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Article: A change of empires. (how transition to Chinese rule will affect art community in Hong Kong)(Report from Hong Kong)
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- May 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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As a British colony, Hong Kong evolved an unfettered capitalism that placed neither official restraints nor much social on artistic activity. Both fear and hope have been noticed by Hong Kong's art community as China moves to reclaim the colony this summer.
On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong will be annexed by the People's Republic of China. That stark fact and the uncertainties that surround it shape discussions of nearly every aspect of life in Hong Kong today. China's slogan for the "handover," as it is called, is "one country, two systems." When Great Britain agreed in 1982 to return its colonial territory to China, that phrase was meant to reassure Hong Kong ...