, Columnist
What Hong Kong’s Freedom Means to the World
For decades, it has been a symbol of the glory of capitalism. Now it is a warning about its limits.
Not what freedom looks like.
Photographer: Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images AsiaPacThis article is for subscribers only.
With Hong Kong on the verge of experiencing a traumatic or at least transformative event on its streets, it’s worth revisiting what its history has meant for liberalism. We didn’t always know it at the time, but Hong Kong has been a kind of bellwether for the state of freedom in the wider world.
My first significant memories of Hong Kong come from the kung-fu movies of the early 1970s. It is striking today to watch Bruce Lee’s “Enter the Dragon” (1973) and see Hong Kong portrayed — with some condescension — as a poor place deserving of sympathy from Western audiences.