ABSTRACT
In the month following the return of sovereignty, the world watched and waited to see how Hong Kong was to be transformed from a free, open, albeit undemocratic society, to one under the banner of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). At the time, it seemed significant that one of the first incidents occurred within a month of July 1, 1997, and involved the academic profession (Postiglione 1998b). A member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council aimed to remove two professors from their university posts for what he viewed as their unpatriotic views. The incident unfolded before the watchful public through front-page press coverage by Hong Kong’s leading newspapers. Though the legislator wrote to the presidents of two universities demanding that these two professors be terminated for their views, the universities stood their ground and reaffirmed the principle of academic freedom. Within days, the legislator in question made a public apology to the two professors. A week later, the incident was gone without a trace. Hong Kong remained a society that protected academic freedom.
