Reunification through Water and Food: The Other Battle for Lives and Bodies in China's Hong Kong Policy

The People's Republic of China failed to win the hearts and minds of the Hong Kong Chinese people before its resumption of the city's sovereignty on 1 July 1997. This article attempts to account for this contradiction in China's pursuit of reunification. By shifting the focus to the alternative battle to control the lives and bodies of the local population, this article demonstrates how China exploited its water and food supplies to the colony in order to control Hong Kong before and after 1997. The study pinpoints the bio-political measures used by China to secure Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong. It concludes with an analysis of the current situation in Hong Kong and the implications of China's control of water and food supplies for the relations between the ruling state and the people of Hong Kong. 中国没有胜出“洗脑赢心”之争, 但终在 1997 年 7 月1 日成功重申香港主权。本文尝试阐述当中的来龙去脉, 从而解开中国能够统一香港之谜。透过另辟蹊径的追溯滥觞, 寻绎针对香港人口力求 “锢身锁命” 之争, 本文指出中国如何在 1997 年之前及其之后, 利用食水及食物供应来控制香港。探讨重点在于中国曾经采用什么生灵政治行动, 压倒英国殖民主义, 极力确保香港主权可以如期归还。最后, 本文分析最新动向, 跟进这种统一措施怎样冲击当前中港关系, 导致国家和人民积累难以化解的政治经济紧张.