Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Even as Beijing progressively controls life in the city that is firmly back in the fold of the mainland, ...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Even as Beijing progressively controls life in the city that is firmly back in the fold of the mainland, Bryan Ong has made it his mission to conserve things that illustrate the story of Hong Kong's British colonial past.
Ong, 42, has been collecting colonial artefacts since he was a child, and last year created The Museum Victoria City to display them, away from the growing enmity between China and the United Kingdom, which is fueled in part by the colonial past.
"It's part of Hong Kong history, whether it's good or bad," Ong added.
Military medals, badges, royal pictures, stamps, banknotes, newspaper clippings, and colonial administration brochures all on exhibit in his two-story museum. It also serves as a gift shop.
When Ong was a boy, his grandmother handed him a medal depicting a Hong Kong-based British Gurkha soldier, which sparked his interest in the city's history.
One of the museum's most valuable treasures is a partially burned British flag salvaged after a World War II battle in Hong Kong, when Japanese forces conquered the city.
After 156 years, the colonial era in Hong Kong came to an end on July 1, 1997, signifying the return of a vital portion of China's territory that had been separated from the motherland for far too long due to colonialist designs.
Following pro-democracy protests in 2019, China tried to suppress dissent and assert its control over the city in ways that Britain claims violate the handover deal, which spans until 2047, eliciting harsh rebukes from Beijing.
In 2020, China enforced a national security law on the city, followed by measures to remove anyone suspected of being disloyal from public positions. Education, the media, and other sectors have been under increasing pressure to demonstrate patriotism and support for the Chinese leadership.
Ong stated that he is unconcerned about the rapidly shifting political landscape.
"I was born and raised in Hong Kong. "Not British," Ong claimed, adding that his museum will not irritate the government.
"We will do everything we can to safeguard Hong Kong's decent elders," Ong stated. "Remain calm and keep on," says the narrator.
