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On Friday, many Hong Kong residents took to social media to mourn Queen Elizabeth II, a woman affectionately known as “boss lady” among older residents of the city that was once one of Britain’s last colonies.
During her reign, Elizabeth visited Hong Kong twice, and her son, now King Charles III, was present at the handover to China in 1997.
“An era has come to an end… Thank you for your dedication over the years, “read another post on the Facebook group Hong Kong Reminiscence, which received nearly 4,000 likes within hours of Elizabeth’s death, which was announced in the city overnight.
In recent decades, Britain has experienced two major waves of Hong Kong immigration: the first in the run-up to the handover, and the second in the last two years as China cracks down on political dissent.
Many of those who reacted overnight did so from their new residence.
“She has always had (has) our highest regard… I’m going to miss her, “Lok Cheung, a popular Hong Kong tech YouTuber who recently moved to the UK, agreed.
A comic book character named “Hong Kong Worker” who has also moved praises the queen for “giving us a Hong Kong that was once beautiful” in a panel he created.
Britain’s track record in Hong Kong elicits conflicting reactions.
Both Beijing loyalists and Hong Kong democrats protested British control during colonial times.
Many democracy supporters, on the other hand, came to view the British era more favourably as authoritarian China tightened its grip on the city, waving colonial flags during massive protests in 2019 that infuriated Beijing.
In the aftermath of those protests, China enacted sweeping national security legislation and has cracked down on any actions it deems “foreign collusion,” which could make mourning Elizabeth II risky in Hong Kong in the current climate.
According to Nathan Law, a well-known pro-democracy leader who now resides in the United Kingdom and is sought by Hong Kong authorities for violating the security law, the queen still has a particular place in the hearts of many Hong Kongers.
“The Queen is adored by millions of Hong Kong residents,” he tweeted.
