Hong Kong Island became British territory when China was forced to cede the territory during the First Opium War under the Convention of Chuengpi, which was signed on January 20, 1841. The British wanted the island because of its fine anchorage and strategic location on the Far East trade routes. Hostilities between Britain and China concerning trading and diplomatic rights continued through 1860 and ended with the signing of the Convention of Peking, which led to a lease of the land on the Kowloon Peninsula. By a convention signed in Peking in 1898, Britain leased the remainder of what is now Hong Kong including the New Territories and 235 islands for a period of 99 years.
By the 1990's, the city had grown to become one of Asia's largest and most efficient regional financing, business, and media centers. The government hopes to turn Hong Kong, which escaped the worst of the regional financial crisis in 1997 and 1998, into a technology center in the coming years. Britain's rule of Hong Kong ended in 1997 when the 99-year lease on much of the land in Kowloon and the New Territories ended. Britain's rule of Hong Kong ended in 1997 when the 99-year lease on much of the land in Kowloon and the New Territories ended. While the British government owned Hong Kong Island outright it chose to give that small piece of land back to China as apart of the Handover agreement. The city's sovereignty returned to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997 as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.
Today the social, administrative and legal framework of Hong Kong is guaranteed by the government of the PRC for fifty years starting from the handover day. Much has remained the same from the period before the return to Chinese rule.
HONGKONGESE WORRIED
Because Hong Kong has become one of Asia's largest and most efficient regional financing, business, and media centers. Hong Kong people are proud of themselves who have very good living conditions so they do not want to change suddenly. I chosen two songs---“Whatever 1997話之你九七” and ”IN THE SAME SHIP同舟共濟” from Sam Hui that describes the situation of Hongkongese. For the detail of this two songs, please refer to index 1.
“Whatever 1997 ” is one of the song which describes the worried of Hongkongese. People are also worried about the future a good deal, depending on which aspect of it you ask about, and that worry has been growing, not diminishing, as the handover nears. People are also increasingly worried about the efficiency of the government after the handover and about corruption, and concern over corruption has been rising dramatically, Corruption is becoming a focus of concern, and this is the greatest danger Hong Kong faces. So many people expect, or fear, that by 2000 or later Hong Kong will become much more of a corrupt place, with a less responsive and less open government.
People are worried about their economy, livelihood, housing and whether there will be a transition which will not interrupt their lives. We can see that in the lyric---“Feeling Sad All The Day成日閉翳實聽喫弗得”. People are so worried about their situation.
Although the transition of sovereignty is coming fast, Hong Kong people were much less concerned with political issues than economic and social issues. We can see that “Not Concern Tomorrow, Just Happy Today明日懶鬼理 最緊要依家HAPPY” in the other lyric. Hong Kong people have no positive social values. They have no respect for any authority, but won’t take sides in any social debates. They just don’t care for anyone or anything. It is very hard to change such attitudes which are a bad mixture of Western individualism and Chinese tradition of not bothering about anyone else’s problems.
Hong Kong people have no confidence tomorrow but still have hope in the future. The lyric “GOOD LUCK, GOOD LUCK, GOD BLESS 1997”can express their feeling.
And the other song “IN THE SAME SHIP同舟共濟”describes that Hong Kong people should have the sense of belonging towards Hong Kong. The ship of “WE ARE IN THE SAME SHIP我與你同坐這條船”means the family of Hong Kong. We live in the same city “THERE ARE MANY DIFFICULT無情浪把它猛捲 滿天風雨”means the handover of Hong Kong has many problems, many people worried about their future. Because Hong Kong is nearly handover, people want to immigrate to anther countries in order to ignore 1997 problem. But people have contradiction with immigration. Firstly, Hong Kong people want to immigrate to foreign countries in order to have stable economic and politic condition. On the other hand, they still worried about how to adopt the different culture after immigration such as discrimination, social life. We can see that in this lyric “DO NOT WANT TO BE IMMIGRANT實在極不願 移民外國做二等公民”.
The heart of people is not truly at ease, and they have no full confidence in their future. This lyric expresses “DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO亂作一大團 不知怎算”. There is a rise in concern about personal freedom after 1997 among people. The political prospects and stability were the factors that might make people leave. Because there are uncertainty of politics and the weakness of the legal framework in China, Hong Kong people express fear and uncertainly with their future. There is a widespread belief that things will deteriorate after 1997: civil rights will be curtailed; personal freedoms will be reduced; the legal system will degenerate; living standards will fall; corruption will rise; and the Government will become less efficient and trustworthy. People worried the freedom of speech, of the press and of publication that the Chinese Government does not encourage a free press. Attitudes also tend to very between the old and the young, the rich and the poor. The view about the general social situation is pessimism in Hong Kong.
In addition, people think that China is poor in management and economy. And Chinese try to do everything in the same way because China is so bureaucratic. Of course the ordinary people of Hong Kong care about freedom of movement in and out of Hong Kong. They are pessimistic and feel powerless to change their situation. People do not have a sense of originality and believe in the continued prosperity and stability in the future. Although people are worried, they still have hope in the future. The lyric “THE SITUATION MUST BECOME BETTER時局定必得好轉”has this meaning. So they express their feeling in Sam’s song.
CULTURAL IDENTITY
Hong Kong people think that they are emotionally Chinese, but rationally British. So they are a product of the belief in a bicultural society. Hong Kong Chinese search for their cultural roots, learn more about history and culture on the mainland and rush to learn Mandarin---China’s national language. The change of sovereignty calls for reformulation of identity and Hong Kong people are facing an identity crisis. Hong Kong people have a sense of identity and purpose they did not have before. As Hong Kong moves closer to the handover, the feelings of national pride are bound to increase. But in July 1997 Hong Kong and its citizens returned to the mainland. The retrocession agreements stated that when it did so its once and future sovereign undertook to ensure a “Hong Kong way of life” continued for fifty years. This would indicate the belief that a distinct Hong Kong way of life exists. In turn this would require Hong Kong enjoy an identity separate from those found on the mainland or in overseas Chinese communities. It is the characteristics of the Hong Kong identity. It is possible to state that an explicit Hong Kong identity does exist. This identity exists at both a communal level and at a personal level. The Hong Kong identity is dynamic and adaptive.
CONCLUSION
Sam Hui’s songs can reflect the situation of people in the 1970s and 1980s. It describes the identity of Hong Kong people and their worried of coming 1997. But can the songs really help nurture the indigenous identity? In my opinion, I do not totally agree that because those songs seem a kind of commercial product. The business men aim to make big profit in their company. But how they can make the greatest profit, they start to focus on the need of market. The companies create the need for people that have to express their feeling. So they promote those songs to sells the image and identity of people. It is easily to have echo among people. So, it may not nurture our indigenous identity.
