Hong Kong Mourns Queen's Death in Silent Protest Against Beijing

Members of the public in Hong Kong mourned Queen Elizabeth II's death in large numbers on Monday, in a city where China's crackdown on democracy appears to have left many nostalgic for the past.

Hong Kong was a British colony for 156 years before the territory was returned to Beijing's rule in 1997. To be sure, memories about the period are mixed and varied. Residents weren't granted universal suffrage and suffered from unequal treatment; democracy activists opposed colonial rule as strongly as some in the city continue to protest Chinese governance.

But when news of the queen's death reached Hongkongers late last Thursday local time, Facebook and Twitter lit up with tributes to the United Kingdom's longest-reigning monarch, who died at 96 after ruling for seven decades. In the following days, the same sentiments were expressed in person, too. It was a sign of the lasting influence the city's British past continued to have on its Chinese present, through people and place names, as well as political values.

As Hong Kong marked a public holiday on September 12, hundreds to thousands of residents queued outside the British consulate—some for up to five hours—to pay their respects. They laid flowers and other memorabilia outside the building in what was a rare public gathering, the likes of which are still banned under the city's COVID-19 regulations, which forbid groups larger than four.

In interviews with local newspapers and television stations, mourners described the snaking queues as an expression of public opinion; others online called it a silent protest—about what or against whom they didn't say.

Elizabeth visited Hong Kong twice during her 70 years on the throne, while her son, now King Charles III, attended the handover to China, whose officials pledged to keep the city's democratic and semi-autonomous system intact for 50 years.

Critics say China imposed its heavy-handed rule over Hong Kong after only a quarter-century. Citywide protests that began in 2019 led to widespread arrests and the forced closures of several publications under provisions of Beijing's sweeping national security law.

At the height of the demonstrations, China was angered by activists who waved British flags to show their disdain for the Chinese Communist Party. Beijing and London also have clashed over the latter's continued disapproval of the former's reversal of democratic norms in Hong Kong.

In June, the city's government cited public health laws to uphold a ban on a vigil marking the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, a previously annual event, for the third year in a row.

In local news reports, Hongkongers argued that mourning Elizabeth and reminiscing about the past were not crimes. China's state news services didn't report the phenomenon.

In his own statement, Hong Kong leader John Lee said the queen was "greatly respected, admired and praised by the British people."

While views of the queen's legacy were divided on Chinese social media—not unlike in the West—Beijing responded officially by expressing "deep condolences," according to the Chinese foreign ministry's account of a message sent to Charles by President Xi Jinping.

This chart, provided by Statista, shows the timeline of official events for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the takeover of King Charles.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang expressed similar sentiments in a message to Liz Truss, Britain's new prime minister, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters last week.

On Friday, the White House confirmed that President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden would attend the queen's state funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19.

China's official representation at the event has yet to be confirmed, but it's unlikely to be Xi. The Chinese leader begins a trip to Central Asia on Wednesday for meetings with counterparts including President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

There is speculation that Wang Qishan, China's vice president, could attend in Xi's stead.