Over the past century, China has gone through a number of unprecedented and shattering changes; be it politics, economy, social life or culture. In the mid-19th Century, when the defeated and humiliated Qing Court was forced to ease trade restrictions, cede its territories and pay a huge amount of compensation, the Celestial Empire could no longer isolate itself from the rest of the world. When Qing officials were confronted with the power of Western industrial civilisation, they came to the painful realisation that the Qing Empire was only a vulnerable member of the world, and that they were in "a historical moment of change, unprecedented in the past three thousand years." What happened afterwards revolved around two themes, "self-strengthening" and "wealth accumulation".
After the 1911 Revolution, the intellectuals could see that China was not yet revived, and thus, during the May Fourth Movement, they advocated democracy and science. New thoughts disseminated like wildfire, marking the beginning of waves of criticisms against traditional culture and old social systems. With the hard work of preceding generations, China has risen from defeat to become an emerging power. In the past few decades, China's social economy developed rapidly, and the country evolved into a vibrant and energetic nation; even becoming a world leader in technological development.
News & Events
Year 2009 is the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as the 90th Anniversary of the May Fourth Movement. During the year, the Hong Kong Museum of History(HKMH), together with organisations in Mainland China and Hong Kong, will organise a series of "One Hundred Years in Retrospect" activities, including exhibitions and educational programmes, such as:
- Exhibition on the May Fourth Movement (late March to mid April 2009 at the Exhibition Hall of the Hong Kong City Hall); and a seminar (May at HKMH)
- "Modern Metropolis: Material Culture of Shanghai and Hong Kong" exhibition (late April to August 2009 at the Special Exhibition Gallery, HKMH)
- International Academic Conference on the History of the State Making of the PRC (22-24 June 2009 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the HKMH)
- "A Century of China" exhibition (late September to December 2009 at the Special Exhibition Gallery, HKMH), introducing the political and economic developments in China since the late 19th Century, and how China has transformed from a debilitated dynastic empire into a strong and prosperous modern country.
- Inter-school contests and talks (June to December 2009), to educate citizens and students on China's history in the past century.
Hong Kong is the first location in China to adopt modern western civilisation and systems. For a period of time, it was also the window through which foreigners came to know about China. In the past one hundred years, the fates of Hong Kong and Mainland China were inexplicably intertwined. In this light, it is especially meaningful to organise the above-mentioned exhibitions and educational programmes to discuss China's modernisation, and its impact, in Hong Kong.