The Opium War [a propaganda movie made to celebrate the handover of Hong Kong to the PRC, in which a girl, representing Hong Kong, is raped by a ‘loathsome barbarian’] had some success in China but was a flop in Hong Kong, as were other celebrations of official ‘Chineseness.’ The propaganda was crude, confusing, and insulting. That Chinese girl in the movie, sacrificed after the Opium War to the hairy barbarian, stood for Hong Kong. The awkward thing is that Hong Kong thrived as a result. Without the Opium War, Hong Kong would not have existed in its present form but remained a modest Cantonese town, spared the indignity of colonial rule but not the ravages of civil war and dictatorship. As a result of the Opium War, countless refugees from various catastrophes in China achieved prosperity and a high degree of freedom in Hong Kong. The insult to Hong Kong, born of ignorance and ideology, as much as from northern prejudice against the Cantonese, is that only the prosperity is acknowledged. Official celebrations in Beijing always include the ‘minorities,’ dancing and singing, dressed in exotic costumes, and beaming with pleasure at the privilege of being a happy part of the Chinese empire. On the night of June 30, 1997 [i.e. the night of the handover], the people of Hong Kong were represented, too, by dancers jumping up and down to the beat of patriotic pop songs. They were dressed up as dollar signs and credit cards.”

–Buruma, Bad Elements


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