Berkley Center

In Hong Kong, you can have afternoon tea in a teahouse or the lobby of a five-star hotel, with dim sum or scones, and then order in English or Cantonese. In what may seem like a complete contradiction, I’ve had conversations in Cantonese with locals who comfortably describe themselves as Westernized between bites of rice and braised pork ribs. In many respects, the cliche of “East meets West” is an entirely accurate way to sum up Hong Kong.

Take a train an hour up the Pearl River to Guangzhou, and while from a distance the buildings may remind you of any other American city, the people here are distinctly not Western in a way Hong Kong locals usually are not. By and large, China is not anti-Western, and many Chinese enjoy the import of Western movies and music. But by the banks of the Pearl River, the memory of Western imperialism is carved into the face of a mural depicting the Qing Dynasty’s ultimately futile attempts to reject an opium addiction forced upon them by the British.

China, as a state, has moved on from this history. However, China will not forget the magnitude of injustice and tragedy invoked against its sovereignty and people.

Hong Kong, on the other hand, remembers colonial times in vastly different terms. Especially since the anxiety brought by its handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Hong Kong has remembered British rule in terms of its import of capitalism, culture, infrastructure, and rule of law. When I attempted to invoke the more painful history of imperialism in China to locals, none have denied the unjust system imposed not only a century ago but complicate the narrative of the evils of colonialism with the prosperity of their own city today. Astoundingly, one local told me that the suffering induced by imperialism served as punishment to the Qing Dynasty for being too weak.

This difference in memory is understandable, as Hong Kong has reaped economic, political, and social benefits from British rule. During the 1997 handover, Hong Kong residents anxious about communist rule largely felt that the British were looking out for their interests more so than the Chinese. What’s more, British rule served as both the creator and protector of the Hong Kong identity, which has become a unique combination of British and Cantonese culture.

Mainland China, meanwhile, did not reap the benefits Hong Kong locals now have from colonialism. From China’s perspective, the century of shame that China was subjected to was only redeemed with the return of Hong Kong to original Chinese control. However, these conflicting narratives have helped drive a wedge between China and Hong Kong, and neither's memories are perfect.

While Hong Kong residents largely attribute their success to the introduction of capitalism and democracy and do enjoy a significantly higher GDP per capita than the average Chinese, poverty and economic woes have not been eliminated in Hong Kong by capitalism. Hong Kong suffers from the most unaffordable housing in the world and urban poverty that drives residents to homelessness and into tiny “cage homes.” Discontent with Chinese communist rule and fears of losing their culture to Mandarin-speaking mainlanders has fueled resentful stereotyping of mainlanders as greedy and uncultured.

On the other side, China’s prioritization of power under unification rather than acknowledging the different interests and experiences of localities serves as justification for the state’s enforcement of homogenizing policies. Seeing the erasure of Cantonese in nearby Guangdong province and the rise of Mandarin in their own city has fueled Hong Kong locals’ resentment of mainland rule. Moreover, many Hong Kong residents feel that China is violating Hong Kong’s sovereignty and fear the end of their freedoms and identity under Chinese rule.

Neither history is objectively right. However, a critical re-examination of their own memories will be necessary moving forward to both address the needs of Hong Kong residents and reduce the resentment felt between parties. In no way will this solve all the woes of Hong Kong and China, but sincere respect for their respective identities and histories is the starting point for each of their successful futures.