Photo/Illutration Candidates celebrate after winning in the legislative election in Hong Kong on Dec. 8. (REUTERS/Lam Yik)

Many Chinese citizens left their country after the 1989 Tiananmen protests and massacre.

Aside from pro-democracy activists who obviously needed to flee, the emigres also included democracy sympathizers who either became disillusioned with the Chinese Communist Party or feared being purged.

Among them was Xu Jiatun (1916-2016), a former senior CCP official who represented the party while Hong Kong was a British territory.

Referring to the Tiananmen incident in his memoir, he noted to the effect, “The right path lies in the human heart.”

By that, he meant that political repression cannot last, because even if dissenting opinions are suppressed by the powers that be, the people will invariably discern what is right and just.

More than 30 years later today, I think Xu would still say the same thing if he looked at his former post.

The 2025 Hong Kong Legislative Council election took place on Dec. 7. A shameless mockery of free and fair elections, the only candidates who were allowed to run were government-endorsed “patriots” who swore their allegiance to the CCP.

The Hong Kong government was gung-ho about getting people to vote and arrested citizens who encouraged abstention.

But even then, voters could not be swayed. The voter turnout was only 31.9 percent.

The high-rise fire that killed 159 was not even allowed to become an election issue. There was no opinion poll to question political responsibility.

People who called for accountability and tried to collect signatures were arrested, and volunteer supporters were dismissed.

Is this the present reality of the international city that once boasted of freedom?

Externally, it hasn’t changed much. But its former glow is no longer there. It reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle with its vital central pieces missing.

Xu once said of post-handover Hong Kong: “If the land is returned, but not the people’s heart, then it can’t be considered a genuine return to the motherland.”

Where is the people’s heart now? Xu’s words echo sorrowfully.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 9

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.