being taught to the new generation of Hong Kongers. They are learning to be loyal to Beijing and not Hong Kong. Students and teachers aren’t allowed to be critical of the book either; they have to take the information at face value. Propaganda can be dangerous, and I’m curious to see how this affects Hong Kong’s inevitable future.