This lesson is from 2014. How could you find out what has happened since?
A Chinese government proposal to limit voting rights in Hong Kong has spurred hundreds of thousands of
protesters
to fill the streets this week.
Hong Kong is an autonomous island city in China with a population of approximately 7.2 million. Hong Kong first became a colony of the British Empire in 1841 after the Opium War between China and Britain. Japan occupied the territory during World War II from 1941 to 1945, but Britain resumed control of it after the war. In 1997, Britain transferred the island to China’s rule.
Hong Kong has a distinct cultural identity; the majority of its residents speak Cantonese instead of the Mandarin that dominates China, and a recent
poll
showed that 40 percent of participants identify as a “Hong Konger” instead of “Chinese.”
China and Hong Kong currently follow a “One country, two systems” policy, which
established
a distinct governing body in Hong Kong and promised that which Hong Kong could democratically elect the city’s chief executive in 2017.
But the Chinese government proposed rules in August that would put a Chinese nominating committee in control of vetting which candidates could run in that election. Hong Kong residents worry their next political leaders will be too closely aligned with Beijing’s government.
The group Occupy Central With Love and Peace that pioneered recent protests, held a referendum in June in which 700,000 Hong Kong residents voted to outline their proposed democratic process.
The movement has been widely supported by young people and university students, who began a class strike on Sept. 22 to protest the proposed rule changes. Many participants have used social media to provide
updates
on the protest, including the police’s use of tear gas to disperse protesters.
Activists organized sympathy protests in New York, where protesters
gathered
in solidarity with the pro-democracy movement this weekend.
The Chinese government says the demonstrations are illegal, and Chinese state-run media has
reported
that President Xi Jinping will not change his policy on Hong Kong.
Warm up questions
- Where is Hong Kong?
- Where is China? What is the capital city and where is it located?
- What are the basic principles of a democratic government?
- What are some ways that you have observed young people protesting? What were they protesting about?
Critical thinking questions
- Do you think Hong Kong’s long history of being ruled by others has an impact on its people? How?
- Why do the people of Hong Kong feel the Chinese government is limiting their rights?
- What are some of the strategies used by the younger generation to protest? What do you think the goals of the protesters are? Do you feel they are effective in reaching these goals?
- What do you think is meant by the phrase “One country, two systems”?
