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Hong Kong's omissions of history

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The new academic year marks something of a revolution in Hong Kong education. For the first time, Hong Kong history will be a compulsory part of the high school history curriculum, a move which, no doubt, will enhance students' appreciation of their cultural heritage and arouse an interest in current affairs by providing a historical perspective. Yet it is not without problems.

The move is part of a more extensive reform to the history syllabus of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. The new curriculum also cuts out much of the section on 19th century Europe, extends the coverage of Chinese history to the present day and includes a new module on decolonisation in Southeast Asia.

The major direction of reform, then, is to shift the focus from Europe back to Asia. This is a commendable move, for it is surely important for students to be familiar with the recent history of China and our Asian neighbours.

It is also crucial for them to be acquainted with the local institutions, events and historical figures that have contributed to the transformation of Hong Kong. Out of sheer curiosity, I picked up one of the textbooks designed for the new curriculum, and flipped through its section on Hong Kong. The mere fact that the writer manages to compress the city's development from 1842 to the present into 90-odd pages is already impressive.

Yet, perhaps due to the need for brevity, there are omissions in the narrative. Omissions in history are always telling, so it is worthwhile pondering them for a moment. First, certain key events are missing, or receive very limited attention. The riots of 1967, for example, are given superficial treatment, without a full examination of the underlying discontent and social conditions which gave rise to them. Moreover, the text only makes a passing reference to the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during the second world war, even though it represents one of the most traumatic episodes in the city's collective memory.

To cut out the stories of those who suffered during the occupation is to do them a grave injustice. Documenting atrocities which took place in the past is not an attempt to fuel racial hatred, it is an integral part of writing history responsibly.

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