Hong Kong is once again the focus of attention, however, fortunately, this time it’s not due to political unrest or revolutions, as has occurred in recent years, but rather thanks to its starring role as the setting for ‘Expatriadas’, the new prime video series starring Nicole Kidman.
Where is Hong Kong and what is its administrative regime?
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, located on the country’s southern coast, to the east of the Pearl River estuary. Surrounded by the Guangdong province to the north and the South China Sea to the east, south, and west, it’s one of the most densely populated places in the world with over seven million people living in just over 1,100 km2.
Hong Kong’s territory includes Hong Kong island, the Kowloon peninsula, and the new territories, which encompass the mainland area extending mainly northwards, along with over 230 large and small offshore islands. Hong Kong island was established as a British colony in 1842 after the Qing dynasty lost the First Opium War and extended to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860. The New Territories were leased by China to Britain for 99 years from 1898 until 1997.
The 1997 change for Hong Kong
The whole territory was returned to China in 1997, when it became part of the People’s Republic of China as a special administrative region, enjoying its own limited autonomy as enshrined by the Basic Law.
This law provides for basic human rights such as freedom of assembly and freedom of speech and also sets out the governance structure of the territory, which is more open than mainland China but far from being a democratic system such as those in European or North American democracies.
The region operates under the principle of “one country, two systems”, allowing for the coexistence of socialism and capitalism (two systems) in “one country” (China). The Chief Executive of Hong Kong, who is selected by a 1,200-member committee made up of business, community and government leaders, heads the government, while the Head of State is the President of China, currently Xi Jinping. In recent years, the Chinese government has attempted to make changes to Hong Kong’s legislative and electoral system.
This tense political situation has triggered various social upheavals, such as the ‘Umbrella Revolution’ in 2014, which is one of the focal points of the Prime Video series premiering in January.
When the UK agreed to transfer Hong Kong to China in 1997, China accepted it would guarantee Hong Kong’s economic and political systems for 50 years after the transfer through to 2047. Chinese officials have recently indicated that they might extend the dual system beyond that date.
