Hong Kong is a living historical mixture of imperial China, British Empire, democratic China (ROC), or communistic China (PRC).  Today, it’s suffering from trauma. Trauma can be defined as an intense stressful event which changes an individual’s internal equilibrium, threatens a person’s survival, and arouses a sense of crisis, such as violence, robbery, sudden near-death accident, loss of a loved one, laid-off, divorce, financial bankruptcy, etc.

Traumatic experience sends shock waves to an individual’s brain and activates fight-or-flight cognitive, emotional and behavioral reactions. So-called normal rational cognitive process and executive planning are interrupted and bypassed, replaced by a hyper vigilant mental state in preparation of fight or run for life.

If Hong Kong can be compared as a young child, this child has witnessed and suffered from 200-year endless traumas from intrusive wars, bombing, killing, destruction, loss of home, loss of parents, abandonment, British foster parenting, adjusting to foster parents’ language and ideology, domestic violence, divorce, famine, refugees, immanent death threat, death tolls, etc.

Intellectual scholars and elite leaders should provide a political-cultural-economic framework and principles for Hong Kong citizens to recognize its unique history, issues, and develop a win-win roadmap for integration, mutual adjustment, or new international diplomatic alternatives. Hong Kong citizens need to discuss and face the political reality and start a healing and constructive negotiation process because violence is like a child throwing short-term temper tantrum without long-term legitimate resolution.

While scientists can send rockets into aerospace and explore Mars and unknown territories, how come humans could not resolve political conflicts on a small island on earth?  Global experts or United Nations leaders should have extended humanistic helping hands and creating innovative diplomatic solutions regarding Hong Kong dilemma, or the historical tidal shock waves might impact the whole world. History repeats itself. The wheel of fortune or misfortune would keep on turning by future irresistible tidal waves.

Below we explain the convoluted and traumatic story of Hong Kong.

CONTEXT:

Prelude:

Anchored in the center of the global stage, the million-protestor whirlwind in Hong Kong has caught the attention of the whole world and became a hot topic and news for heated discussion and debates since the Spring of 2019. Meanwhile two superpower nations, two rivaling economical giants in democratic and communistic camps, United States (USA) and People’s Republic China (PRC) have been simultaneously engaging a fierce trade wars for months since 2018.

Where is Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is a small island located south of Guangdong Province in mainland China surrounded by South China Sea.

What Mega Trends Shaped the Modern Hong Kong?
Hong Kong people are ethnically and culturally Chinese descendants and the dialect is Cantonese.  Hong Kong was ruled by Qing Dynasty, ancient Imperial China, for thousands of years before 1842. During the declining final stage of Qing Dynasty from 1840s to 1911, about 50 years, Britain occupied and ruled Hong Kong from 1841 to 1941 and 1945 to 1997, about 150 years. For more than 150 years, English has been its official language. Japan occupied Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945 during WWII.

Under British reign, Hong Kong was governed under the Western democratic, legal and capitalistic system while China from mid-19^th Century to end of 20^th Century was undertaking a series of mega paradigm shift and chaotic era in political, social, cultural, military, and economical transformation. In order to understand the complexity of Hong Kong and the complicated shaping forces from the past to the present, the historical time line plays a crucial role in comprehending the political, cultural and economical framework of Hong Kong issues.

 Stage I:

Initial External Traumatic Shock Wave (1830s to 1890s)–The Eastern Imperial Empire (Qing Dynasty) Cracking Down by the Western Imperial Empire (British Empire) for Opium Trade.

 Stage II:

Internal Awakening Traumatic Shock Wave (1890s to 1911)–The End of Imperial China (Qing Dynasty) and New Democratic China (Republic of China) was established in 1911. Hong Kong was under the 99-year lease to Britain while a democratic China was established.

 Stage III:

External Traumatic Imperial War Shock Wave (1911-1945)— Western Empires (Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Soviet, Japan, USA) occupied China’s Coastal Provinces and islands. Hong Kong was occupied by Japan from1941 to 1945.

 Stage IV:

Domestic Traumatic Shock Wave among War Lords (1911-1928)—Constant regional and provincial wars among Chinese war lords.

 Stage V:

Traumatic Civil War and PRC-ROC Split Shock Wave (1945-1949)— Republic of China Won WWII in 1945. Chinese Communism Party won Civil War in 1949. On Oct. 1, 1949, People’s Republic of China (PRC) was established in mainland China. Republic of China (ROC) moved to Taiwan Province in 1949.

Stage VI:

Traumatic Communism Tidal Wave in Asia (1949-1975)—Wars broke in Korea (1950), Vietnam (1955), Cambodia, Lao. USA Introduced People’s Republic China (PRC) into United Nations in 1971. USA Replaced ROC with PRC in 1972.

 Stage VII:

Hong Kong Returned Back to PRC (1997)—Hong Kong’s 99-year lease to Britain by Qing Dynasty from 1898 ended in 1997.

Historical Time Line:

1839—First Opium War (Britain-China War): 1839–1842

1841—British Occupation: In 1841: Britain occupied Hong Kong as a military base.

1842—British Colony: China (Qing Dynasty) was defeated by the British Empire in 1842. Hong Kong was ceded in August 1842.  After Second Opium War in 1860, Hong Kong was on a leasing for 99 years from 1898.

1911—Republic of China: Republic of China (R.O.C.) was established on Oct. 10, 1911 founded by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Qing Dynasty ended the thousand-year Chinese imperial political system.

1941—World War II: The Japanese Empire occupied Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945.

1945—Victory of ROC Military Forces in WWII, Surrender of Japan: Hong Kong was liberated by ROC and British military joint forces. In 1945, Hong Kong was returned back to the rule of Britain.

1945—United Nations: Republic of China won the WWII and ROC was the founding member of United Nations on Oct. 24, 1945.

1949—People’s Republic of China: People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) was not established until Oct. 1, 1949 by Chinese Communism Party led by Mao.

1950—Korean War: Communism N. Korea invaded S. Korea 1950–1953

1955—Vietnam War: Vietnam War broke 1955-1975. Communism Regime ruled Vietnam. In 1975, Vietnamese refugees were drifted on seas.

1971—ROC Withdrawn from United Nations: Nixon’s administration visited Communistic China secretly in 1971. In Oct. 1971, 26-year UN founding member ROC withdrew from United Nations.

1971—PRC Replaced ROC in United Nations: In Oct. 1971, United Nations replaced ROC with PRC.

1972—Nixon Visited PRC: Nixon visited PRC in 1972. Nixon resigned in 1974. USA and PRC established relation in 1979.

1979—Diplomatic Relations between USA and PRC: United States and the PRC established diplomatic relations on January 1, 1979.

1997—Hong Kong Returned back to PRC: The 99-year lease signed by Qing Dynasty ended and Hong Kong returned back to PRC in 1997.

2019—Hong Kong Protest Under Communistic PRC Reign: The outbreak of Hong Kong Protest from March 31, 2019 until the present.

Trauma Stages:

Above Historical Time Line, also a Political-Cultural-Economical Framework, can be divided into the following stages for clear conceptualization of the current Hong Kong issues.

Bio:

Dr. Trudy is a psychologist in California and Oregon working with Asian American communities.  Her website: www.DrTrudy.com.  Tel: 503-439-0514 or 503-895-8360