Umbrella Movement and Hong Kong's Civil Society

This ThinkChina.dk Policy Brief is written by Evans Chan and published by ThinkChina.dk.

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ThinkChina.dk Policy Brief (No. 1 January 2018)

Umbrella Movement and Hong Kong’s Civil Society: The Birth of the Community Movie-Screening Circuit after Occupy

By film director, Evans Chan

In this ThinkChina.dk policy brief Evans Chan investigates some of the censorship issues created by China’s tightening control of Hong Kong’s political culture. Hong Kong, being colonized for 155 years by Britain and obtaining partial democracy in its final months, was handed back to China in 1997, under a “one country, two systems” arrangement. Yet the ensuing deterioration of economic equity, rule of law and cultural and political autonomy in Hong Kong resulted in an extraordinary 79-day succession of Occupy street protests in 2014 known as the Umbrella Movement. The fear of and discontent with “the encroachment of China” has generated several independent films reflecting on Hong Kong’s past, present and future. Leading the charge was Ten Years, a dystopian cinematic envisioning of a Hong Kong with self-immolating protesters, PRC-planted terrorists, and secret archives for its oppressed indigenous culture. Launched in November 2015, the film gained notoriety when it was criticized by the PRC’s Global Times for being “absurd…ridiculous…and spread[ing] fear.”

Umbrella Movement and Hong didn’t grant democracy to Hong Kong until Kong’s Civil Society the last months. And not full democracy -- The Birth of the Community either. But the British governance, despite Movie-Screening Circuit after being tarnished by years of corruption, did Occupy clean up its act from the 1970s on.

By film director, Evans Chan Ultimately, Britain successfully turned Hong Kong into a major international financial What were some of the driving forces behind the Umbrella Movement? centre, buttressed by the rule of law, and decent social policies in areas such as public

For those of you who only have a vague idea housing and health care. Colonial Hong of what Hong Kong actually is. I would like Kong was returned by Britain to China in to fill you in a little. Hong Kong is a small 1997 under the so-called “one country two place – around 1,100 km2 -- in the systems” arrangement, meaning that for 50 southernmost part of China, and today is years Hong Kong could enjoy, except in the home to a population of 7.5 million people. It areas of military defense and foreign affairs, a was originally a fishing village, ceded to high level of economic and political Britain after the conclusion of the First Opium autonomy, including an independent War in 1842. judiciary.

To backtrack even further, Britain, in the All along, Hong Kong has evolved as a quasi- eighteenth century, tried to pry open the city-state, participating independently in market of imperial China by exporting opium many international trade and financial to it. When China resisted, Britain waged a organizations, such as APEC and the WTO. war in the name of protecting free trade, and The presumable prosperity and enlightened China was defeated. The Island of Hong governance of Hong Kong once inspired the Kong and the Kowloon Peninsula were Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu subsequently leased to Britain -- until 1997. Xiaobo to exult that:

Many historians consider Hong Kong an In 100 years of colonialism, Hong Kong has changed to what we see anomaly in colonial history, meaning that it today. With China being so big, of could be considered a “successful” colony. course it would require 300 years as a Throughout its 155-year colonial rule, Britain colony for it to be able to transform

into how Hong Kong is today. I have the rule of law and its compatibility with an my doubts as to whether 300 years international standard of products inspection would be enough.1 have made goods in Hong Kong “reliable.”

So, the Chinese mainlanders will scramble to Liu’s faith in the glory of colonialism might the former colony to purchase, for example, be lopsided, but Hong Kong, as “nurtured” by baby formulas, because not long ago there Britain, continues to enjoy many crucial was the staggering scandal about China-made diplomatic and financial advantages that are formulas being found to be toxic and harmful not available to China, though China has been to babies within China. campaigning to impress on Hong Kong its However, the Chinese demands for product growing insignificance in the shadow of reliability encompass not only daily products China’s own rise in the global arena. Here such as baby formulas and electronics, but are two simple examples: high-end value-preserving goods such as 1) The EU, along with the US, Canada jewelry and, more importantly, real estate. and many countries, require PRC Informal economic activities in such areas, in (Chinese) passport-holders to apply tandem with illicit trades and money for visas for their visits; whereas the laundering, have created huge distortions in Hong Kong SAR (Special the locals’ social and economic lives, Administrative Region) passport- resulting in Hong Kong’s becoming, several holders are often not subject to such years in a row, the city with the most requirements. unaffordable housing in the world. (Imagine 2) The Chinese currency (Yuan) is still a non-centrally located 70 sq. km flat can be an inconvertible currency, whereas the worth 1.2 million US dollars!) Hong Kong dollar is not only Then, on the more “official” side, Hong convertible, but also the world's Kong’s pro-Beijing government has in recent thirteenth most traded currency. years approved some mammoth It was such disparate systems that make infrastructural and development projects, such restrictions at border crossings between Hong as an airport runaway, bridges and high-speed Kong and China remain in place. Meanwhile, rail. They are to be financed by the city’s

1 Liu Xiaobo, "" (Liu Xiaobo, the Years of Ties with "Open Magazine"), Open Magazine, "Dark Horse" of Literature), Open Magazine, 27 19 December 2006. November 198; "" (My 19

3 treasury, and critics have attacked them as committee. This electoral college is white elephant projects that are excuses to composed through a very slanted process. turn Hong Kong into China’s ATM machine.2 For example, the 80,000 plus registered voters

Culturally, Hong Kong is witnessing a in the Education sector can elect into the growing ascendance of Putonghua, or committee 30 members -- the same number of Mandarin, China’s official lingua franca, over seats for the Chinese Medicine sector, which Cantonese, the local dialect. Universities and has only 6,000 registered voters. businesses seem increasingly tilted in favor of well-heeled mainland Chinese students. I can Arif Dirlik, the late sinologist interviewee in give you one example in my field, which is my Umbrella film, pointed out that the global the media: Of the ten internship positions Occupy movements occurred at a juncture available at a TV station, six go to mainland when everywhere people turned to democracy students and only four for Hong Kong again, as a concrete way of exerting control over their own lives. And it’s not surprising students.3 that Hong Kong’s democracy advocates, such What I’ve outlined above has created a huge as law professor Benny Tai, threatened the reservoir of societal discontent and fury, Occupy Central movement if the promise of especially among the younger generation. universal suffrage failed to material. And the powder keg turned out to be a Therefore, when China’s legislature – the promise made in the Sino-British Joint National People’s Congress – gave Hong Declaration over the 1997 changeover of Kong the chance to exercise voting rights, but Hong Kong, namely the “eventual goal” of only for Beijing’s chosen candidates, Occupy implementing universal suffrage and direct began. Yet it was the government’s hardball, elections for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, tear-gassing repressive measures that which is the equivalency of governorship. catapulted Occupy into what is widely known Until 2014, the so-called “election” of the as the 79-day Umbrella Movement that took Chief Executive has been controlled by a place between September and December of Beijing-dominated 1,200-member election 2014.

2 https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/11/22/china- paper, “Creating a Textual Public Space: Slogans and stretch-hong-kong-zhuhai-macao-bridge-hits-another- Texts from Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement” (The budget-overrun-totalling-hk11-7-billion/ Journal of Asian Studies Vol. 75, No. 3 (August) 2016: 3 For those interested in investigating the Hong Kong 673–702.) identity issues underlying Occupy, see Sebastian Veg’s

1) Cambridge University Press (CUP) Chinese Control and Independent Films in The world’s oldest publishing house had Post-Umbrella Hong Kong complied with a Chinese instruction to delete China’s international stature is indeed rising, more than 300 online articles from its China but so is its both real and perceived threat. Quarterly journal. The removed articles Two days ago, the US Congressional- covered topics ranging from Tibet, the executive Commission on China held a Cultural Revolution, the 1989 Tiananmen hearing titled “The Long Arm of China: massacre, to the emerging cult of personality Exporting Authoritarianism with Chinese around China’s president, Xi Jinping. characteristics.” Its mission is to “examine the However, CUP later reversed its decision to Chinese government’s foreign influence delete the articles after encountering fierce operations intended to censor critical opposition from the academic community. discussion of its history and human rights 2) Allen & Unwin record […such attempts] pose serious In Australia, this Sydney-based publisher challenges in the United States and globally, reportedly withdrew a book for publication particularly as China uses technology and the because of its fear of a Chinese defamation lure of the Chinese market to impose suit. The book, Silent Invasion, is by Clive authoritarian practices abroad.” 4 I guess most Hamilton, a respected academic and a veteran people in Scandinavia would be aware of Unwin author. The book’s theme, as China’s punitive stance toward Norway -- announced in its subtitle, How China is such as blocking the sale of Norwegian Turning Australia into a Puppet State, seems salmon in China -- for its awarding of the prophetic enough where his own book is Nobel Peace Prize to the dissident concerned. writer/activist Liu Xiaobo, whom I cited earlier. There are so many other examples of Hong Kong isn’t a country abroad, but a place China’s interference in freedom of expression still operating in semi-autonomy within abroad that I can only name a couple that China. Resistance there takes on a more pro- happened earlier this year. active approach. Thus far, the fear of and disgruntlement with “the encroachment of

4 https://www.cecc.gov/events/hearings/the-long- arm-of-china-exporting-authoritarianism-with- chinese-characteristics

China” has generated a bunch of independent which supports democratic causes films reflecting pointedly on Hong Kong’s such as Occupy. Its loss of advertisers past, present and the future. Leading the – mainly from the banking and charge was Ten Years, a dystopian cinematic property sectors -- has been swift and envisioning of a Hong Kong with self- deep since Occupy, even though both immolating protesters, PRC-planted terrorists, its printed and online edition remain and underground archives for its oppressed impressive. indigenous culture. B) The two most outspoken pop singers

Launched in November 2015, this artistically in support of the Umbrella Movement, edgy omnibus film gained notoriety when it Denise Ho and Anthony Wong, have was criticized by the Beijing newspaper found their mainland and overseas Global Times for being “absurd… invitations evaporated while local commercial sponsors in hiding. In a ridiculous… and spread[ing] fear.”5 Partly because of the official censure, Ten Years highly publicized case, Denise Ho’s became a surprise hit, and got picked up by a Lancôme-sponsored concert was number of cinemas. Alas, it quickly became a cancelled soon after the Global Times victim of its own political/commercial condemned Lancôme for “inviting Ho success. It is hard to imagine why cinemas – a Hong Kong and Tibet would suddenly drop Ten Years for any but independence advocate – to promote 6 political reasons, since demand for the film their products in Hong Kong”. Lancôme’s decision, supposedly was high. coming from its French headquarter, As mentioned earlier, China’s one effective has caused a French philosophy tool of controlling free speech is imposing professor, Béatrice Desgranges, to economic sanctions. My own film, Raise the start an online petition “Boycott Umbrellas, has documented a few cases of a Lancôme for Freedom of expression in Chinese blockade: Hong Kong! (Boycottons Lancôme A) There is the example of Apple Daily, a leading newspaper in Hong Kong

5 https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/01/22/state- 6 http://www.scmp.com/news/hong- newspaper-says-dystopian-hk-film-ten-years-is- kong/politics/article/1966367/lancome-scraps-hong- ridiculous-and-promotes-desperation/ kong-concert-denise-ho-online-backlash

pour la liberté d'expression à Hong (UM). Its success obviously had sent tremors

Kong! 7)” to Beijing and bounced back as commercial

obstruction. Soon the independent community, through either direct or indirect In response to China’s maneuvers, Apple channels, was made to understand that UM Daily has started charging its net readers for films wouldn’t be screened in cinemas, even access to its online archive to increase under the auspice of a film festival. While revenue. And both Anthony Wong and some government-run screening spaces, such Denise Ho began to self-produce their own as the Hong Kong Film Archive, are still concerts and ancillary merchandise for their available, they are hard to book. Then the artistic and career survival. only available screening facilities are In the case of Ten Years, the space for its confined to non-profit venues such as the continued survival was created not so much Hong Kong Arts Centre, and the HKICC Lee by the filmmakers but volunteers. Various Shau Kee School of Creativity. individuals and civic organizations quickly Understandably, both are in high demand as emerged to help screen the film in different well. public locations around Hong Kong, including the underside of motorway flyovers, Such a situation has made the “infra- the public steps leading to the Sha Tin Town structure” of community screenings left by Hall, and the forecourt of the Legislative Ten Years gain unusual significance. And it Council Complex. The screenings were has benefited a number of highly visible organized by a variety of community groups, independently produced and politically- educational institutions, and churches. They charged documentaries. were attended by thousands, many of whom were frustrated to have been unable to get These films include Vanished Archive, a film tickets before the film was pulled from about the 1967 riots in Hong Kong and the cinemas. pro-Beijing faction’s role in some notorious Ten Years, a product of the social terrorist activities; and notably UM-spurned contradictions discussed above, was documentaries, such as the three-hour Almost conceived before the Umbrella Movement a Revolution, the Golden Horse-nominated

7 https://www.change.org/p/boycottons-lancôme- pour-la-liberté-d-expression-à-hong-kong

Yellowing, and my own, Raise the Umbrellas. For better or worse, my film has so far run it is…deeply disturbing…that into more censorship problems than the films administrators of Asia Society should indeed believe that discussion of mentioned above. democracy and free speech must be biased if it does not include the voices First its Hong Kong premiere in October of of those who would suppress them.10

2016 was cancelled by the Hong Kong Center The irony is – mine is the only UM of the New York-based Asia Society for documentary so far that, girded by my having a post-screening panel that was journalistic background, has featured voices considered not “balanced” enough, meaning from the anti-Occupy camp. That could be that we could not get a pro-Beijing speaker to one reason Raise the Umbrellas has been participate, and that would breach Asia praised as the most “comprehensive” film Society’s “non-partisan” profile. 8 Then a about the movement, and attracted high- year later, in November of 2017, the calibre discussants, which, alas, proved to be University of Science and Technology the film’s political undoing by prompting a (HKUST) in Hong Kong forbid the post- censorship blowback. screening discussion on the ground of

“[keeping] politics out of the campus.” Since Anyhow, when news about the film’s it didn’t ban the film, and I considered it censorship problems broke in the media, imperative to communicate with university volunteers left messages in the film’s students, I accepted my host’s original Facebook page11 about organizing community invitation and went ahead with the screening. 9 screenings, and they often mentioned that

they had done that for 10 Years earlier. Back The HKUST’s decision to “keep politics out in 2012, Prof. Ho-fung Hung at Johns of the campus” is of course a political Hopkins published a paper titled “Hong decision itself. And in rebuttal to Asia Kong’s Democratic Movement and the Society’s justification for cancelling the event, Arif Dirlik issued a statement, saying

8 9 https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/11/08/hkust- https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/world/asia/ho pressures-umbrella-movie-organiser-drop-democracy- ng-kong-umbrella-revolution-film.html?_r=0 figures-screening-panel/ 10 In a July 10, 2017 email to Evans Chan 11 https://www.facebook.com/raisetheumbrellas/

Making of China’s Offshore Civil Society,”12 in which he asserted that “[the] pessimistic portrayal of Hong Kong as a “slowly boiled frog” after 1997 cannot be easily dismissed, as evidence attesting to it abounds.” But he praised the healthy spirit of Hong Kong’s civil society, insisting that

Hong Kong’s civil society is turning into mainland China’s off shore civil society, serving as a clearinghouse for information and ideas, a hub of political organizing and exchanges, and an open, free platform for activists and intellectuals from the mainland.

With China’s grip tightening, and the chilling episode of five Hong Kong book sellers (of politically sensitive publications) being abducted by China in late 2015, we may find the above remarks too rosy a depiction of post-Umbrella Movement Hong Kong. However, the continued functioning of such a community screening circuit for political films speaks volumes about the strength and resilience of Hong Kong’s civil society, which blossomed during the Umbrella Movement and obviously refused to wither after the end of Occupy.

12 Asian Survey, Vol. 52, Number 3, pp. 504–527.