Politics

Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship

Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship

  • Downloads：4947
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-25 09:51:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Stephen Vines
  • ISBN：1787384551
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Defying the Dragon tells a remarkable story of audacity: of how the people of Hong Kong challenged the authority of the People's Republic of China， just as its president reached the height of his powers。 Is Xi's China as unshakeable as it seems？ What are its real interests in Hong Kong？ Why are Beijing's time-honored ways and means no longer working there？ And where does this leave the Hongkongers themselves？

Stephen Vines has lived in Hong Kong for over three decades， described by the last governor， Lord Patten， as 'one of Hong Kong's most distinguished and long-serving journalists'。 In this book he unpacks the history of the Hong Kong-China relationship and its wider significance - right up to the astonishing convergence of political turmoil and international insecurity following the outbreak of coronavirus。

Vividly describing the 2019-20 uprising from street level， Vines explains how and why it unfolded and charts its enormous， global repercussions。 Now， amidst the pandemic， the international community is reassessing its relationship with Beijing， at the very moment when Hong Kong's rebellion has exposed the regime's inherent weakness。 In a crisis that has become existential all round， what lies ahead for Hong Kong， China and the world？

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Reviews

Edwina ，

Stephen Vines' 'Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship' is an absolute masterpiece。 His book encapsulates the 2019-20 uprising of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong following the proposed extradition bill and navigates the murky world of politics in Hong Kong and its implications following the 2019-20 protest movement。 Vines does this by providing a rich history of Hong Kong as a former British colony and steers the course in which Hong Kong finds itself in - fol Stephen Vines' 'Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship' is an absolute masterpiece。 His book encapsulates the 2019-20 uprising of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong following the proposed extradition bill and navigates the murky world of politics in Hong Kong and its implications following the 2019-20 protest movement。 Vines does this by providing a rich history of Hong Kong as a former British colony and steers the course in which Hong Kong finds itself in - following the handover in 1997 and its return to the People's Republic of China。 Written in a commentary style manner， Vines creates an equally insightful lens for readers to make their own conclusions about the importance and significance of the 2019-20 uprising， the question of identity for Hong Kongers and the plight of the current situation in the city since the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020。 From examining Hong Kong's colonial history to its relationship with China some twenty four years since the handover， Vines' book helps to understand the backdrop to the protest movement， the crackdown on Hong Kong imposed by Beijing and importantly the vulnerability of the Chinese regime resulting from the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic by officials。 It also casts a spotlight on the Hong Kong government and their ineptitude of dealing with the protests during the long summer months of 2019， with Vines being critical to Chief Executive Carrie Lam and her leadership。 The latter chapters of the book are touching - Vines ends on a hopeful note writing that Hong Kongers are more resilient than what Beijing and Lam's government think of them and that in historical terms， dictatorships or empires never last。 It is a book that will give you a comprehensive understanding of Hong Kong， the 2019-20 uprising， China and the CCP within the context of the Special Administrative Region。 While others may see Hong Kong as a city on fire， it most definitely is also a city of resilience and hope - culturally vibrant among those who stand for freedom and democracy。 Absolutely well written - five stars。 。。。more

Jimmy ，

Defying the Dragon serves like a documentary on the uprising events and activities in Hong Kong during the 2019-2020 period。 It included historical information relating to Hong Kong's political background and its economy。 The author， being a journalist based in Hong Kong since 1987， shared his knowledge， insights and commentaries of Hong Kong's changes from being a British colony to a Special Administrative Region of China。 Reading of the book provides a comprehensive understanding of how China， Defying the Dragon serves like a documentary on the uprising events and activities in Hong Kong during the 2019-2020 period。 It included historical information relating to Hong Kong's political background and its economy。 The author， being a journalist based in Hong Kong since 1987， shared his knowledge， insights and commentaries of Hong Kong's changes from being a British colony to a Special Administrative Region of China。 Reading of the book provides a comprehensive understanding of how China， the CCP and it's leaders have progressively moulding Hong Kong's society into the likes of other major China cities， especially after the uprising in 2019。 。。。more

John Defrog Is Drinking All The Coffee ，

Stephen Vines has been covering Hong Kong and China since the late 1980s as both a local and international journalist – on print， online， and on radio and television。 I read his columns fairly regularly and I generally agree with him more often than not。 So I was keen to read his latest book about recent developments in Hong Kong – not least because I imagined it would be the sort of book that the HK govt will eventually ban from libraries and possibly bookstores as “fake news” that contradicts Stephen Vines has been covering Hong Kong and China since the late 1980s as both a local and international journalist – on print， online， and on radio and television。 I read his columns fairly regularly and I generally agree with him more often than not。 So I was keen to read his latest book about recent developments in Hong Kong – not least because I imagined it would be the sort of book that the HK govt will eventually ban from libraries and possibly bookstores as “fake news” that contradicts its official narrative of the 2019 protests。 And so it is， probably。 More than a chronicle the 2019 protests and ensuing aftermath， this book examines the protests within the context of Hong Kong’s colonial history， as well as its overall relationship with China during that time， which has forged a unique HK identity that Beijing fails to understand。 This is key to understanding the motives of the protest movement， the HK govt’s utter ineptitude in handling the protests， and Beijing’s willingness to crack down hard on HK despite the damage to its international standing， which is already taking a beating over China’s Uyghur policies and its handling of COVID-19。 So in that sense， this book is as much about China’s current leadership as it is about Hong Kong。Vines tells the story well and pulls no punches， especially when it comes to Chief Executive Carrie Lam， who has almost single-handedly put HK （and Beijing） in the position it is today via her handling of the protests。 And as bleak as things look， Vines ends on a hopeful note， writing that Hongkongers are more resilient than Beijing and Lam give them credit for， and that historically speaking， empires never last。 Highly recommended for people who want an accurate， reasonably deep and more contextual take on HK current events。 。。。more

Reference

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hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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