The compulsory national education curriculum has been the subject of much dissent in recent weeks. It is important to understand the issue within the broader context of political autonomy and nationhood.
Statehood is a matter of political autonomy; states are administrative units with sovereign boundaries. Nationhood, by contrast, is more fluid, denoting a shared language, history, culture and sense of belonging.
The distinction is not merely academic: not all existing nations possess statehood. Quebec, for example, is a distinct nation within the Canadian state, and many states are composed of a number of nations. The United Kingdom comprises four nations: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
While some governments have been willing to grant minority nations a greater measure of autonomy, the disjuncture between national and state boundaries has historically been the source of great conflict.
Hong Kong, too, is part of the Chinese state, but it remains a different nation. Hong Kong's collective memories, societal culture, language and ways of living differ quite sharply from those of Beijing or Shanghai.
Indeed, the University of Hong Kong's public opinion polls have since 2008 demonstrated a steady decline in the number of Hong Kong people who view themselves as purely Chinese, as opposed to Hong Kong-Chinese or Hongkongers, particularly among younger age groups. The continued social and political discrimination towards mainlanders merely reflects this determination to sustain a distinct identity from China.