Hong Kong Politics

Bank failures, collapses of the property and stock markets and a weakening currency were the results here a decade ago when London and Beijing feuded over this British colony. But in what observers here describe as an indication of new confidence in Hong Kong's future, neither a Sino-British confrontation in recent weeks nor the election of a U.S. President whose attitude toward China could exacerbate tensions has so far provoked similar upheavals.

Saturday marked one of the strongest tests yet for the uncertain political experiment this territory lives under. With outward calm, Hong Kong passed. On a bright, sunny afternoon, accompanied by only enough police to keep them from getting tangled with crowds of midwinter shoppers, an estimated 900 members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement marched quietly along a two-mile route through central Hong Kong, many decked out in their distinctive bright yellow shirts.

Larry Feign's cartoon, "The World of Lily Wong," often brought a smile or two over breakfast with its satire of daily life and politics in Hong Kong. But the cartoon has disappeared from the territory's most prominent newspaper. The South China Morning Post's editor, David Armstrong, blames "budgetary reasons" for the decision late last week to drop the popular feature--and indeed the paper subsequently laid off 25 reporters and editors, even though its profit margin is a healthy 52%.

Anson Chan, one of Hong Kong's most respected political figures and an articulate defender of democracy, has resigned from her post as the territory's chief secretary, government sources said today. Chan and other senior officials in the Hong Kong government declined immediate comment on a flurry of news reports, but a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said a formal announcement of her resignation would be made later in the day.

Hong Kong's future government's plans to strengthen legal controls over political parties and demonstrations are drawing sharp reaction from friends and foes alike. The incoming administration invited public comment on the controversial proposals unveiled Wednesday, saying it will consider changing the draft legislation based on the feedback.

The Democratic Party suffered a major erosion of public support in Hong Kong's Legislative Council elections Sunday, while a party with close ties to Beijing gained strength, according to early election results and exit polls. The result of the second council election since Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule three years ago came amid sharply reduced voter turnout and broad public discontent about the failure to recover the levels of prosperity that predated the region's 1998 recession.

Martin Lee, this British colony's most prominent advocate of greater democracy, is a man who seldom minces words. So, there may have been some surprised listeners recently when Lee, campaigning for votes in a key legislative election set for Sunday, seemed about to dodge a question. The question, about whether communism faces the same fate in China that it has in the Soviet Union, was too sensitive to answer directly, Lee said.

Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's chief executive, had hearty congratulations and a few gentle "I told you so's" after voters turned out in record numbers this week in the first elections under Chinese rule. He pointed out that the 53.3% turnout was much higher than in any elections held under the British, who returned the territory in July; a more democratic legislature had replaced a handpicked body within a year, as he had pledged; and Beijing had not meddled at all.

As Hong Kong's hand-over to China neared in 1997, The Times visited with some residents to learn of their hopes--and fears--about life under Beijing's rule. A year later, their lives have taken some unexpected turns. ZHANG JING / Dissident Dissident Zhang Jing knows firsthand about Chinese repression, and she didn't want to stay in Hong Kong long enough to see what would happen after Chinese rule took effect. Now safely in the U.S.

More than half a million people in Emily Lau's district are eligible to vote Sunday in Hong Kong's first legislative election under Chinese rule, and now she is running--literally--to win a seat. Bang! Bang! Bang! She knocks on the metal security gate of an apartment in a vast public housing project and shakes hands between the bars with the woman who opens the door. "Hi, I'm Emily Lau. Vote for me on Sunday, OK?" she says in one breath with a smile.

The Democratic Party suffered a major erosion of public support in Hong Kong's Legislative Council elections Sunday, while a party with close ties to Beijing gained strength, according to early election results and exit polls. The result of the second council election since Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule three years ago came amid sharply reduced voter turnout and broad public discontent about the failure to recover the levels of prosperity that predated the region's 1998 recession.

Gender and pedigree may not be all it takes to get ahead in the world these days. But they're all it takes to get a piece of one of the most precious commodities in Hong Kong: land. Any adult male who can prove that he is descended from the aboriginal dwellers of the outlying New Territories can apply to the government for his own patch of land on which to build a home.

As Hong Kong's hand-over to China neared in 1997, The Times visited with some residents to learn of their hopes--and fears--about life under Beijing's rule. A year later, their lives have taken some unexpected turns. ZHANG JING / Dissident Dissident Zhang Jing knows firsthand about Chinese repression, and she didn't want to stay in Hong Kong long enough to see what would happen after Chinese rule took effect. Now safely in the U.S.

Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's chief executive, had hearty congratulations and a few gentle "I told you so's" after voters turned out in record numbers this week in the first elections under Chinese rule. He pointed out that the 53.3% turnout was much higher than in any elections held under the British, who returned the territory in July; a more democratic legislature had replaced a handpicked body within a year, as he had pledged; and Beijing had not meddled at all.

Critics of Beijing pledged Monday to use a popular mandate to press for more democracy in Hong Kong after final results gave them a sweep in the first election under Chinese rule. If the high turnout of 53.3% in Sunday's legislative vote surprised nearly everyone, the results did not. The Democrats, Hong Kong's largest party, secured 13 seats on the 60-seat Legislative Council. Together with smaller allies, they wound up with 20 seats, although they garnered the most votes by far.

More than half a million people in Emily Lau's district are eligible to vote Sunday in Hong Kong's first legislative election under Chinese rule, and now she is running--literally--to win a seat. Bang! Bang! Bang! She knocks on the metal security gate of an apartment in a vast public housing project and shakes hands between the bars with the woman who opens the door. "Hi, I'm Emily Lau. Vote for me on Sunday, OK?" she says in one breath with a smile.

On the first day of a recent swing through Southern California to promote Hong Kong's economic development, Peter Johnson met state Sen. Edward Royce in Orange County and was hit with hard questions on why the British crown colony was repatriating Vietnamese boat people. In Glendale the next day, over pancakes at Du Par's with state Sen.

San Ha Tsuen, a village crouched in the shadow of a mountain near the Chinese border, is about the only place around here where people will talk about Hong Kong's biggest secret: the Communist Party. Cheung Yuk-lan, 45, wearing a fake Rolex and a white T-shirt speckled with blood from a chicken freshly slaughtered for lunch, proudly declares his affinity for the party, which is technically illegal and largely underground.

The new government here has unveiled a plan for next year's legislative elections that is expected to favor business groups and dilute the power of Hong Kong's most popular party, the Democrats. The government said Tuesday that 20 of 60 legislative seats will be selected by proportional representation, a method that gives seats to parties according to the proportion of ballots each receives, similar to systems used in Germany and Ireland.

When Chris Patten, this territory's last British governor, leaves his stately mansion for the last time Monday, his black Daimler limousine will circle the driveway three times in a symbolic Chinese gesture to guarantee his return. "I'd like to come back," he said, "but next time as a tourist." In a way, the 53-year-old Patten has all but come full circle since his arrival in Britain's eastern most colony five years ago.