“Review of ‘Denise Ho: Becoming the Song’” (Mekong Review, July 2020)

September 24, 2022September 24, 2022

Sue Williams’ new film about Cantopop singer-turned-activist Denise Ho is, at base, a love story. Since 1989, Williams has been directing documentaries about China’s past and present, including films that cover its century of revolution with dramatic narrative and historical detail. Denise Ho: Becoming the Song is also a revolutionary tale, one that weaves Ho’s career trajectory with the history of Hong Kong since her childhood, a period in which the former British colony became a Chinese special administrative region.

“Hong Kong’s Economic Future” (China File Conversation, March 11, 2021)

September 24, 2022September 24, 2022

Even as the political restrictions are growing tighter, Hong Kong—with its successful COVID-19 response and strong export markets—looks to be on an economic upswing. Is it? What are key factors shaping the city’s economic future? —The Editors

“Summer of protest: Are we witnessing a turning point in Hong Kong politics?” (The Big Q, August 13, 2019)

September 28, 2019September 28, 2019

As Hong Kong’s summer of discontent passes its tenth week of street protests, analysts agree on one key point: this is the biggest political crisis the city has seen since its reversion from British colony to Chinese Special Administrative Region in 1997.

“Umbrella Movement on Trial” (Yale Daily News, November 26, 2018

January 2, 2019

On Nov. 14, 2018, a sociologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong gave his last lecture, entitled “Tribute to the Enlighteners.” To a standing room-only crowd of over 600 people, professor Chan Kin-man discussed his life of activism, which culminated in the 2014 Umbrella Movement, a demonstration in support of greater democracy for Hong Kong — a demonstration that lasted 79 days and drew the world’s attention to a moment of political awakening.

“Last Call for Hong Kong’s Rule of Law” (Foreign Policy, November 20, 2018)

December 21, 2018

On March 27, 2017, the leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong turned themselves in to the police. The group included founders of the movement—Benny Tai, a professor; Chan Kin-man, a sociologist; and Chu Yiu-ming, a pastor—as well as other student leaders, lawmakers, and politicians.

“Hong Kong’s New Normal” (Dissent, August 23, 2017)

August 23, 2017January 12, 2018

The newspaper headlines that have bracketed my summer trip to Hong Kong have been dark. In mid-July the city, once a British colony and now a Chinese Special Administrative Region, was mourning Liu Xiaobo, a political prisoner and Nobel Laureate who died of cancer under custody.

“Imperial by Design?” (Even, June 2017)

June 1, 2017December 23, 2017

China’s Palace Museum has always been a symbol of political legitimacy, its art and artifacts a kind of currency. Making imperial treasures public to the new nation, it first opened its doors in the Forbidden City in 1925. But many of its finest pieces are no longer in Beijing.

“The Trouble with Hong Kong’s Chief Executives” (China File, January 28, 2016)

January 28, 2016December 23, 2017

On January 14, the trial of Sir Donald Tsang, Hong Kong’s former chief executive who served from 2005 to 2012, was set for January 3 of 2017. This past December, Tsang pleaded not guilty to two counts of misconduct in public office, charges on which he was indicted in October.

“The Future of Autonomy in Hong Kong” (China File, September 30, 2015)

September 30, 2015December 23, 2017

That Johannes Chan—Hong Kong University’s dean of the law school—was barred from being appointed a pro-vice-chancellor, has been called the end of academic freedom by lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen, and “a visible litmus test” by Jerome Cohen and Alvin Cheung in the pages of the South China Morning Post.

“Remembering Tiananmen in the Umbrella Movement’s Wake” (Origins, June 8, 2015)

June 8, 2015December 26, 2017

Last year, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen student movement and its brutal crackdown made major headlines. China-watchers, journalists, and academics commemorated June 4—as the event is called for short—with articles and books, and with lectures and roundtables.

“Exhibiting Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement: An end or a beginning?” (China Policy Institute, June 4, 2015)

June 4, 2015December 23, 2017

May 17th in Hong Kong marked the opening of a two-week ‘Umbrella Festival,’ a pro-democracy sit-in protest that lasted from September to December 2014. The Umbrella Movement was one of the largest political demonstrations the city had ever seen.

“A New Opera and Hong Kong’s Utopian Legacy” (China File, April 10, 2015)

April 10, 2015January 12, 2018

This year, the 43rd annual Hong Kong Arts Festival commissioned a chamber opera in three acts called Datong: The Chinese Utopia. Depicting the life and times of Kang Youwei (1858-1927), a philosopher and reformer of China’s last Qing dynasty, it premiered in the theater of the Hong Kong City Hall.

Denise Y. Ho

Historian | Teacher | Writer

Category: Hong Kong