The virus is still on rampage and its versatility shows no sign of expiration. Human resilience too. I read WSJ and NYT stories on Hong Kong recent legislature shakeup. Xi, China’s Putin, had contemplated a sweep to purge pro-democracy legislators and stifle dissent since the 2019 uprising that caught him off guard. A semi-illiterate with a penchant for grandeur and a vengeance for humiliation, Xi is bent on incorporating Hong Kong and Taiwan into his “China Dream”, by coercion or force. The latter increasingly seems a preferred choice. While the populace on Mainland, especially the intelligentsia and the elite, resent his autocratic style and contradictory policies, many share his nationalistic aspirations. Hence the paradox, Mainland Chinese envy the freedom and individualism enjoyed by Hong Kongers and Taiwanese, who are ethnic Chinese with western values, but loathe the idea that de facto independence of Hong Kong’ and Taiwan would perpetuate. This ambivalence used to hang in balance and now yields to reunification impulse, thanks to the 2019 uprising. In a Spaniards vs. Catalonians scenario, unfortunately, the geographic proximity is both a bless and curse, as the former British colony, coined as “the Crown Jewel of the Orient”, depends on Mainland China for its survival.
I once envisioned a romantic or cinematic version of Hong Kong, modeled on Monaco, an enclave in the French Riviera harboring yachts, casinos, royals, celebrities , and wannabes. Minimally, emulating lifestyle of the rich and famous could lure more tourists and serve everyone’s interests. But now, the prospect irreversibly became dimmer. Sotheby’s Hong Kong Auction held annually in late November may recur, but the aura is gone. The crass and crude may soon run Oriental Pearl, as the pandemic wanes.
