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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

China Calls the Shots

From fancy hotel ballrooms to crowded slums, the candidates have been campaigning hard. Front runner Tung Chee-hwa and his two main opponents have been shaking hands and discussing their visions of the future. Reporters and camera crews follow the candidates' every step. It looks like a real election. In fact, it appears very similar to the recent U.S. presidential race. But is Hong Kong's election for real? The answer is yes--and no!

On December 11, Hong Kong's 2.5 million voters pick a Chief Executive. The final decision will not be in the voters' hands. A committee of 400 people, chosen with the approval of the government of neighboring China, will make the final choice.

The British Colony of Hong Kong is made up of Hong Kong Island, the peninsula of Kowloon and an area known as the New Territories. Britain took control of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon in the 1800s, after defeating China in wars. In 1898 the British signed a lease giving them control of the New Territories for 99 years. The lease expires on June 30, 1997. On July 1, 1997, all of Hong Kong will become part of China.

Stricter Rules In Hong Kong?
Under British rule the people of Hong Kong enjoyed great freedom and wealth. The colony became a banking, trade, shipping and entertainment center of Asia. The government of China, however, does not allow its citizens as many personal freedoms. Businesses, newspapers, TV and movies are tightly controlled.

When China and Britain agreed that the land would be returned to China, China promised to leave Hong Kong's social and legal systems "unchanged" for 50 years. But people fear that as China gets ready to take control, that promise may be forgotten.

Hong Kong's newly elected leader will face a tough challenge. He must keep his freedom-loving people happy while answering to China's strict rulers. For now, Tung Chee-hwa seems to have won both the people's support and that of China. Tung, 59, was born in mainland China, raised in Hong Kong and worked in the U.S. "Americans have values I understand and respect," says Tung. "But I have also come to understand Chinese values. Hong Kong's strength will be that ability to absorb what is good about the West and what is good about Chinese culture."

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Hong Kong Facts

GEOGRAPHY
Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories are located on the southeast coast of China. Most of the land is hilly.

CAPITAL
Victoria (Hong Kong Island)

LANGUAGE
English; Cantonese (a Chinese dialect)

POPULATION
Some 6.3 million people are crammed into a 415-square-mile area. It has more people per square mile than any other place in the world!

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