Written by ZEN SOO and ALICE FUNG
Associated Press
HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds of Hong Kong residents queue for hours every day in front of the British Consulate General to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, leaving piles of flowers and handwritten notes.
After her death on September 8, the collective grief was perhaps the most intense in the former British colony, where mourning was generally suppressed. Some experts see it as a form of dissent over Beijing’s increasingly intrusive control over Communist Party rule, which took over Hong Kong in 1997.
Some Hong Kongers miss what they see as a “golden age” of the past under Britain’s imperfectly democratic colonial rule, when the city of about 7 million gained status as a world financial center and tourist destination.
The Queen’s death sparked interest in British souvenirs and more.
The Queen is nicknamed “si tau por” in Hong Kong. Pronounced “see-tao-POHR”, in the local Cantonese, it translates to “boss lady”.
“We used to call her ‘si tau por’ when we were under her. It was just a way of showing respect for her. She had a gracious feeling, she wasn’t the kind of boss who was above you,” queuing said CK Li, a resident of more than two hours.
Another resident, Eddie Wong, 80, said she came here “out of real feelings”.
“Hong Kong people love her,” Huang said. “Because when we are under her rule, we have democracy and freedom and we are very grateful. I am saying goodbye to the ‘Shitou Po’ in heaven.”
With the July 1, 1997 takeover, China pledged to keep Hong Kong’s Western-style civil liberties and institutions intact for at least 50 years. Many who grew up in the former Territories grew up wanting greater freedom.
But after months of anti-government protests in 2019, Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the city in an attempt to quell public dissent.
News outlets deemed overly critical of Beijing were shut down and dozens of activists were arrested. Mass protests ended. Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents have chosen to immigrate to places like the UK and Taiwan.
So far, authorities have allowed the orderly, somber tributes to continue.
“I think some people go there not for nostalgic reasons, but as a protest because now dissent is suppressed,” said John Burns, professor emeritus of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.
“For example, there are people who agree with the kind of universal values that Britain stood for and were included in our Bill of Rights at the end of colonialism, and they could engage as a form of protest,” Burns said.
Given the political situation in Hong Kong and its fight against COVID-19, Emily Lau, a former Democratic Party chairwoman and former legislator, said sentiment was running high in Hong Kong.
“Some people really miss the Queen and have feelings for the Queen, but there are also some people who are dissatisfied with the current situation in Hong Kong,” Liu said.
“We can’t rule out some people using the occasion to express that,” she said.
Meanwhile, public figures in Hong Kong are under scrutiny for their reaction to the Queen’s passing, drawing criticism if they are seen as having too much admiration for her rule or British rule in general.
Commenters on mainland Chinese social media sites slammed veteran actor Liu Jiaying for posting a selfie outside the British consulate on Instagram with the caption “Hong Kong is a blessed land under her rule”.
Liu Qiangdong, who was harshly criticized for blaming British rule for Hong Kong’s prosperity, deleted the post and posted a video apology on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site. He appealed to people not to read too much into what he said.
“I’m Chinese and I will always love my motherland. I’m sorry,” Liu said.
Not all Hong Kongers feel the same way about British rule.Some were unhappy with London’s decision not to grant them full British citizenship, but to give them a British National Overseas passport before handover, which did not guarantee the right to live in the UK
“The British took away the rights of people born in Hong Kong before 1997. They didn’t protect those rights,” said Leslie, who said he had no plans to pay tribute to the Queen.
“When the British government discussed the future of Hong Kong with China, Hong Kongers were cut off from the discussion,” he said.
Some in Hong Kong focus only on the last decades of British rule before handing over to China, when the city became increasingly prosperous and the colonial government polished its legacy with new parks, train lines and other modern amenities.
Burns said British rule in Hong Kong benefited Hong Kong in some ways, but colonialism was ultimately harmful to its hegemony and racism.
“When you talk about the benefits of colonialism, you can’t just look at Hong Kong over the past 10 or 20 years,” he said. “You have to see the whole thing.”
