Discursive Construction of Hong Kong’s Future Beyond 2047: A Press Media-Based Study

Abstract

This study explores the public discourse about Hong Kong’s future beyond 2047 through the lens of local press media during the first half of the “unchanged 50 years” since the handover. The data contains a number of 187 newspaper articles centered on the issue of 2047, extracted from 16 local news outlets in Chinese. Using qualitative and quantitative methods of content analysis, the study observes the development of media discourse over a long span of time and points out people’s major concerns about Hong Kong’s long-term future. It distinguishes three major discourses in terms of identity construction and modes of anticipation, and explores the links between future-oriented suggestions and real-world actions. As part of an ongoing research on Hong Kong’s future narratives, this study contributes to the research on social mentality during the first half of the “one country and two systems” and explores how the future is imagined and built through discursive practices.