This presentation questions the dominant view that the emergence of a distinctive local Hong Kong identity in the 1970s can be attributed to colonial policies. It argues that Chinese nationalist discourse, and in particular Communist discourse in the 1970s was involved in the formation of a Hong Kong identity. It takes the Cultural Revolution discourse in Undergrad (學苑) and Chinese University Student Press (中大學生報), which held nationalist views and engaged public discussion on local and national affairs, as a case study. It shows how the Cultural Revolution awakened nationalist youth movements, such as the Chinese Language Movement, the Defending the Diaoyu Islands Movement and the “Learning about China; Caring about Society” campaign, and suggests that Maoism was seen as a prescription for local affairs. This presentation illustrates how the youth and student Cultural Revolution discourse related to the formation of a Hong Kong identity in the 1960s and 1970s as a product of interactions between Chinese nationalism, local consciousness, and a colonial setting.

The work described in this presentation was fully supported by Early Career Scheme from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (HKU 25614016).