五四在香港的百年發展

May Fourth in Hong Kong: A Centennial Retrospection

本文主要說明國家的五四進入地方而有其在地化的發展後，便會形成一個帶有地方特色的「五四」。在地的五四既可以是與國家的五四遙相呼應，但同時也可以是反國家的五四而行。五四在眾聲喧嘩中所呈現的繽紛多姿面向，實際上透視了不同思想背景的人在對百年中國發展的不同角度及不同層次的反思與展望。以五四在香港為例，透過五四百年的在地發展歷程中，讓人看見了不同政治力量的大歷史敘述、不同時期南來知識社群藉五四以抒發其種種感時憂國之情，當然也更可以從五四的思潮流變裡看見不同時代的精神病痛。五四運動之於在地知識社群而言，是他們瞭望國家民族何去何從的精神燈塔。五四作為現代中國歷史之起源，它的周年紀念成為了知識社群為故國招魂的思想場域。在這點上，過去如此，在可見的將來恐怕亦復如是。

"Memory is fluid and selective. In this essay, I examine the complex process by which the memory of May Fourth was absorbed, appropriated, and reconstituted in local discourses. Even though the historical events were the same, the local remembrances of May Fourth varied from place to place because of local needs. A case in point is the May Fourth memory in Hong Kong. Over the last hundred years, the May Fourth—meaning both the political protest in 1919 and the cultural renaissance from 1917 to 1927—had been remembered in different ways depending on who was remembering, what was remembered, and how the memory was presented. In comparing these different remembrances of May Fourth, I highlight the complexity in Hong Kong society. As different groups of the educated elite relocated to Hong Kong from mainland China, they evoked different images of May Fourth to define their roles in their adopted city. Some saw themselves as migrants in transit; some as protectors of the Chinese culture when iconoclasm took root in mainland; some as advocates of democratization and confrontational politics similar to the protesters in 1919. Whatever roles they might assume, they remembered the May Fourth to express their visions of China, their identities in local community, and above all, their goals in life."