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Today is a virtual exhibit explaining the legacy of British administration in Hong Kong after World War II.  Following the Second World War, Britain returned to administer Hong Kong, a colony acquired from China as a result of the Opium Wars in the 1840s.  During the 20th century, Hong Kong developed into an economic powerhouse and its citizens enjoyed gradually increased libertieis and civil rights.  Although the city had problems with inequality in the 20th century, many citizens here began to see themselves as less Chinese than something different entirely -- as Hong Kong people.  However, in 1997 the British rule in Hong Kong ended and the island was "returned" to the ownership of Communist China.  In this virtual gallery walk, you are going to explore the legacy of the British period in Hong Kong as well as recent protests against Chinese regulations in Hong Kong.

Some of your sources are documents, some are videos, and one is a map-guided tour of parts of Hong Kong. Enjoy!

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Official Transfer of Sovereignty of Hong Kong to China, 1 July 1997

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Official Transfer of Sovereignty of Hong Kong to China, 1 July 1997

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After a decade of negotiation, Britain "returned" Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. This is a picture of the ceremony.

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Document 10: China is Erasing Border with HK

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Document 10: China is Erasing Border with HK

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China is erasing its border with Hong Kong

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GDP, or ‘Gross Domestic Product,’ is a measure of the overall production of an economy.  It is the value of all goods, services, and business activity in a given economy. GDP per capita is the overall value of the economy divided by the number of people living there.  The more GDP per capita, the more wealthy the economy -- in theory.  Although GDP has problems as a singular measure of an economy’s success, it does give a snapshot of the overall wealth of a society. The chart belows shows the GDP per capita for the wealthiest economies in Southeast Asia.

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Document 2: World’s Most Competitive Economies, IMD Business School Study, Switzerland, 2015 Rankings 

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Document 2: World’s Most Competitive Economies, IMD Business School Study, Switzerland, 2015 Rankings 

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Document 7: What was the social legacy of British colonialism in Hong Kong?

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Document 7: What was the social legacy of British colonialism in Hong Kong?

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Watch this video and think about the social legacy of British rule as seen in today's Hong Kong.

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How 156 years of British rule shaped Hong Kong

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Document 10: Why are there protests in Hong Kong? All the Context you Need from the British Broadcasting Service

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Document 10: Why are there protests in Hong Kong? All the Context you Need from the British Broadcasting Service

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Read this entire article and answer the two questions on your virtual exhibit guide answer sheet.

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The protests began in June 2019 over plans - later put on ice, and finally withdrawn in September - that would have allowed extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China. They then spread to reflect wider demands for democratic reform, and an inquiry into alleged police brutality.

Now, China is proposing to introduce a new national security law, which critics believe could be used to crack down on rights and political activists.

This is not all happening in a vacuum. There's a lot of important context - some of it stretching back decades - that helps explain what is going on.

It's important to remember that Hong Kong is significantly different from other Chinese cities. To understand this, you need to look at its history.

It was a British colony for more than 150 years - part of it, Hong Kong island, was ceded to the UK after a war in 1842. Later, China also leased the rest of Hong Kong - the New Territories - to the British for 99 years.

It became a busy trading port, and its economy took off in the 1950s as it became a manufacturing hub.

The territory was also popular with migrants and dissidents fleeing instability, poverty or persecution in mainland China.

Then, in the early 1980s, as the deadline for the 99-year-lease approached, Britain and China began talks on the future of Hong Kong - with the communist government in China arguing that all of Hong Kong should be returned to Chinese rule.

The two sides signed a treaty in 1984 that would see Hong Kong return to China in 1997, under the principle of "one country, two systems".

This meant that while becoming part of one country with China, Hong Kong would enjoy "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years.

As a result, Hong Kong has its own legal system and borders, and rights including freedom of assembly, free speech and freedom of the press are protected.

For example, it is one of the few places in Chinese territory where people can commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, where the military opened fire on unarmed protesters in Beijing.

...but things are changing

Hong Kong still enjoys freedoms not seen in mainland China - but they are widely thought to be on the decline.

Rights groups have accused China of meddling in Hong Kong, citing examples such as legal rulings that have disqualified pro-democracy legislators, and the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers, and a tycoon - who all eventually re-emerged in custody in China.

There are also accusations that press and academic freedoms have been deteriorating. In March, China effectively expelled several US journalists - but also prohibited them from working in Hong Kong.

The public broadcaster RTHK has come under pressure from Hong Kong's government, first for broadcasting an interview with the World Health Organization about Taiwan, and then for targeting police in its satirical news show "Headliner".

The local examinations body also came under fire for a world history question about relations between Japan and China, with the government demanding the exam question be invalidated. The government said it was a professional, rather than political, decision, but many academics expressed concern.

Another sticking point has been democratic reform.

Hong Kong's leader, the chief executive, is currently elected by a 1,200-member election committee - a mostly pro-Beijing body chosen by just 6% of eligible voters.

Not all the 70 members of the territory's lawmaking body, the Legislative Council, are directly chosen by Hong Kong's voters. Most seats not directly elected are occupied by pro-Beijing lawmakers.

Some elected members have even been disbarred after Beijing issued a controversial legal ruling that effectively disqualified them.

Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, says that ultimately both the leader, and the Legislative Council, should be elected in a more democratic way - but there's been disagreement over what this should look like.

The Chinese government said in 2014 it would allow voters to choose their leaders from a list approved by a pro-Beijing committee, but critics called this a "sham democracy" and it was voted down in Hong Kong's legislature.

In 28 years' time in 2047, the Basic Law expires - and what happens to Hong Kong's autonomy after that is unclear.

While most people in Hong Kong are ethnic Chinese, and although Hong Kong is part of China, a majority of people there don't identify as Chinese.

The difference is particularly pronounced amongst the young.

"The younger the respondents, the less likely they feel proud of becoming a national citizen of China, and also the more negative they are toward the Central Government's policies on Hong Kong," the university's public opinion programme says.

Hong Kongers have described legal, social and cultural differences - and the fact Hong Kong was a separate colony for 150 years - as reasons why they don't identify with their compatriots in mainland China.

There has also been a rise in anti-mainland Chinese sentiment in Hong Kong in recent years, with people complaining about rude tourists disregarding local norms or driving up the cost of living.

Some young activists have even called for Hong Kong's independence from China, something that alarms the Beijing government.

There's a rich history of dissent in Hong Kong, stretching back further even than the past few years.

In 1966, demonstrations broke out after the Star Ferry Company decided to increase its fares. The protests escalated into riots, a full curfew was declared and hundreds of troops took to the streets.

Protests have continued since 1997, but now the biggest ones tend to be of a political nature - and bring demonstrators into conflict with mainland China's position.

While Hong Kongers have a degree of autonomy, they have little liberty in the polls, meaning protests are one of the few ways they can make their opinions heard.

As a result, many see taking to the streets as their only way of forcing change.

And, in the past, some protests have been successful. In 2003, up to 500,000 people took to the streets to protest against a controversial security bill the Hong Kong government was trying to pass. The local government also backed down over "patriotic education" classes following rallies against the move.

However, the Chinese government has adopted a harder stance in recent years, particularly with any movements it views as a direct challenge to its own authority.

In 2014, demonstrators took to the streets peacefully for several weeks, demanding Hong Kongers be given the right to elect their own leader. But the so-called Umbrella movement eventually fizzled out with no concessions from Beijing.

In June 2019, protesters took to the streets again, demonstrating against plans to allow extraditions to mainland China. This time, clashes between police and activists became increasingly violent.

The bill was halted, and later fully withdrawn, but demonstrations continued for months, with demands for full democracy and an independent inquiry into police actions.

In April this year, Hong Kong police arrested 15 of the city's most high-profile pro-democracy activists for taking part in unauthorised assemblies.

In May, Hong Kong's police watchdog said it found no significant wrongdoing on the police's part during the 2019 protests - in a report that was criticised by many rights groups and external experts.

The street protests have mostly died down during the coronavirus pandemic, although some small demonstrations, including singing protesters in shopping malls, have started again as restrictions are gradually eased.

Now, China is proposing to introduce a new national security law in Hong Kong, which could be similar to the one withdrawn in 2003. It says the legislation is "highly necessary" and would "safeguard national security in Hong Kong".

However, the new proposal is also controversial because it is expected to circumvent Hong Kong's own law-making processes - leading to accusations that Beijing is undermining Hong Kong's autonomy.

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Why are there protests in Hong Kong? All the context you need

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The protests began in June 2019 over plans - later put on ice, and finally withdrawn in September - that would have allowed extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China. They then spread to reflect wider demands for democratic reform, and an inquiry into alleged police brutality.

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Document 8: Hong Kong Field Trip! (Kinda)

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Document 8: Hong Kong Field Trip! (Kinda)

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Open this Google Map. There are some "stops" along this virtual tour I want you to look at either as a street view or find the pictures. What do you notice about these places? Do they show a legacy of British colonialism? Do they show anything significant about the difference between Hong Kong and China?

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Dan Kovacs's "Hong Kong Virtual Street Tour!" List

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Dan Kovacs's "Hong Kong Virtual Street Tour!" List

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Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

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Document 9: How do Hong Kong people identify?

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Document 9: How do Hong Kong people identify?

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Review this chart about how Hong Kong people view their national identity.

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NPR: Throughline Podcast on Hong Kong Protests

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NPR: Throughline Podcast on Hong Kong Protests

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Supplementary podcast for your own listening pleasure.

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subscribe to Throughline podcast

subscribe to Throughline podcast

Last week, the Chinese government made the latest and perhaps the most serious move yet to crack down on Hong Kong's semi-autonomy. It's just the latest such effort by Beijing in the decades-long tensions between China and Hong Kong and it seems to take advantage of the quarantine calm that has subdued months of protests. But when did these tensions begin and what have Hong Kongers been fighting for?

This week, how Hong Kong became one of the most important, and most contested, cities in the world.
If you would like to read more about the topic: We love to hear from our listeners! Tweet at us @throughlineNPR, send us an , or leave us a voicemail at (872) 588-8805.

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Last week, the Chinese government made the latest and perhaps the most serious move yet to crack down on Hong Kong's semi-autonomy. It's just the latest such effort by Beijing in the decades-long tensions between China and Hong Kong and it seems to take advantage of the quarantine calm that has subdued months of protests.

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2019-2020 Protests in Hong Kong (Wikipedia)

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2019-2020 Protests in Hong Kong (Wikipedia)

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2019–2020 Hong Kong protests - Wikipedia

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The 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests[22] (also known by other names) were a series of demonstrations against the Hong Kong government’s introduction of a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in regard to extradition. It was the largest series of demonstrations in the history of Hong Kong.[23][24]

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Document 3: Picture of Hong Kong Central Business District 1970

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Document 3: Picture of Hong Kong Central Business District 1970

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Document 4: Hong Kong Skyline (Present Day)

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Document 4: Hong Kong Skyline (Present Day)

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Document 11: Hong Kong Protestors Sing "God Save the Queen" (2019)

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Document 11: Hong Kong Protestors Sing "God Save the Queen" (2019)

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In this image, anti-Chinese demonstrators in Hong Kong carry the British Flag and the old Hong Kong colonial flag, while singing "God Save the Queen," the anthem of the United Kingdom.

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Police point their weapons at protestors in Hong Kong in August 2019. Protestors were demonstrating against growing Chinese influence and interference in Hong Kong's politics.

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Document 13: "One Country, Two Systems," Political Cartoon (2019)

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Document 13: "One Country, Two Systems," Political Cartoon (2019)

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Why is Hong Kong so expensive?

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Why is Hong Kong housing so expensive? | CNBC Explains

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The global financial center Hong Kong takes first place in Statista's latest Global Business Cities Ranking. The Statista Global Business Cities reports evaluate economically relevant cities from around the world based on the most relevant data for decisions at the corporate level. In addition to population size and GDP, many other factors play an important role in determining the extent to which a city is suitable as a business location.

Therefore, the overall index is based on a number of sub-indices: The dimension "Economy" examines the economic strength and the level of development of the respective city. The "Business environment" component focuses on infrastructure and logistics. "Society" analyses population development and the areas of education and standard of living. The "Charisma" dimension highlights aspects such as tourism, culture and the environment. The metropolis of Hong Kong scores particularly well in the category "Business Environment".