An eyewitness reports on the rise of China and the fall of Hong Kong
The Gate to China: A New History of the People’s Republic & Hong Kong
MICHAEL SHERIDAN
(WILLIAM COLLINS, 512 PP, £25)
Tablet bookshop price £22.50 • tel 020 7799 4064
There is something ineluctable about the story of Hong Kong since the Communists swept to power on the mainland in 1949. And that is their determination not only to regain possession of the colony in its entirety but also to subject it to the dictates of the Party.
The British knew they could do little if Beijing decided to solve this “problem left over from history” by sending in the People’s Liberation Army. But the mainland was racked by internal struggle, allowing Hong Kong the leeway to become one of Asia’s most prosperous cities. That self-absorption changed under Deng Xiaoping, who realised that China, as it opened its economy, could learn from capitalist practice in the colony.
In addition, there was the question of its status after 1997, when the 99-year lease of the New Territories expired. Deng was adamant that China must regain sovereignty over not just the leased land but also Hong Kong Island and the tip of Kowloon, which had been ceded in perpetuity. His wish prevailed, albeit under a “one country, two systems” formula to last until 2047.
