The Hong Kong Diaries

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This book is an invaluable resource to gain a deeper understanding into the 'behind the scene' maneuvers taken by the two countries during this fateful period in Hong Kong. Official statements and news report on historical events are sometimes insufficient, as they often only revealed what could be verified externally, or what the players involved were willing to share as public information. Patten's diary offers a glimpse into how regional party politics in far away England, totally unrelated to Hong Kong, could have a direct effect on him, of what he was permitted to do as the governor. This personal perspective is a great supplement to the official narratives one might find in a history book. The Chinese, meanwhile, are uneasy that Britain might be milking Hong Kong before they leave – not without reason, as it had been done before, with British firms favoured for government contracts. (Sometimes, in the colonies, the milk flowed the wrong way!) Perhaps Hongkongers are only wistful about the disappearing way of living and declining influence, rather than the colonial rule and its employees. Evidently, Patten is not best remembered for his contribution to democracy. In my opinion, he has a less noticeable legacy: many people have not bought into the CCP side of things because of his charisma. That alone means more than any veritable achievement to the people. If any puppet wishes to term it ‘sowing discord’, so be it. They may have a hard time pointing out where the umbilical cord is. After intelligence briefings, I had lunch at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank with a group of local business leaders, including the taipans of Swire’s and Jardine’s. The conversation doesn’t strike me as being terribly high-powered. They all seem rather naïve about politics and don’t seem to understand that things just can’t go on as they have been. If this is where political advice was coming from for the last quarter-century, no wonder we’ve got into the present difficulties.

Now Hong Kong people are to run Hong Kong. That is the promise and that is the unshakeable destiny,” he added. This book is simply a collection of his diary during his five years as the governor of Hong Kong. They are presented in chronological, or content-wise unorganised, manner that is difficult to follow by readers, even for Hong Kong indigenous people. As a lot of key historical events intersected and overlapped in the diary, without professional-level understanding in the last five years of Hong Kong colonial reign, it is probably gruelling and fruitless to complete the book. I was there that day, and when I watched the boat sail away, I thought: “Something very good has just gone.” The 25th anniversary marks the halfway point of Beijing’s “One Country, Two Systems” promise for Hong Kong, a deal that was enshrined in the 1984 joint declaration signed by British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang. Former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and then-UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher talk in Beijing over Hong Kong’s future. File Photo: Internet.Lord Patten spent much of his time in Hong Kong struggling against British officials and members of the local elite who believed it was not worth trying to push China to accept more democracy in pre-handover Hong Kong-much less expanding it without China's approval. Some of the most riveting detail in this rich volume relates to these tensions. ... The author's entertaining language brings these diaries to life. Economist The former Conservative party chairman said things went “downhill” in the city partly because Xi and his colleagues were “terrified” of what Hong Kong actually stands for. The diary helps me conduct different thought experiments. If David Wilson had been the last governor, maybe there would have been no need for any non-binding promises at all! Both the territory and the populace would automatically welcome a peaceful reunification with the Motherland—splendid! We woke up to news of the electoral disaster for the Conservatives. Landslide. Calamity. Earthquake. Avalanche. Wipeout. What a way to end 18 years in government. Tony Blair has stormed home with a crushing majority. I’m still not convinced that he’s got a great strategy or more than plastic principles. Sooner or later the shit will hit the fan even in Blair’s Britain.

But China, Patten now says, has breached the declaration “comprehensively”. A photo taken in late January shows Hongkongers wearing face masks on the street in Central. Photo: GovHK. I would say it is one of our bestselling books this year,” Leticia Wong, a former district councillor, said. minutely observe[s] how China broke its promises - first insidiously and gradually and then openly and suddenly - and the impact on the lives of Hong Kongers ... Patten's diaries of his frustrating yet rewarding stint as governor cover the years from 1992 to the 1997 handover ... [he] is a genial and self-deprecating companion through the years leading up to the handover ... In the course of his diaries, Patten argues convincingly that for Britain or any other country to abandon liberal principles and yield to the Chinese Communist party's demands at every opportunity brings neither political nor commercial benefits. The trade and investment statistics he cites from the final decades of British rule do indeed suggest there is little correlation between grovelling and real rewards for business. Victor Mallet, Financial TimesHaving lived and worked in Hong Kong for over 10 years total in the 1970's and the late 80's / early 90's, and flown into the city for the 1997 handover, this was a book I just had to read. An old friend of mine was also Patten's spokesman for much of his governorship. The Hong Kong Diaries ... details his persistent but ultimately failed efforts to secure the continuance of Hong Kong's freedoms ... Despite Mr. Patten's best efforts, Hong Kong became the canary in the mine shaft, showing what happens when the Chinese Communist Party is allowed to get its way. Rather than preserving and slowly building an investment portfolio, people often risk – and end up losing – everything.