Prof. Wasserstrom connects history of Opium Wars to China's repossession of Hong Kong & its emotional patriotic education. 

Hong Kong never really left the news after its massive demonstrations in 2019 and early 2020. But this month, June 2021, America's news coverage of Hong Kong spiked. Here are some highlights. According to the Wall Street Journal, out of apprehension for Hong Kong's future, big international businesses are leaving that city, and the effects of that exodus are highly visible, both metaphorically and literally - the latter manifest in the high rate of commercial real estate vacancies. In addition, although Hong Kong's annual observance of the Tiananmen Square massacre has been banned, in defiance, Hong Kong residents gathered in small numbers to commemorate that tragic day anyway. And there is one more highlight that we like to share. The leaders of the G-7 group of nations issued a rebuke to China regarding many issues, including its treatment of Hong Kong's autonomy and the freedom of its residents. But why does Hong Kong receive so much press coverage? What makes the case of Hong Kong special? To better understand Hong Kong, its past and present, we spoke with Jeffrey Wasserstrom, a Chancellor's professor of history at the University of California, Irvine. Professor Wasserstrom is a specialist in modern Chinese history and has a strong interest in connecting China's past to its present and placing both into global perspective. 

Here is the link to Professor Wasserstrom's academic homepage, which includes a list of his numerous publications: https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=5310.