The Construction of Politics in School Education 23 Years after the Handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China

This article examines how politics has shaped Hong Kong’s education system and the curriculum 23 years after the British handover of Hong Kong to China. Particularly, through the concept of nationalism, the article examines how the education system is being shaped. The article is intended to provide international readers with a perspective of the political and socio-educational dynamics at play in Hong Kong. The central question at issue is: how has political culture and identity been promoted in school education under the framework of “One Country, Two Systems” after the transfer of Hong Kong sovereignty from Britain to China? Two areas—the censorship of curriculum materials and the politicization of nationalism— particularly reflect the influence of power relationships, and the historical and societal pressures on the formation of students’ identity in school education.