Introduction

In Hong Kong, in the midst of political and cultural changes during the political transition, the public sphere saw much contestation over the moral basis of political practices. The narrative process could be conceived as one of de-heroization and de-romanticization, taking place through the interplay among the discursive force of the heroic-romantic construction, cultural-political conflicts among the local political actors, and also a number of contingent episodes involving Sino-British politics. The ‘1997’ issue concerned the Chinese resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong in lieu of British colonial rule in 1997. Public opinion is embedded in public discourse and a large part of public discourse takes the form of narrative. Public discourse, as a set of cultural practices in the public sphere, is organized around specific cultural codes while being couched in specific discursive modes. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.