Hong Kong Sunset: The Fall of a World City and the Rise of China's New Empire - Softcover

Bull, Erik V.

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798842545728

Publisher: Independently published, 2022

Synopsis

Is Hong Kong dying? It may seem so, and this was not supposed to happen. 25 years ago, when Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, the city was promised 50 years of a high degree of independence and non-interference by the Chinese authorities under the "one country, two systems" agreement. Nevertheless, today Hong Kong is almost completely under China's thumb and all dreams of democracy, freedom, and independence from the Communist Party in Beijing have been thwarted.

In 2019 massive protests erupted in Hong Kong, people taking to the streets in the millions in a last attempt to save the exceptionalism and independence of the city. Despite global attention and sympathy, they did not succeed. On the contrary, Beijing finally had the perfect excuse to take complete control.

The future of Hong Kong is bleak. But how did it come to this? Why was there a British Crown colony in Hong Kong to begin with? What kind of city is it today and why does it have such an important status globally? Why does Beijing have such trouble incorporating Hong Kong as a positive addition into China despite the city's consistent value for China's economic well-being? Is Hong Kong's global significance really over and has the city's soul departed? Why is Beijing so harsh on ethnic people within the Chinese borders? What is to be expected from China on Hong Kong and its neighbors going forward?

These questions are examined in this book. It is not a history book. Rather, it is a melting pot of history, travelogue, and journalistic descriptions, including a personal account of living in Hong Kong during the last few years of upheaval. Hong Kong is a diverse and fascinating cauldron of cultures, and it is changing quickly and vastly on an almost daily basis. This read will give an impression of what Hong Kong is, what it was, what it will be, and how it is to live under the authority of a nation that is set on subduing the exceptionalism of Hong Kong culture and mentality, while forcing upon the Hong Kong population the constraints, threats, and full might of the Chinese Communist Party.

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798842545728
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 281