ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with general economic transformations of the 1970s and 1980s. It then turns to political changes of the period, linking local policy reforms and Sino-British negotiations again the focus of many detailed studies. These streams are integrated into a discussion of transitions from Tiananmen to the present, including post-Handover crises. Within this framework, questions about global/local identity in Hong Kong culture, language, and action may be posed. The 1967 Hong Kong riots and its aftermath signaled changing relationships among the British/colonial governments, the people of Hong Kong, and Mainland China, laying the foundation for further transformations, both local and global. Hong Kongers coming of age in the 1970s had less direct affiliation or experience of China either through migration or political ties, and their colonial education stressed the utility of English while ignoring China after 1949. The chapter concludes by rereading the cityscape for continuities and for processes that are remaking Hong Kong.
