The Revitalization of Locality: Community-based Resistance in Hong Kong​​

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Author : Chang, Jung-a​

Page : 457-512

Abstract   

  In this article, I reveal the complexity of Hong Kong locality by focusing on resistance movements. The “people” (renmin) emerged as agents of resistance when the “Local Action” group attempted to preserve Starferry Pier in 2006, championing plurality, equality, and connectedness as the core of the “local.” This pier preservation movement arose out of the collective memory and cultural heritage boom exposing the contestation between Chineseness and Hongkongness. In step with the nationalistic project of the Chinese government, the Hong Kong government quickly seized control of the discourse and implementation of cultural heritage protection. The public began to assert that Hong Kong cultural heritage, at its core, had to relate to the everyday life of the “common people,” and a network forming among the heretofore unremarkable old and dilapidated shops in the Shamshuipo area began to garner attention. People discovered Hongkongness in the “trivial” products produced by these shops, provoking a debate among local residents to define the meaning of “made in Hong Kong” in the new era.

  In 2019, as government control tightened in the wake of the anti- extradition bill movement, the US government declared Hong Kong no longer autonomous; deprived of special status, all products exported to the United States would have to be labelled “made in China.” Thus, Hong Kong faced the crisis of losing the “made in Hong Kong” label that had been such a symbol of Hong Kong pride. The controversy over the “made in Hong Kong” label revealed differing positions regarding Hong Kong’s economic and political autonomy and the contestation of Hong Kong locality.

  Rightist localism emerged in Hong Kong following the 2014 umbrella movement, driven by disappointed and despairing youth. Rightist localists continued to emphasize the “people”(renmin), but unlike the pier preservation movement, the “people” were characterized by exclusivity and closedness. Besides these rightist activists, other activists in the wake of the umbrella movement entered local communities and began the community movement. I show how community activists worked to overcome the dualistic opposition of Mainland China and Hong Kong. 

  In the community movement, Hong Kong locality was not imagined as something fixed or essential but advanced as an important characteristic for resisting hegemony though plurality and the experiences of the common people. Furthermore, the community movement sought out an alternative to capitalist and political power as arbiters of Hong Kong locality, even criticizing monopoly capital and the economic system. I view this search for Hong Kong locality as resistance to homogenization, proposing that attention be paid to Hong Kong locality, which is constantly being reconstructed through serialization of conflicts and contradictions. 

<Key Words>​

China, Hong Kong, Cultural Heritage, Locality, People (renmin), Nationalism, Identity, Localism, Made in Hong Kong, Community Movement, Resistance​​