Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

In the weeks prior to July 1, 1997, I kept receiving invitations from the media in Hong Kong and the United States to discuss, orally or in writing, the historic event of Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China. Judging by the enthusiasm of journalistic circles, it was obvious that the entire world was fascinated with the occasion. This was another spectacular moment for China-watching like the Tiananmen Massacre of June 4, 1989 – even though the mood was decidedly different, at least for Chinese populations in different parts of the world. But behind the craze to focus on China and Hong Kong, we see once again the persistence of all-too-familiar teleological tendencies in the West. For anyone who wishes to discuss the current situation of China and Hong Kong with a sense of justice and fairness, the task is daunting: one must write, it seems, not only against the biases that are readily apparent in the large number of reports generated within a relatively short period but also against the weight of opinion and tradition that sustains such biases. Ever since China “turned red” in 1949, the predominant mainstream attitude in the United States has been one of simple anxiety. Communist China has been seen by US politicians as a symbol of the United States' loss of guardianship over the most populous area of Asia. Unlike the fascistic Guomindang regime under the military dictatorship ... log in or subscribe to read full text