How to govern Hong Kong? In addition to solving the intertwined forces here, one of the most urgent tasks to solve is the colonization issue in Hong Kong!
On August 18, 1940, under circumstances that no one expected, Wang Hengyue, the President of the Republic of China, suddenly appeared in Hong Kong.
This was an open and unconcealed arrival.
Wang Hengyue seems to want to express the Chinese government's attitude towards Hong Kong in this way. Since we can regain Hong Kong, we can also govern Hong Kong.
The arrival of the president also expresses the importance that the Chinese government attaches to Hong Kong.
In the former Hong Kong Governor's Palace, now the Hong Kong City Hall, Wang Hengyue summoned Hong Kong administrative and military officials headed by Hong Kong Mayor Chen Lifu.
Without much preamble, Wang Hengyue said to his subordinates straight to the point:
"The issue of decolonization is difficult to solve, but it still has to be solved. The British are smart, and they are too smart. We must all admit this. When it comes to the rule of Hong Kong, these British people use their wisdom
Excellent performance! I am not saying good things for the British, but this is indeed the case, which will make it doubly difficult for anyone who takes over Hong Kong!
The Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 turned Hong Kong into one of the many colonies of the "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets", but the British implemented a completely different governance method here from other colonies, which also caused a special identity crisis in Hong Kong. The British
Not only did the government not implement assimilation policies in the colonies like Japan did in Northeast China, Taiwan, and France in Vietnam, it did not even implement "de-Sinicization" measures. In 1841, after the British landed on the island, they announced that the Chinese society would still follow the "Qing Code"
"Management, which even seems to make people doubt whether the British are prepared to implement colonial rule in Hong Kong.
But everyone, one thing you must remember is that the British did not do it out of kindness, but out of shrewd calculation.
Unlike the British colonies in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong did not have abundant natural resources. All the British needed at that time was Hong Kong's excellent deep-water port. From the perspective of the cost of governance, the British obviously did not need to establish a strict top-down system in Hong Kong.
The colonial system was under overall control. Just as the British did not choose Zhoushan, which was also a good port, because they thought Zhoushan was 'too prosperous and difficult to manage'.
Whether Hong Kong people identify themselves as British is not important to the United Kingdom. The British colonial method in Hong Kong can be called "indirect rule". In this way, the early British colonial leadership was basically in touch with Hong Kong's general society.
was in a state of separation. Even later, the British still did not accept Hong Kong people as their own subjects.
The UK is not even willing to accept Hong Kong people to the UK. Once there is turmoil in Hong Kong society, such as when we successfully regained Hong Kong. After we regain Hong Kong, as long as a small number of Hong Kong's "British Chinese" flow into the UK, it will cause huge harm to the UK.
Burden. It is precisely based on such national interests that the British have always been more inclined to seek a measure that would make the majority of Hong Kong people willing to stay in Hong Kong.
On the other hand, the British also realized that a Hong Kong with a strong "Chinese consciousness" would be dangerous to colonial rule, so the British tried their best to dilute the identity in Hong Kong, and there were citizens but no national education. As a result, Hong Kong became almost
It is the only modern civilized place in the world that has not conducted national identity education during the long period of British rule in Hong Kong. "
Speaking of this, Wang Hengyue took out a textbook and put it in front of him: "I have a book here, which is a textbook from a Hong Kong middle school. In this middle school history textbook, Chinese history stops at the Opium War, and the nature of this war
Described as a 'war that broke out because of commercial interests'... I have to admit that the special colonial rule implemented by the British in Hong Kong was effective. In Hong Kong's colonial history, the Chinese population was as high as
96% of societies had little or no sustained resistance to colonial rule, or even sustained hostility.
This has resulted in Hong Kong not only lacking the sense of tragedy that is typical of colonies, but also endorsing colonial rule...
However, the ‘Chinese roots’ of Hong Kong people are still well preserved by the British, which has formed a unique ambivalence of Hong Kong people, which I think can be called ‘dual allegiance’.”
Speaking of this, Wang Hengyue suddenly thought of a novel from his time:
"The Deer and the Cauldron"!
Wang Hengyue still remembers that Jin Yong designed a monologue for the Manchu Emperor Kangxi at the end of the novel:
"Among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, which one is better than me? Now that the three feudatories have been pacified, Taiwan has been taken, and the Rakshasa Kingdom does not dare to invade its borders, the world will be peaceful and the people will live and work in peace and contentment. The rebels of the Tiandihui will definitely return.
Return to Zhu Ming, will the people's lives be better under the rule of the emperor named Zhu than they are today?"
"The Deer and the Cauldron" was written in the early 1970s. At this time, after Hong Kong experienced the "Anti-British Rebellion" movement in 1966, the British Hong Kong government reorganized the civil service and established the Independent Commission Against Corruption to provide a good business environment for the business class and launch a policy for the grassroots.
With a series of welfare measures, Hong Kong's economy has also entered a golden period, which has greatly enhanced Hong Kong people's sense of identification with colonial rule.
Kangxi's monologue can not but be said to be a metaphor for history by Hong Kong people at that time, and it was also a euphemistic expression of Hong Kong people's thoughts at that time...
Thinking of this, Wang Hengyue couldn't help but said:
"It's not that the people of Hong Kong are numb, but that the British rule is so effective that even if we successfully regain Hong Kong, we have to make ten times or a hundred times the effort to make them regain a sense of belonging to China."
."
The president's words have been lingering in the ears of all officials.
From the president's words, we can feel a sense of urgency.
Hong Kong has indeed been taken back, but this is just a formal takeback. Where is the heart of Hong Kong people? With the British or with the Chinese?
What if Hong Kong people could have a sense of belonging?
"Two words." Wang Hengyue said suddenly: "The governance of Hong Kong is nothing more than two words, one is 'ruthless' and the other is 'stable'. To be ruthless, you have to be ruthless and don't be afraid of being scolded. For Hong Kong under British rule
Later, the biggest influence came from the successive governors of Hong Kong. The previous influence of Queen Victoria on Hong Kong was exerted through the governor of Hong Kong as the supreme ruler, but there were no major specific requirements and policies from the queen. In the Victorian era, this
The Queen's direct influence on Hong Kong is that some places in Hong Kong are named after her, such as Victoria Bay, which remains as a symbol in Hong Kong.
Such place names with strong colonial names must be removed resolutely. Change it to Chen Lifu Bay, Yang Sen Bay, or you are sorry, I will do such a shameless thing, it should be Wang Hengyue Bay, in a word
If so, these names with strong British colonial style must be changed!”
The officials had smiles on their faces.
Those present here are all direct descendants of the president, the core group, and because of this Wang Hengyue has nothing to worry about when speaking in front of them.
Wang Hengyue continued: "There is also a cultural issue. China's history ended when the British wrote about the Opium War in textbooks. What happened to China afterwards? How was it unified? How did I, the great president, come to power? We
What scale of wars have been fought abroad? None of it is written in the textbooks. The British don't write about it, so we write it and write it according to our own wishes! I have to thank the British and thank them properly..."
The officials didn't quite understand what the president meant, so they heard Wang Hengyue continue:
"It is difficult to erase what you have written, but you can write whatever you want in a blank space. Since the British have left us such a big problem, we don't have to worry about anything anymore. We need to tell the people in Hong Kong
Those children, Hong Kong will always be China's Hong Kong, and Hong Kong people are all citizens of the Republic of China and have nothing to do with Britain! These things must be done as soon as possible without any delay. Chen Lifu, you will personally supervise!"
"Yes." Chen Lifu responded quickly.
"The other thing is stability." Wang Hengyue said slowly: "I have to thank the British again. I have thanked the British several times today. They left Hong Kong with a large number of well-equipped buildings and a well-functioning economy. Yang Sen,
I previously ordered you not to use heavy weapons to attack Hong Kong, for this purpose, to return a completed Hong Kong to our hands. I heard that your subordinates have many opinions, is there such a thing?"
"Yes." Yang Sen admitted readily: "But now I understand why Hengshuai did this."
“It’s good to understand!”
Wang Hengyue said with a smile: "A complete Hong Kong will make our future governance much easier. Don't blow up Hong Kong to me and make us have to start everything from scratch. As the old saying goes, the predecessors have done it wrong.
People behind trees enjoy the shade. This is absolutely true. Now we must enjoy the shade under the trees planted by the British! Don’t touch the existing economic order. It is relatively complete. What I am talking about is just
economic order.”
Wang Hengyue glanced at Chen Lifu and said: "If you want to make big moves, you can make small moves. If you can't move, try not to move. Don't let Hong Kong people get the wrong impression. We just got Hong Kong and we are about to go to war. There is going to be a big war."
When a new official takes office, he will burn everything before him, leaving nothing to grow. Everything will have to be demolished and rebuilt. This will only cause people to panic. Once people's people are in chaos, it will be difficult to manage the place, and everyone will naturally
I’m not willing to listen to you anymore.”
Chen Lifu carefully tasted the president's words. After a while, he nodded and said:
"President, I understand what to do and what direction to follow!"