Hong Kong nationalism
Hong Kong nationalism is a system of thought that spans the folklore, culture, history, geography, society, and politics of Hong Kong. It reflects a strong desire to protect democracy in Hong Kong, to oppose mainlandization, and to preserve local Hong Kong identity. As such, many Hong Kong nationalists are opposed to Chinese state nationalism.
Hong Kong nationalism is generally considered a new phenomenon. The self-identification of the Hong Kong people became considered as nationalism when local discourse developed claims of self-determination, autonomy and varying degrees of separation from China.
History
Tens of thousands of people moved to Hong Kong in 1949 to escape the Chinese Communist Revolution. The population of Hong Kong increased from 1.8 million in 1947 to 2.2 million in 1951. As many mainland Chinese fled to Hong Kong over the next 30 years, the population of Hong Kong increased by 1 million every 10 years. Those who experienced hunger and political struggle under the Chinese Communist Party internalized stronger anti-communist sentiments than Hong Kongers who didn't experience CCP rule.A distinct sense of Hong Kong identity existed since the 1970s, but Hong Kong nationalist sentiment didn't significantly appear until the Tiananmen massacre of 1989. Both the Tiananmen massacre and the pro-democracy movement in colonial Hong Kong strengthened feelings of division between Hong Kong and mainland China.
Since the 2010s, the Hong Kong nationalist movement has emerged as the "localist camp".
View of the United Kingdom
In the mid-20th century, anti-colonial Hong Kong nationalism was critical of British imperialism. It distinguished itself from Chinese nationalism and advocated for regional characteristics such as Cantonese.In the 21st century, however, some Hong Kong nationalists began to romanticize British Hong Kong as a consequence of their antipathy towards the mainland Chinese government.