May Fourth in Hong Kong

Carlos Yu-Kai Lin

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Chapter 10 May Fourth in Hong Kong

In: New Vocabularies of May Fourth Studies

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Carlos Yu-Kai Lin

Carlos Yu-Kai Lin
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 233–255

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004697904_012

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Abstract

During the 2019 Hong Kong protests, the evocation of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Incident served as a metaphor, sparking immediate political mobilization but simultaneously fostering pessimism and fatalism. This apocalyptic narrative depicted Hong Kong’s fate as dependent on radical revolution, overshadowing the potential for a cultural-political agenda. The insistence on immediate political reorganization dominated discourse. Recognizing the limitations of the “Tiananmen Square metaphor,” this paper advocates re-appropriating the metaphor of “May Fourth” to trace Hong Kong’s social movements. It contends that discussions on the May Fourth movement in Hong Kong oscillated between emphasizing historical changes and inconsistencies and underscoring the continuity of certain ideas despite political shifts. By examining Hong Kong’s social movements through a “May Fourth” lens, this paper identifies a cultural space shared by the pro-democracy factions in Hong Kong and broader liberal communities in China. This approach opens avenues for dialogue and collaboration, steering away from the restrictive narrative imposed by the Tiananmen Square analogy.

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New Vocabularies of May Fourth Studies

Series: Ideas, History, and Modern China, Volume: 33

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004697904

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 16 Oct 2024

Subjects
- Asian Studies
  - China
  - History
- History
  - Intellectual History
  - Chinese History

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Chapter 10 May Fourth in Hong Kong

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New Vocabularies of May Fourth Studies

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