This poster presents the attitude of Hong Kong residents toward the death of the Queen of England. To me, postmodernism rejects the "universal validity" of binary oppositions, stable identity, hierarchy, and categorization.
There is a special city in China, Hong Kong, where people identify themselves not only as Chinese. Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire in 1842, and after 153 years, the United Kingdom agreed to transfer the colony in 1997. China would guarantee Hong Kong's economic and political systems for 50 years after the transfer. Those born in Hong Kong before 1997 have experienced the rule of the British government, the rule of the Hong Kong government, and the upcoming rule of the Beijing government. People in Hong Kong consider themselves Hong Kongers, Chinese, and world citizens all at once.
But with the half way point of the 50-year period and the recent death of the Queen, people in Hong Kong are conflicted about their multiple identities. Some people think Hong Kong's prosperity is from the help of the British government, and some people think that it is the hard work of Hong Kong people themselves. I collected comments from the people in Hong Kong on the Queen's passing to help them think about their own identities. I want Chinese audiences in mainland to think about how Hong Kong people who have been receiving different education and living in different systems need more communication with China mainland to strengthen their Chinese identity.
Background Picture: Jamie Reid, Sex Pistols, God Save the Queen,1977. Jamie Reid is an English artist and anarchist. The Queen’s eyes and mouth have been ripped away, exposing underneath the title of the single and the band’s name in a strange typeface which is a mix of different fonts that have been cut out of newspaper headlines, closely resembling that of a ransom note.
Black Text: Lyrics of Queen's Road East. This song by Taiwanese singer-songwriter Lo Ta-yu, featuring Hong Kong singer Ram Chiang. It is named after Queen's Road East, a street in Hong Kong, and satirically expresses the anxiety felt by the city's residents over the impending handover of Hong Kong in 1997.
White text: From social media and interviews, Hong Kong residents' two attitudes towards the Queen's death are bilingual in Chinese and English.
Flag: Flag of Hong Kong
1842: The year Hong Kong was established as a colony of the British Empire
1997: Hong Kong was transferred to China in 1997. As one of China's two special administrative regions (the other being Macau), Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems".
2047: 50 years after 1997. United Kingdom agreed to transfer the colony in 1997 and China would guarantee Hong Kong's economic and political systems for 50 years after the transfer.
