Years of protests, government crackdowns, and pandemic restrictions dragged Hong Kong—once a prosperous global financial and manufacturing hub—into recession-like conditions. Much of that tide seems to have turned. Like most people in the former Chinese-controlled British colony, taxi driver Leung Tat-chong says the city is recovering—at least financially.
In other ways, it may be changed forever.
Leung earns almost as much income as he did before the pandemic. But, he says, the city has been divided since the 2019 protests. In that time, hundreds of thousands of people marched, and many battled police, in opposition to a government they saw as a proxy for Beijing. The freedoms Hong Kongers had enjoyed while largely self-governing began to erode.
Tourism is returning. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the city welcomed more than two million visitors in the month of March. Crowds of art collectors and dealers spilled across two floors of a convention center at the Art Basel Hong Kong fair in late March. Excited chatter returned to a dim sum dumpling shop at the high-speed rail terminus.
Yet Leung sometimes doesn’t turn on the radio in his cab. The news or a public affairs program could anger his customers. Leung is sympathetic to the Chinese government. So he watches what he says in front of friends to avoid starting fights.
Living in Hong Kong today means juggling contradictory feelings. In 20 interviews, many said that when they focus on business indicators and everyday life, they see a recovery gathering pace after years of travel restrictions. But when it comes to anything political, the openness and freedoms that were once hallmarks of Hong Kong seem permanently gone.
Following the 2019 protests, Beijing imposed a National Security Law that criminalized many forms of dissent. The government of Hong Kong used that law to arrest lawmakers and activists who participated in an unofficial (democratic) primary election.
Hong Kong’s government’s official word is that things are back to normal. That message is delivered in a tourism-promotion campaign called “Happy Hong Kong.”
Economic indicators seem to support that message: Retails sales are up, the country’s Gross Domestic Product is growing, and unemployment is a low 3.1%.
Anne Kerr, the chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, says more UK firms are inquiring about setting up shop in the city. This suggests that global acceptance of Hong Kong’s absorption into China’s Communist rule is growing.
Artist Wong Ka-ying says cultural life is recovering too. She sees a rise in emerging artists, independent art spaces, and cultural activities, offering her more exposure and opportunities.
But, she says, even at the glamorous art fair, she felt the chill of the National Security Law and its restrictions on freedom of expression. The art felt tamer than in past years and overtly political art was rare. At the Chinese University of Hong Kong where she teaches, she advises her students to plan their work cautiously.
Can art thrive outside of freedom to express ideas—even critical ones?
“Maybe it looks the same on the surface. But when you look with a magnifying glass, you’ll see the essence isn’t the same,” the 32-year-old art instructor says.
Hong Kong once had a vibrant tradition of street politics. Today, police tell organizers that no more than 100 people are permitted to gather. Participants are warned against wearing all black, as many protesters did during the 2019 protests. They also must discuss their slogans with police in advance. Every expression requires official approval.
Those who disagree with the strict controls face backlash. On April 2, security minister Chris Tang said “some people” likened the numbered tags protesters must wear to dog leashes or the armbands that Nazis forced upon Jews during the Holocaust. Tang says those who oppose government approval processes stir up hatred.
Leung, the taxi driver, agrees that a part of Hong Kong will never come back. But life must go on, even under oppression.
“As an ordinary person, I can’t do anything about politics,” he says. “I will just keep living my simple and unadorned life.”
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. — Proverbs 29:2
(Chinese officials leave a press conference that launched the “Happy Hong Kong” campaign in Hong Kong on April 24, 2023. Hong Kongers today juggle contradictory feelings about an improving economy and the loss of freedoms that once defined the former British colony. AP/Louise Delmotte)
