Hong Kong's Rewritten Histories

Summary

Podcast Summary: On the Media – “Hong Kong's Rewritten Histories”

Release Date: July 6, 2022
Host/Author: WNYC Studios’ Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger
Episode Title: Hong Kong's Rewritten Histories

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1. Introduction and Book Overview

In this episode titled “Hong Kong's Rewritten Histories,” host Annalee Nuitz introduces Louisa Lim’s insightful book, Indelible Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong. Lim, an experienced reporter for NPR and the BBC, delves deep into the complex historical narratives that shape Hong Kong’s identity today. Nuitz emphasizes the book’s relevance, especially as Hong Kong prepares to adopt a new version of its history that omits its period under British colonial rule.

Notable Quote:
Annalee Nuitz reflects, “Lim’s work feels particularly relevant now because this fall, students in Hong Kong will learn a new version of history, one that erases the fact that Hong Kong was ever a British colony.” [00:23]

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2. Rewriting Hong Kong's History

The discussion centers on the upcoming curriculum changes in Hong Kong, where four new history books, influenced by Chinese narratives, assert that Hong Kong has always been an integral part of China, dismissing the 156-year British rule. This revisionist approach aligns with Beijing’s broader efforts to reinforce sovereignty claims and reshape public perception.

Notable Quote:
Ira Flato critiques the British narrative: “The British version says that Hong Kong was a barren rock before the British arrival... But that simply wasn't true.” [05:25]

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3. The King of Kowloon: Symbol of Defiance

A significant portion of the episode highlights the story of the “King of Kowloon,” a graffiti artist who transformed from a marginalized trash collector into a revered symbol of Hong Kong’s resistance. Despite his humble beginnings and disabilities, his persistent act of writing defiance on public spaces became a collective memory and an emblem of Hong Kongers’ struggle for identity and autonomy.

Notable Quote:
Annalee Nuitz describes him: “Lim describes him as a graffiti artist who went from being a toothless, often shirtless, disabled trash collector to a symbol of Hong Kong's defiance.” [00:23]

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4. Competing Historical Narratives

The hosts delve into the contrasting historical accounts propagated by British colonial records and the Chinese reinterpretation. While the British depicted Hong Kong as an undeveloped territory that was transformed into a commercial hub, Chinese narratives assert an unbroken sovereignty, denying the colonial past and the legitimacy of the treaties that ceded Hong Kong to Britain.

Notable Quote:
Ira Flato states, “China’s rewritten Hong Kong's textbooks yet again... sovereignty was never ceded.” [06:08]

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5. Myth-making: The Lo Tang Legend

To counteract imposed historical narratives, Hong Kongers have developed their own myths, such as the Lo Tang legend—a tale of fish-headed mermen descended from rebels. This myth not only fosters a unique cultural identity but also underscores a long history of resistance and political activism among Hong Kongers, challenging stereotypes of them being solely economic actors.

Notable Quote:
Ira Flato explains the myth: “The Lo Tang really challenges that idea because these fish men were mythically descended from a rebel.” [08:56]

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6. Impact on Identity and the Pro-Democracy Movement

The erasure and rewriting of Hong Kong’s history have profound implications for its people’s sense of identity and the pro-democracy movement. Without access to a shared and authentic history, organizing and uniting around common values becomes challenging. The deliberate obscuring of history by both colonial and current authorities has led to a fragmented identity among Hong Kongers.

Notable Quote:
Ira Flato observes, “They lost access to their own history. One of the foundations of identity is having a shared history.” [10:36]

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7. Current Challenges and the Future of Activism

The episode addresses the dire situation facing Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists amidst increasing crackdowns. Many activists are choosing exile over remaining in a shrinking space for political dissent, leading to the formation of activist communities abroad. Those who stay face significant psychological trauma, shifting the focus from momentum to mere survival.

Notable Quote:
Ira Flato remarks, “We're seeing Hong Kongers leaving in huge numbers, hundreds of thousands.” [11:44]

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8. Reflections on Multiple Histories

Concluding the episode, Ira Flato emphasizes the importance of embracing multiple historical narratives rather than imposing a singular version. By highlighting figures like the King of Kowloon, who embodied a self-appointed and community-accepted leadership, the episode advocates for a more inclusive and representative approach to history that acknowledges diverse voices and experiences.

Notable Quote:
Ira Flato concludes, “I’m opposed to the idea of the imposition of a singular history that must be followed.” [12:26]

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Conclusion

“Hong Kong's Rewritten Histories” provides a compelling exploration of how historical narratives are contested and reshaped amidst political turmoil. Through Lim’s research and the hosts’ insightful analysis, the episode sheds light on the resilience of Hong Kongers in preserving their identity and history against external attempts at erasure and manipulation.

Transcript

[Ira Flato]

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[Annalee Nuitz]

This is the on the Media Podcast Extra and I'm Annalee Nuitz. I'm an author and the co host of the podcast. Our opinions are correct and I've been helping out around on the Media for the past couple of weeks. I recently read a great book about Hong Kong that hit some sweet spots for history, myth, activism and what it means to call a place home. It's by reporter Louisa Lim, who grew up in Hong Kong and has covered China for NPR and the BBC. The book is called Indelible Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong. Lim's work feels particularly relevant now because this fall, students in Hong Kong will learn a new version of history, one that erases the fact that Hong Kong was ever a British colony. According to four history books now under development in China, Hong Kong has always been a part of China, despite 156 years of British dominion. China has promoted this narrative ever since 1997, when the British left the hundreds of islands and one peninsula that make up the territory of Hong Kong. However, many Hong Kongers cannot forget their colonial history. One such Hong Konger was the so called King of Kowloon. Lim describes him as a graffiti artist who went from being a toothless, often shirtless, disabled trash collector to a symbol of Hong Kong's defiance. By the time he died in 2007, he believed that the peninsula of Kowloon rightfully belonged to his family and that the British had stolen it in the 1860s. In 1956, he took to the streets, painting calligraphy on the walls of Hong Kong in his shaky, stilted handwriting. He raged against the British Empire, scribbling down his entire family tree and the names of places he believed his family had lost.

[Ira Flato]

And he'd write on the walls, electricity, boxes, the lamp posts, the flyovers, all these kind of bits of street furniture that you don't normally notice. And the government cleaners would clean away his work and he'd often come back the next day and write at the same place.

[Annalee Nuitz]

In her book, Lim explains that the history of her city has always been shrouded in many contradictory myths. In defiance of these narratives, the King of Kowloon created his own personal history of the place, capturing the imagination of Louisa Lim and her fellow Hong Kongers.

[Ira Flato]

His calligraphy became a real collective memory for Hong Kongers when the future was really uncertain. No one knew what going back to China would mean. But sort of day after day, there was the King of Kowloon. And over time, he became an iconic figure. You know, there were songs sung about him, rap songs and jazz ballads, and poets wrote poems to him, and he appeared in local films, in adverts. He went on to represent Hong Kong in the Venice Biennale.

[Annalee Nuitz]

Here's a clip from your podcast called the King of Kowloon.

[Ira Flato]

I was looking at him as a.

[Annalee Nuitz]

Spectacle rather than proph.

[Ira Flato]

He was completely mad, completely bonkers. He was incoherent. He was certifiable. Only when you go crazy, you can see the truth. I'm the King of Calhoun. Decades after his death in 2007, the themes that he was writing about, dispossession and sovereignty, territory and loss. These are themes that are right at the very heart of Hong Kong's political crisis.

[Annalee Nuitz]

And as you were investigating his life, you encountered a lot of conflicting and overlapping stories about Hong Kong and its history. And the King of Kowloon story kind of challenges the history of Hong Kong that you were taught as a child attending school there under British sovereignty. And that version of history was dreamed up in 1841 by Lord Palmerston, Britain's former prime minister, at the height of British imperial power. And obviously it served the British interests. So what does this version of the story deliberately leave out?

[Ira Flato]

So the British version says that Hong Kong was a barren rock before the British arrival. A barren rock with nary a house on it. As Lord Palmerston famously wrote, it makes it sound like there was nothing there. And that solely through British intervention, Hong Kong became this international center of commerce. Britain was a civilizing force. That wasn't true. Hong Kong has an extremely long pre British history going all the way back to the middle Neolithic era. The British censuses on arrival said that Hong Kong had thousands of inhabitants. So it simply wasn't true. But that didn't mean that that's not the version that was so popular and I think still is in people's imaginations.

[Annalee Nuitz]

In 1997, the British Hand over sovereignty of Hong Kong to China. And there's this elaborate ceremony where the British flag was lowered, followed by a few seconds of silence, and then the Chinese flag was raised.

[Ira Flato]

Speaking for the British monarchy, which had ruled 800 million people only 50 years ago, the Prince of Wales. The eyes of the world are on Hong Kong today. I Wish you all a successful transition and a prosperous and peaceful future.

[Annalee Nuitz]

And in those early years after the British evacuated the island, we see a new historical narrative emerging from Beijing. And that's one that explicitly rejects this barren rock idea.

[Ira Flato]

So the Chinese version of Hong Kong history claims that Hong Kong has been a part of Chinese soil since time immemorial. That Hong Kong's culture is the same as Chinese culture. Basically this agrarian, grain growing, rice eating kind of culture. The interesting thing is that version of history is in flux. Just over the last couple of weeks, it's emerged that China's rewritten Hong Kong's textbooks yet again. Now they're claiming that Hong Kong never was a British colony. They're saying that when the British took over Hong Kong there were these series of treaties which the Chinese call unequal treaties. They say they were forced upon them by gunboat diplomacy, by violence, and they never actually agreed to any of these treaties. So sovereignty was never ceded. You know, it's a crazy argument when you think of all those governors and the British administration of Hong Kong to claim that it was never a colony. But it also shows you the sort of mutability of history.

[Annalee Nuitz]

And then of course there's this other story about Hong Kong that originates with Hong Kongers themselves. It's deliberately mythical and involves a race of fish headed mermen called Low Ting. You quote Roland Barthes, the French philosopher, saying the best weapon against myth is perhaps to mythify it in turn and produce an artificial myth.

[Ira Flato]

So the L Jing myth is the idea that Hong Kongers are descended from this race of fish headed mermen. In Chinese texts there are some references to the Lo Tang. There were this sort of race of fish men who live in caves. And the kind of myth that emerges were these were the ancestors of a general in 512 AD who fought the emperor and was defeated and withdrew with his army of 100,000 men to caves in Lantau where they ate so many fish that they became fish men. It was a myth that many people liked because it felt as real as any other version of Hong Kong's history, or perhaps even more real to them.

[Annalee Nuitz]

The other thing that was so interesting about this myth is that it suggests that there's a long history of insurrection and resistance in Hong Kong.

[Ira Flato]

There's been this idea, I think, that's really just been imposed on Hong Kongers, that Hong Kongers are economic actors, not that interested in politics, only interested in making money. It was an idea that the British used to propagate all the time. And it continued under the Chinese. The Luo Tang really challenges that idea because these fish men were mythically descended from a rebel. There's actually a long history of rebellion in Hong Kong. So in the 12th century, there were uprisings against China's salt Monopol in Lantau, the same island they were by villagers who were illegally harvesting salt who didn't want to pay taxes on it. Then over the years, there have been a series of protests, strikes and boycotts and all kinds of political action, and even a six day war against British colonial takeover of the New Territories in 1898. So actually, Hong Kongers have always been a political people. And I think the myth of the low tech, maybe one of the reasons it speaks to them is it recognizes the actual nature of Hong Kongers.

[Annalee Nuitz]

So Hong Kong's history has been wiped out, dug up, repainted, and even reinvented completely countless times. What kind of an impact has that had on the organization of the pro democracy movement over the last decade in crafting a shared political and cultural identity among Hong Kongers?

[Ira Flato]

The fact is that when the British left in 1997, they even took a lot of Hong Kong's records with them, the archives. Not only did Hong Kongers have histories imposed on them, they also had histories removed. They lost access to their own history. One of the foundations of identity is having a shared history. Certainly from the British perspective, it was a very calculated decision not to teach Hong Kongers about their own history. It was never taught in schools when I was growing up, because they thought if Hong Kongers knew how Hong Kong became British, they'd feel angry because the way in which it became British was so unethical, so immoral. You know, the Opium wars were fought over Britain's right to sell an illegal drug into China. So Hong Kong's history was deliberately obscured by the British.

[Annalee Nuitz]

What are you hearing from activists about how they retain a sense of momentum despite the crackdowns? Where do they want their movement to go next?

[Ira Flato]

It's a very, very dark time. Hong Kongers are deciding that they would rather go into exile. And what we're seeing is Hong Kongers leaving in huge numbers, hundreds of thousands. They would rather live overseas in places with more freedom than stay in their homes. So I think we're seeing the birth of Hong Kong activist communities in exile. For Hong Kongers who stay behind, there's just a great deal of ptsd. And the talk is not of momentum. The talk is of survival.

[Annalee Nuitz]

Which of Hong Kong's histories do you find yourself returning to and why?

[Ira Flato]

I'm opposed to the idea of the imposition of a singular history that must be followed. That's also why I was interested in the King of Kowloon, because this is a person who was a self appointed king. He had no actual claim over the land as far as I was able to see, yet he became a kind of self appointed monarch and people accepted him as that. When he died, the newspapers went crazy. There were sort of wraparound tributes to him. His funeral was a sensation. When I wrote this book, it was to tell stories that centered Hong Kong voices, because these colonial histories, they never had Hong Kong faces, Hong Kong voices in them. I wanted to change that.

[Annalee Nuitz]

Thank you so much for joining us, Louisa.

[Ira Flato]

Oh, it's been such a pleasure.

[Annalee Nuitz]

Luiza Lim reported from China for a decade for NPR and the BBC. She's also the author of Indelible Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong. I'm Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, our team has been reporting high quality news about science, technology and medicine and news you won't get anywhere else. And now that political news is 24 7, our audience is turning to us to know about the really important stuff in their livescancer climate change, genetic engineering, childhood diseases. Our sponsors know the value of science and health news. For more sponsorship information, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.