Hong Kong authorities have issued an order to demolish an unauthorized “Mao Zedong Cultural Center” constructed on official land by a woman. The incident has sparked controversy and drawn attention from relevant government departments.
According to Hong Kong online media “01,” on November 18, a citizen reported witnessing the ongoing construction of a building on a hill on November 16, but no action was taken. Reporters from the media visited the area near Bishop Hill on November 17 and found a bamboo shed project on a vacant lot. A notice from the Land Department was posted, stating that the unauthorized use of the land must be ceased by December 11 and cleared manually.
The Hong Kong woman, claiming to be the person responsible for the shed construction project, known as “Sister Fang,” defended the project as the construction of a “Mao Zedong Cultural Center,” which sparked controversy. She emphasized that the intention was to provide space for artists to conduct various workshops.
The piece of official land is located near Bishop Hill in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, with a Roman-style reservoir built in 1904 that was designated as a Grade I historical building in 2021.
Opinions on the government’s order to demolish the illegal building vary among interviewed citizens. Some supported the government’s action, condemning the illegal occupation of official land, while others expressed concerns that it may hinder hikers.
However, the Hong Kong woman involved in the construction project reportedly vowed to resist the demolition until the end. Whether the Hong Kong government will succeed in clearing the site next month remains uncertain.
Since the implementation of the “National Security Law for Hong Kong” in June 2020, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has further strengthened control in Hong Kong, influencing the ideological landscape. The mass exodus of Hong Kong residents and the influx of mainland Chinese are reshaping the cultural dynamics of the city.
In August 2020, Beijing-based senior media figure Gao Yu mentioned that the “China Hong Kong Communist Research Association” is an organization of descendants of former high-ranking CCP officials who have relocated to Hong Kong. They frequently hold exchange meetings in Beijing, expressing their intent to explore the realization of communism in the capitalist city of Hong Kong.
Currently, Hong Kong’s education system is increasingly aligning with Beijing. In addition to incorporating “Xi Jinping Thought” into middle school textbooks, on August 21 this year, Hong Kong and Macau set up the first “Hong Kong-Macau Patriotic Education Base” in Beijing. Official media outlets hailed this move as the implementation of Xi Jinping’s important directives, leveraging mainland red resources to facilitate more visits and learning experiences for young people from Hong Kong and Macau.