A Five-Minute History of Hong Kong

It may be difficult to imagine now, but when the constitutionalists in the Qing Dynasty courts called for political reform, Empress Dowager Cixi might have responded by saying, "How is it that in the past 2,000 years, no one has ever asked for such rights but today, you demand a constitution?"

It sounds ridiculous. But recently, there have been more than a few voices online which have posed the same question to those arguing in favor of universal suffrage in Hong Kong. It is often slightly modified to conform to the specificities of the region's history: "Why is it that Hong Kong was content with 150 years of British rule, and now it clamors for democracy?"