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The Hong Kong-China Nexus

A Brief History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2022

John M Carroll
Affiliation:
The University of Hong Kong

Summary

The Occupy Central/Umbrella Movement of 2014 and the anti-extradition protests of 2019 revealed how much Hong Kong's relationship with mainland China has deteriorated since the former British colony returned to Chinese sovereignty in July 1997. With mutual distrust and suspicion at an all-time high, many Hong Kong people have become increasingly hostile toward the Chinese government and the mainland in general, identifying themselves as Hongkongers rather than as Chinese. Yet, as John Carroll shows, for more than 150 years, colonial Hong Kong and China not only coexisted with but benefited each other, even during the anti-imperialist campaigns of the Republican and Communist eras. The porous boundary between Hong Kong and China enabled the two to use each other economically, politically, socially, and culturally. The Hong Kong–China nexus, although firmly embedded in global dynamics of colonialism, Cold War politics, and capitalist expansion, defies many common assumptions about nationalism, colonialism, and decolonization.
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The Hong Kong-China Nexus
  • John M Carroll, The University of Hong Kong
  • Online ISBN: 9781108893275
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The Hong Kong-China Nexus
  • John M Carroll, The University of Hong Kong
  • Online ISBN: 9781108893275
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

The Hong Kong-China Nexus
  • John M Carroll, The University of Hong Kong
  • Online ISBN: 9781108893275
Available formats
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