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The Hong Kong Diaries
- Narrated by: Chris Patten
- Length: 25 hrs and 41 mins
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The Hong Kong Diaries
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Publisher's Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
In June 1992, Chris Patten went to Hong Kong as the last British governor, to try to prepare it not—as other British colonies over the decades—for independence, but for handing back in 1997 to the Chinese, from whom most of its territory had been leased 99 years previously. Over the next five years, he kept this diary, which describes in detail how Hong Kong was run as a British colony and what happened as the handover approached. The book gives unprecedented insights into negotiating with the Chinese, about how the institutions of democracy in Hong Kong were (belatedly) strengthened and how Patten sought to ensure that a strong degree of self-government would continue after 1997. Unexpectedly, his opponents included not only the Chinese themselves, but some British businessmen and civil service mandarins upset by Patten's efforts, for whom political freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong seemed less important than keeping on the right side of Beijing. The book concludes with an account of what has happened in Hong Kong since the handover, a powerful assessment of recent events and Patten's reflections on how to deal with China—then and now.
What listeners say about The Hong Kong Diaries
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Winnie
- 18-04-2023
Thank you Governor for your honesty
I left Hong Kong just before the 1997 handover. My elderly mother, like so many other Hong Kongers, cried watching the ceremony on TV. Your diary gave me an insight of the struggles you faced in those five years which I wouldn’t have otherwise known just from the media. If we could turn back the clock we wish the Brits would have appointed someone like you with balls as governors, rather than diplomats. No one is perfect and no government is perfect. Like many Hongkongers, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for trying, and for continuing to support Hong Kong to this date.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- raz
- 13-02-2023
Brilliant
Both the content and the author’s reading of the book is a real treat. It’s an important book from a historical and social perspective.
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- Anonymous User
- 11-09-2022
Nothing short of brilliant!!!!
Chris Patten is a incredibly wordsmith who through his words encapsulates the mood and tensions of the period like few others. Honest, forthright and delivered with dry humour and sarcasm the Hong Hong Diaries are a masterpiece! Not becoming British PM was a loss to all who care for democracy, more importantly the British people themselves.
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