Rethinking the Good Life

A Crip Critique of Hon Lai-chu’s Surrealist Short Stories

On July 1, 2022, President Xi inaugurated Hong Kong’s new Chief Executive, John Lee, marking the 25th anniversary of the territory’s return to Chinese rule. The handover was supposed to guarantee autonomy and civil liberties for 50 years, but critics argue these freedoms have diminished since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 following mass protests. In recent years, the city’s education curriculum has grown increasingly pro-China, and election laws were altered to exclude opposition lawmakers. ‘Development’ and ‘overcoming/restoration’ were the key themes of the day. In his keynote address, Xi spoke in detail about the social unrest of the preceding few years. “There is extensive consensus that no time should be lost in Hong Kong’s development and that all interference should be removed so that Hong Kong can stay focused on development,” Xi added. In remarks preceding Xi’s, Hong Kong’s chief executive John Lee named three significant protests between 2014 and 2019, and said that “the full support of central authorities” contributed to Hong Kong’s ability to overcome challenges. Lee added that the implementation of the National Security Law and electoral system changes were part of Hong Kong restoring […]