Return Catalyzing Departure: Analyzing Hong Kong Identity in Film Before and After 1997

Abstract

From being ceded by the Qing Empire and becoming a British crown colony in 1842, to formally returning under Chinese rule after the 1997 handover, the past two centuries have witnessed Hong Kong undergo immense socio-political changes that have critically shaped the trajectory of its inhabitants’ cultural identity. Though the majority of Hongkongers are ethnically Chinese, with Han Chinese comprising ninety-two percent of the population, many consider the Hongkonger identity to be defined by the distinctions existing between its residents and mainland Chinese residents. Although prior to colonization Hongkongers never pondered the question of their ‘Chineseness,’ 156 years of rule as a British colony has created physical, cultural, and political segregation between mainland China and Hong Kong. Hence, many Hongkongers today continue to assert individuality –– largely defined by their deviation away from ‘pure Chineseness’ –– despite the island’s official return to China in 1997.

Considering the factors that have led to the creation of a unique post-colonial Hongkonger identity, this paper will trace the evolution of Hongkongers’ understanding of their own identity via the medium of film. Comparing a series of Hong Kong films before and after 1997, this paper suggests that the handover represents a critical turning point in which Hongkongers began to identify themselves with attributes beyond their inherent ‘Chinese-ness’.