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Undoing China’s Charm Offensive: Chinese Tourists in Hong Kong’s News Discourses (2003–2015)

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Hong Kong 20 Years after the Handover

Part of the book series: Studies in the Political Economy of Public Policy ((PEPP))

Abstract

Scholarly dialogue of post-handover Hong Kong has been addressing China’s rising hegemonic force over this former Crown colony. However, there is a seething defiance to China and Chinese identity in Hong Kong when it reaches the second decade after the handover. Such unexpected cultural uneasiness compels academic interest in examining why China’s cooptation of Hong Kong has resulted in confrontational public sentiment. Based on content and textual analysis of news representation of Mainland Chinese tourists in Hong Kong from 2003 to 2015, I documented how Hong Kong gradually perceived the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), a policy which permits Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong on an individual basis, as a social threat rather than market opportunity. I also contemplate on public discourses surrounding China-Hong Kong integration which conceive varying cultural positions of China.

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Acknowledgement

The work described in this chapter was fully supported by a grant from the Faculty Development Scheme sponsored by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (Project No. UGC/FDS14/H02/14).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Communication, Hang Seng Management College, Hong Kong, China

    Chi Kit Chan

Authors
  1. Chi Kit Chan
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Correspondence to Chi Kit Chan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Academy of Hong Kong Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong

    Brian C.H. Fong

  2. The Academy of Hong Kong Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong

    Tai-Lok Lui

Appendix 1: Framework of Textual Analysis of News Discourses

Appendix 1: Framework of Textual Analysis of News Discourses

The framework of discourse analysis in this article is modified from the one constructed by Gamson and Lasch (1983). Details are as follows.

  1. 1.

    Frame: The overall ideological implication (cultural meanings and social reasoning) of the news frame.

  2. 2.

    Metaphor/Catchphrase: The associate subject or idea evoking the audience’s understanding and imagination to the overall ideological implication of the news frame/A single theme statement, tagline, title, or slogan that is intended to summarize the whole social crisis.

  3. 3.

    Exemplars: Real events of the past or present that are commonly cited to illustrate the ideological implications.

  4. 4.

    Depiction/Visual image: The paramount meaning signified by metaphors and exemplars/the icons or images suggesting the paramount meaning of the news frame.

  5. 5.

    Root: The causality of the social crisis implied by the news frame.

  6. 6.

    Consequence: The consequential impact illuminated by the news frame.

  7. 7.

    Principle: Moral appeal and justifications.

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Chan, C.K. (2018). Undoing China’s Charm Offensive: Chinese Tourists in Hong Kong’s News Discourses (2003–2015). In: Fong, B., Lui, TL. (eds) Hong Kong 20 Years after the Handover. Studies in the Political Economy of Public Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51373-7_12

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