How did I develop a Hong Kong addiction?

This is the 1510 Digest, a weekly roundup of recent essays and articles published in Chinese on My1510.cn, with links to translations on the Marco Polo Project.

July 1st 2012 marked the 15 year anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the People’s Republic of China, and the beginning of Leung Chun Ying’s term at the head of the SAR. On this occasion, My1510.cn published a number of blog posts about the relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Hong Kong, a respectable city
 By Wei Yingjie, June 29 2012
In this post, Wei Yingjie describes a short trip to Hong Kong, and what she perceives of the city’s character during her time there: Hong Kong appears to her as an orderly, dignified and respectable place, that leaves individuals a space to breathe, but knows how to maintain order overall. Hong Kongers combine personal freedom with community concern, pursuit of personal interest with respect for laws and regulations. The author observes these characteristics through people’s way of caring for each other, through their methodical, orderly way of behaving – making daily life softer and more harmonious – and through conversations and exchanges with elderly people who keep on working not through the absence of any government support, but to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Original link: 香港：一座值得尊重的城市

Why don’t army cars cause chaos in Hong Kong?
By He Renyong, June 29 2012
In mainland China, military vehicles drive recklessly, causing chaos on the streets; Hong Kong is the only place where they comply with traffic regulations. In this post, He Renyong unpacks the causes of that behaviour. First, Hong Kong police officers are hard – even impossible – to bribe. Second, Hong Kong is teeming with journalists, ready to report any violation. Third, the Hong Kong courts strictly apply the law, providing no exemption for those in power; and themselves are under constant media control. Finally, if an infringing military vehicle somehow managed to avoid regulation from all these bodies, the Legislative Council would certainly launch enquiries on the matter. The post ends on an optimistic note about the possibility for mainland China to, slowly, develop similar systems of control, including on matters more important than the unruliness of military vehicles.
Original link: 为什么香港的军车不乱来？

How did I develop a Hong Kong addiction?
By Xi Mu 1984, June 29 2012
Mainlanders from the post-80s generation grew up watching Hong Kong films and TV dramas, and thereby absorbed implicit Hong Kong values. The author of this post, a young Chinese woman living and working in Hangzhou, explores the influence of Hong Kong values on mainland China through four anecdotes.

At work and among her friends, she notes the emergence of ‘commercial bribery’ as an accepted notion – and attributes it to the influence of the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption, itself present as a shadow in many Hong Kong films and TV dramas.

When the people of Xiamen went “strolling” on the streets in 2007 to protest the construction of a chemical factory (see ESWN or Danwei for more),
the writer was reminded of similar peaceful demonstrations that regularly happen in Hong Kong.

During a trip to Hong Kong, one of her colleagues, a strict Marxist, bought a ‘banned book’ by a Taiwanese professor about 20th century China, and started interrogating the official verison of recent Chinese history.

Finally, with more irony, the author talks about teenagers and workers on the Mainland who resist arbitrary decisions from teachers or leaders by threatening to file a complaint, again imitating Hong Kong behaviour.
Original link: 我如何對香港上癮？

All articles in this digest and a large range of other Chinese readings are accessible at Marcopoloproject.org. Some are available in English, French and Spanish translation. (You can join the project if you’d like to help with translations.)

Danwei is an affiliate of the Australian Centre on China in the World at The Australian National University. This posting is a result of one project that is part of that on-going collaboration.

China Heritage Quarterly and East Asian History are two other publications supported by the Australian Centre on China in the World.