ABSTRACT
To many government officials, politicians, and commentators, the July 1 demonstration in 2003 was a huge, pleasant, or unpleasant, surprise. Hong Kong used to have a good share of protests, but it is unprecedented to find more than half a million people taking to the streets to protest against the local government. The date “July 1” acquired new meanings, and the so-called “July 1 effect,” no matter whether it really exists or what it can be referred to, has become part of the political discourse in Hong Kong. The demonstration also seems to have sparked off a pro-democracy movement. In the year that followed, a number of large-scale pro-democracy demonstrations were held.
