SOUTHLAND CHINESE EXPRESS VIEWS ON FUTURE HONG KONG.Byline: Heesun Wee Daily News Staff Writer As Hong Kong Hong Kong (hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. prepares for return to China on Tuesday, Southland residents from the Pacific Rim Pacific Rim, term used to describe the nations bordering the Pacific Ocean and the island countries situated in it. In the post–World War II era, the Pacific Rim has become an increasingly important and interconnected economic region. powerhouse are simultaneously skeptical and hopeful about the change. Some fear mainland China's penchant for tight government controls will spill over Verb 1. spill over - overflow with a certain feeling; "The children bubbled over with joy"; "My boss was bubbling over with anger" bubble over, overflow seethe, boil - be in an agitated emotional state; "The customer was seething with anger" 2. into Hong Kong, resulting in a censored media and a more bureaucratic government. ``The freedom of press is going to suffer tremendously,'' predicts Angela Lew, 53, of Chatsworth. Lew, a faculty librarian at Cal State Northridge, was born in China and grew up in Taiwan. She came to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in 1966 and frequently visits Hong Kong. Lew also fears an efficiently run Hong Kong will get bogged down by bureaucracy and corruption scandals. Hong Kong's highest government officials will be replaced by Communist Party Communist party, in China Communist party, in China, ruling party of the world's most populous nation since 1949 and most important Communist party in the world since the disintegration of the USSR in 1991. members, she said. Film director John Woo For other uses, see . John Woo Yu-Sen (Chinese: 吳宇森; Pinyin: Wú Yǔsēn , who grew up in Hong Kong and now is based in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , also anticipates a bumpy road for the country's media. ``Of course, for the first couple of years, it might be rough for everybody, and especially for the media. There won't be much freedom of speech or much creative freedom, and everybody will have to be careful about what they say and do,'' he said. Dan Lynch, a Glendale resident and professor who teaches Chinese foreign policy and international Asian politics at the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission , agrees. Hong Kong residents ``just have to be careful not to offend China. A general climate of caution will be created. People will self-censor and worry and look over their shoulder,'' Lynch said. But overall, Woo, whose film ``Face/Off'' opens nationwide this weekend in the United States, is hopeful. ``I'm still very optimistic. . . . In the future, it's going to change. I think China will get a little more open,'' he said. Despite the varying opinions on Hong Kong's future, both Lew, Woo and others familiar with Hong Kong agree on one thing: Communist China won't tamper too much with Hong Kong's economy. ``I don't think they want to hurt the business. But I do wish Beijing will keep its promises,'' Woo said of the Hong Kong film industry in particular. The movie industry there is one of the world's largest. ``I think the people in Hong Kong will probably feel that business-wise it (the country) will continue to grow and be more prosperous. The only change will be the flag overnight,'' said C.K. Tseng, 78, a Northridge businessman who was born in China and spent part of his childhood in Hong Kong. He immigrated to the United States in 1960 and has no remaining family in Hong Kong. The change in government has major implications for California, which has strong economic ties to Hong Kong and is home to more ethnic Chinese than any other state. California's trade with Hong Kong equals more than one-fourth of all U.S. exports to the territory. Hong Kong has been the state's ninth-largest export market, purchasing $3.6 billion in California goods last year. Hong Kong also is the seventh-largest foreign investor in California, with more than $12 billion in investments in the state. The British took control of Hong Kong in 1842, when China was forced to relinquish Hong Kong to Great Britain Great Britain, officially United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, constitutional monarchy (2005 est. pop. 60,441,000), 94,226 sq mi (244,044 sq km), on the British Isles, off W Europe. The country is often referred to simply as Britain. after the Opium War. Then in 1984, the United Kingdom and China signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration The Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong , which stipulated Hong Kong's return to China this year. So gradually over the years, signs of inevitable change have been sprouting up in Hong Kong. Portraits of the queen have been replaced by images of the official Chinese flower Chinese flower, n Latin name: Paederia foetida; parts used: whole plant, roots, leaves; uses: in Ayurveda, balances vata dosha (bitter, heavy), antiinflammatory, anthelmintic, antispasmodic, arthritis, rheumatic conditions, tonic, leaves: , said Jeffrey Cheung, 51, of Thousand Oaks. He visits his parents, brother and sister at least once a year in Hong Kong. Cheung and his family are hopeful about Hong Kong's future, and Cheung's parents and siblings have decided to remain in Hong Kong. But other less hopeful Hong Kong families have fled to the United States and Canada or are in the middle of making arrangements to do so. ``In general,'' Cheung said, ``I'm very optimistic.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1 -- Bulldog edition only) The Union Jack flutters from the deck of the British Royal Yacht Britannia in Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong. Associated Press (2) Yvonne Chan arrived in U.S. at age 17 |
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