Beijing: Hong Kong Preparing to introduce new middle school textbooks that will never deny the Chinese sector a British colony, The communist rulers of China maintain that the semi-autonomous city and the nearby former Portuguese colony of Macau were only occupied by foreign powers and that China never relinquished sovereignty over them.
This is not a new situation for China, but this move is another example of BeijingDetermined to apply its interpretation of history and events, and develop patriotism to tighten its grip on Hong Kong after massive protests demanding democracy in 2019.
“Hong Kong has been Chinese territory since ancient times,” says a new textbook seen by AP. “While Hong Kong was occupied by the British after the Opium War, it remained Chinese territory.”
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper reported earlier this week that it is one of four sets of textbooks being given to schools to replace the ones currently in use, all describing the same situation. Huh.
Was Hong Kong a Colony?
Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 until it was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997, with the exception of the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945. Its colonial status was the result of a pair of treaties signed at the end of the 1st and 2nd of the 19th century. The Opium Wars, as well as the granting of a 99-year lease to the new territories in 1898, greatly expanded the size of the colony.
The Communist Party of China, which seized power in 1949 during a civil war, says it never recognized the “unequal treaties” that the former Qing dynasty was forced to sign after a military defeat. it was done.
At the end of the 20th century – with China unwilling to extend leases on new territories, and the colony not viable without them – Britain negotiated a long and often controversial dispute with Beijing over the terms for Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule. entered the conversation.
Ultimately, China took control of Hong Kong in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” arrangement that would keep the city’s economic, political and judicial system separate from mainland China for 50 years. This is the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 registered with the United Nations, although China now refuses to recognize the agreement.
Has this matter come up before?
In 1972, after China’s seat at the United Nations was transferred from the Republic of China to Beijing, which had fled to Taiwan during the civil war, the government worked to annex Hong Kong and Macau, which returned to Chinese rule in 1999. have arrived. effectively stripped them of their right to self-determination, from the UN list of colonies.
At a time when European nations granted independence to other colonies, China feared the same might happen to the British and Portuguese enclaves it wanted back. China’s representative at the time said, “The settlement of the Hong Kong and Macao questions is entirely within China’s sovereign authority and does not fall under the general category of ‘colonial territories’.”
Mary Gallagher, who teaches Chinese Studies University of MichiganSaid that the then Chinese leader Mao Zedong wanted to ensure that Hong Kong remained a part of China. “So Hong Kong moves between the Chinese Empire and the British Empire, but loses its right to determine its future,” she said.
Why is Hong Kong changing textbooks now?
The new textbooks are part of a wider change in education following the 2019 protests, in which many students participated and some took leadership roles.
The texts are for liberal studies sections, which the government said last year to pro-Beijing lawmakers and supporters that they encouraged opposition and activist thought. Classes now focus on topics such as national security, patriotism and identity.
Textbooks promote the official view that the protest movement was the result of foreign movement and threatened national security. The Beijing government used such arguments to pass a comprehensive national security law for Hong Kong in 2020 that decriminalized free speech, criticism from officials and political opposition.
Officials have started National Security Education Day on April 15, encouraging students to learn more about national security and participate in educational activities that emphasize the importance of defending China.
where is this going?
The new textbooks are part of a push to bring Hong Kong’s institutional values more closely to those of mainland China, particularly in the areas of politics and history. fast, chinese leader Xi Jinping is imposing its vision of a strongly nationalist and increasingly authoritarian rule on the region.
China has sought to erase any memory of the military’s bloody suppression of student-led protests centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, including the June 4 anniversary of the banning of once-giant public monuments in Hong Kong Epidemic concerns have been cited.
“The Communist Party has a monopoly on truth and history in China,” said steve tsang, a Chinese political specialist at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. “In Xi’s view of history, facts are only incidental. Only interpretation matters. And only one interpretation is allowed.”
This is not a new situation for China, but this move is another example of BeijingDetermined to apply its interpretation of history and events, and develop patriotism to tighten its grip on Hong Kong after massive protests demanding democracy in 2019.
“Hong Kong has been Chinese territory since ancient times,” says a new textbook seen by AP. “While Hong Kong was occupied by the British after the Opium War, it remained Chinese territory.”
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper reported earlier this week that it is one of four sets of textbooks being given to schools to replace the ones currently in use, all describing the same situation. Huh.
Was Hong Kong a Colony?
Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 until it was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997, with the exception of the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945. Its colonial status was the result of a pair of treaties signed at the end of the 1st and 2nd of the 19th century. The Opium Wars, as well as the granting of a 99-year lease to the new territories in 1898, greatly expanded the size of the colony.
The Communist Party of China, which seized power in 1949 during a civil war, says it never recognized the “unequal treaties” that the former Qing dynasty was forced to sign after a military defeat. it was done.
At the end of the 20th century – with China unwilling to extend leases on new territories, and the colony not viable without them – Britain negotiated a long and often controversial dispute with Beijing over the terms for Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule. entered the conversation.
Ultimately, China took control of Hong Kong in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” arrangement that would keep the city’s economic, political and judicial system separate from mainland China for 50 years. This is the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 registered with the United Nations, although China now refuses to recognize the agreement.
Has this matter come up before?
In 1972, after China’s seat at the United Nations was transferred from the Republic of China to Beijing, which had fled to Taiwan during the civil war, the government worked to annex Hong Kong and Macau, which returned to Chinese rule in 1999. have arrived. effectively stripped them of their right to self-determination, from the UN list of colonies.
At a time when European nations granted independence to other colonies, China feared the same might happen to the British and Portuguese enclaves it wanted back. China’s representative at the time said, “The settlement of the Hong Kong and Macao questions is entirely within China’s sovereign authority and does not fall under the general category of ‘colonial territories’.”
Mary Gallagher, who teaches Chinese Studies University of MichiganSaid that the then Chinese leader Mao Zedong wanted to ensure that Hong Kong remained a part of China. “So Hong Kong moves between the Chinese Empire and the British Empire, but loses its right to determine its future,” she said.
Why is Hong Kong changing textbooks now?
The new textbooks are part of a wider change in education following the 2019 protests, in which many students participated and some took leadership roles.
The texts are for liberal studies sections, which the government said last year to pro-Beijing lawmakers and supporters that they encouraged opposition and activist thought. Classes now focus on topics such as national security, patriotism and identity.
Textbooks promote the official view that the protest movement was the result of foreign movement and threatened national security. The Beijing government used such arguments to pass a comprehensive national security law for Hong Kong in 2020 that decriminalized free speech, criticism from officials and political opposition.
Officials have started National Security Education Day on April 15, encouraging students to learn more about national security and participate in educational activities that emphasize the importance of defending China.
where is this going?
The new textbooks are part of a push to bring Hong Kong’s institutional values more closely to those of mainland China, particularly in the areas of politics and history. fast, chinese leader Xi Jinping is imposing its vision of a strongly nationalist and increasingly authoritarian rule on the region.
China has sought to erase any memory of the military’s bloody suppression of student-led protests centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, including the June 4 anniversary of the banning of once-giant public monuments in Hong Kong Epidemic concerns have been cited.
“The Communist Party has a monopoly on truth and history in China,” said steve tsang, a Chinese political specialist at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. “In Xi’s view of history, facts are only incidental. Only interpretation matters. And only one interpretation is allowed.”