Vice-Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Hong Kong last month was supposed to be a coup for the mainland. He came bearing a 'basket of gifts' (business opportunities) to boost the city's economy by tying it closer to that of the mainland. Carefully orchestrated tours of an old people's home and a public-housing estate were designed to demonstrate his common touch.
Instead, the spotlight was stolen by protesters, students and journalists who were met with an aggressive police response. Mainland-style 'core security zones', unmarked protest-free areas, were implemented; one man sporting a Tiananmen T-shirt was carted away; media were barred from more than half of the 22 events attended by Li; and police allegedly locked three students from the University of Hong Kong in a stairwell (dubbed the '818 incident', it has its own Wikipedia page).
The stony silence from top officials further fanned fears that freedom of expression was being eroded by Beijing, and that Hong Kong politicians were too eager to curry favour with the central government. Overall, the events highlighted a gaping chasm between the mainland and Hong Kong; but should Hongkongers, as Home Affairs chief Tsang Tak-sing seems to suggest in his blog, be grateful for Li's bountiful handouts instead of grumbling about stuff like free speech?
In Beijing, the consensus might well be yes. 'Hongkongers are ridiculous,' web user Ashura said on microblogging site Sina Weibo. 'Look at what happened during Li's visit. They are addicted to causing trouble in the name of 'freedom and democracy'.'
Another Weibo blogger posted: 'Li visited Hong Kong with a sincere heart. He came with presents ... He didn't act like an emperor. But Hongkongers ... confused right with wrong and almost caused chaos.'
To be fair, they may not have been given the entire picture. If they had watched Xinhua's rapturous reporting on the event, they would have learned Li 'happily received a clay handicraft' during his tour of the old people's home. If they had searched for 'Li Keqiang visits Hong Kong' in Chinese on Baidu.com, their computers would have retorted: 'According to the relevant laws and regulations, some search results are not shown.'