earticle

영어

This paper focuses on Hong Kong's “collective memory,” a recent popular topic in Hong Kong, in terms of its background, development process, and implications. Driven by the demolition of the Star Ferry Pier in 2006 and the Queen's Pier in 2007, Hongkongers' interest in “collective memory” has evolved into a public movement for the conservation of cultural heritage. Criticizing the government's urban planning and cultural policy, Hongkongers have demanded the public’s participation in the government's urban policy, fearing that the government is wiping out Hong Kong's memory and history by destroying urban spaces in order to eradicate “indigenous identity” of Hong Kong. In the process of searching for an identity, the Hong Kong people declare that Hong kong is no longer a “borrowed place” but “our city with our collective memory,” ushering in a new social movement led by a new generation. However, the controversy surrounding what “collective memory” Hongkongers share has yet to be settled. I suggest that an “indigenous identity” based on the city itself and the memory its residents cherish is emerging apart from the identity based on the opposition between mainland China and Hong Kong.