The Hong Kong Diaries

Product Information

Because the 2022 polemic is much shorter than the diaries and is also more current, some readers may turn there first. But the journal entries provide a foundation for understanding why the circumspect optimism of 1997 has been so tragically confounded under Beijing’s later rule.

Gargan, Edward A. (18 September 1995). "Pro-China Party Appears Big Loser in Hong Kong Election". The New York Times. Chris Patten grew up in an Irish Catholic family in West London and was the son of a popular music publisher. After reading Modern History at Balliol College, Oxford and graduating in 1965, Patten joined the Conservative Party the following year. He served as Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1986-1989), Secretary of State for the Environment (1989-1990), and Chairman of the Conservative Party (1990-1992). He was the last British governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997.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 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. From a sociological perspective, one’s own cultural group appears to be at the center of everything, and all other cultures can be scaled and rated with reference to it. This inevitable consequence of culture is reflected in the ways British and Chinese contrast sharply in many ways of doing things, and these differences can lead to situations where both sides may seem rather eccentric to the other. Chinese culture tends to be collectivist, and individuals are often subordinate to social groups, such as the family and the state. This view of social relationships is undoubtedly influenced by traditional Confucianism, where individual’s success often relies on family connections, and is far less likely to be attributed to individual effort. Chinese culture also promotes specific forms of modesty and self-depreciation, and restricts radical deviations in social behavior and innovation. After thousands of years of socialization, the Chinese have evolved into a distinct culture. For example, Chinese use mianzi (or ‘face’) culture to cover up pitfalls they may experience in social, economic, and foreign policies. Mianzi (or ‘face’) in the context of Chinese culture, links with notions of honour, dignity, self-worth and prestige that a person feels in social interaction. ‘Face’ is given when a person receives a public compliment or is seated at the head of a banquet table – these are signs of being elevated. ‘Face’ will be lost when a person is openly insulted. It would be devastating in social interactions if Chinese ‘faces’ have been torn off. In other words, the Chinese are extremely annoyed if ‘no face’ is given to them in everyday life. Since the United Kingdom enjoys a strong tradition of democratic equality, the British people do not crave ‘face’ in the same way that it is emphasized in China. As Patten notes: William Westerman Pathfinders awards to North America". Balliol College, University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023 . Retrieved 28 March 2023. The original Pathfinders programme at Balliol was started in 1955 by Bill Coolidge (Balliol 1924). On Kate, Patten wrote, “I flew up to Newcastle to see Kate. She is living in what seems a very jolly hall of residence surrounded by loud and cheerful friends” (p.22). “I took Kate out to a restaurant down on the wharf in the centre of Newcastle, Number 21. We had a terrific meal and she’s really good company.” (p.83). Elsewhere, The Diaries reports that “Kate phoned up this morning to tell us she’s had a car crash near Darlington. Thank heavens she’s fine, but clearly very shaken. We are pretty shaken ourselves.” (p.131). On Laura, Patten said, “her course has started well and she’s enjoyed the first three days, but she’s missing us and had a bit of a cry on the phone” (p.67).

Espinoza, Javier. "Oxford University students who don't like Cecil Rhodes should 'think about being educated elsewhere', says chancellor". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 . Retrieved 14 January 2016. Gerretsen, Isabelle (1 March 2012). "Travel grant offered to Eton students only". Cherwell. Oxford University . Retrieved 28 March 2023.

Select a format:

The diaries of the last British Governor of Hong Kong, published on the 25th anniversary of the handover Coconuts Hong Kong (9 July 2020). "Carrie Lam is a 'lamentable' figure in Hong Kong history, ex-colonial governor Chris Patten says". Coconuts Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020 . Retrieved 15 July 2020. On March 20, 2014 Patten gave a talk at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum co-organized by Oxford University where he expressed his views on Hong Kong Basic Law and the "one country, two systems" principle. He opined that the situation in Hong Kong was good but not perfect but believed that the British people could have done more for political reform before leaving Hong Kong. He emphasized that political and economic freedoms are closely linked, and that when one freedom is eroded, the other will be affected. [39] It’s an aspect of a mature patriotism to look at both the good bit and the bad bits. The attempt, for example, to understand the relationship between a slave trade and the Atlantic economy of which we were a part seems to me to be fundamentally important. It’s not woke to do that. That’s just good history.”