Hong Kong was not British colony as China did not recognise unequal treaties ceding city to Britain, new textbooks reveal
- United Nations removed Hong Kong from a list of colonies in 1972 after China made the demand, according to textbooks still being vetted by Education Bureau
- The books also adopt government’s account of 2019 social unrest, saying it was a threat to national security and external forces were behind protests
New textbooks on the revamped liberal studies subject in secondary schools now state that Hong Kong was not a British colony, as the Chinese government did not recognise the unequal treaties that ceded the city to Britain, the Post has learned.
The textbooks, which were submitted to the Education Bureau for vetting, have also adopted the government’s account of the 2019 social unrest in Hong Kong, saying it was a threat to national security and external forces were behind the protests.
Four sets of textbooks by three publishers on the new subject, renamed citizenship and social development, were released online last Saturday for schools to select for Form Four students in September.
First introduced in 2009, liberal studies had aimed to enhance senior secondary students’ social awareness and critical thinking skills. But the bureau overhauled it last year after the pro-Beijing camp blamed the subject for radicalising youth during the 2019 protests.
The new subject was introduced last September to replace liberal studies, and has a syllabus focused on national security, identity, lawfulness and patriotism.
All the new textbooks said Hong Kong was never a British colony as the Chinese government had never recognised the unequal treaties or given up sovereignty over the city.
The textbooks said the United Nations removed Hong Kong from a list of colonies in 1972 after China made the demand.
