In 1992, Louis Cha aka Jin Yong was commissioned to write an
article about the handover of Hong Kong back to China. In this
article, he forewarned that freedom of the press in Hong Kong could
be adversely affected under Chinese sovereign rule.
"In retrospect, I think I made a wrong prediction," Louis Cha
says today, in an interview with Reference News, under
Xinhua News Agency, shortly before the 10th anniversary of Hong
Kong's return. Louis Cha is one of the most famous and influential
Chinese writers alive and his fiction has garnered praise across
China and Southeast Asia. His background in HK journalism comes
from his position as editor-in-chief of daily newspaper Ming
Pao, a position he has held until 1993.
Speaking about his feelings in 1992, Cha reveals he had mixed
feelings at the time. While being happy at the handover, he was
always fearful his property and rights such as freedom of the press
would be taken away.
Cha's words are reflective of a wider collective feeling from
pre-1997 Hong Kong. On July 1, 1997, the first day of Hong Kong's
return, several local newspapers ran articles which showed a severe
concern about Hong Kong's future. One voice which went against the
flow was, however, that of Louis Cha. Ming Pao carried his
essay which indicated a belief that guided by the "One Country, Two
Systems" policy, the Chinese central government would not seek to
impose its political and cultural values on Hong Kong.
As early as 1981, Cha was received by Deng Xiaoping, then leader
of China, in Beijing. During the meeting, Deng and Cha discussed
several major issues concerning China's development, including Hong
Kong. Cha recollects that Deng said "Hong Kong people did not need
to worry about their future. He asked me to convey his words to
them when I went back."
Three years later,?Cha was invited to join the Drafting
Committee for the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region. Fearing a conflict of interest with his position at
Ming Pao, he was initially reluctant to accept this
position. However, he soon realized the Basic Law would define the
future of Hong Kong and that he could influence its
development.
The process took over five years during which Cha often clashed
with fellow committee member, the late Xiao Weiyun, a professor of
Peking University. "Professor Xiao and I disagreed with each other
sometimes and even got into fierce arguments in front of the press.
Ultimately, we respected each other and became friends."
The handover ceremony on July 1, 1997 will forever stay in Cha's
memory. As the United Kingdom formally bid farewell to its former
dependency, Cha's worries vanished as he placed his faith in the
Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong which
clearly stipulate Hong Kong's lifestyle and economic system will
remain the same.
While staying in Hong Kong, he usually reads five or six
newspapers every day. "In the decade since handover of Hong Kong,
freedom of the press in Hong Kong has not been curtailed," he
commented, adding that his optimism for the new era of Hong Kong
imbues him a wider sense of confidence in the future of the
world.
?(China.org.cn by Pang Li, June 28,
2007)????
