Underground Front is a pioneering examination of the role that the Chinese Communist Party has played in Hong Kong since the creation of the Party in 1921, through to the present day. This book brings events right up to date and includes the results of a survey about the Hong Kong public’s attitude towards the CCP. The numerous appendices on the key targets of the party’s united front activities also make it an especially useful read for all who are interested in Hong Kong history and politics, and readers who are interested in the history of modern China.
Christine Loh is the CEO of the public policy think tank, Civic Exchange. A former legislator, she had a ringside seat to political events in Hong Kong in the run-up to 1997 and immediately beyond the transition. She was the first, and only one to date, to raise a debate in 1995 about how the Chinese Communist Party would operate post-1997 for which she was pilloried by opponents. Christine Loh is a lawyer by training and became a politician in 1992. Since her retirement from politics in 2000, she has concentrated on policy research and is a published author of many works.
‘Hong Kong is ruled by thoroughly appalling British imperialism, it is the enemy of four million Hong Kong compatriots . . . in the past 100 years or so, British imperialism committed every crime in Hong Kong, and should be held accountable for the monstrous sins! . . . To achieve this, it is necessary to boldly arouse the masses. With the working class as the nucleus, all patriotic and anti-imperialist forces in Hong Kong that can be united should be united and the ranks for struggle against British violence continuously consolidated and expanded.’ —People’s Daily, editorial 3 June 1967
‘Although the author calls herself an “outsider”, this book provides such a distinctly incisive analysis that even an “insider” will pale by comparison. Christine Loh’s exposition of the Communist Party’s co-optation and persuasion is particularly revealing for anyone not versed in communist-speak. A must read for anyone who cares for Hong Kong—simply because the Communist Party in Hong Kong is a heavyweight player in shaping our future.’ —Ching Cheong
‘It is an open secret that the Chinese Communist Party is operating in Hong Kong. But why does it behave like an illegal organisation? This history of the party should be required reading for anyone interested in Hong Kong—and that includes members of the Chinese Communist Party.’ —Frank Ching
‘Authoritative, thoroughly researched and lucidly written, Christine Loh’s new work must be read by everyone who wants to make sense of the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda in Hong Kong. This book is remarkable for its fair-mindedness in evaluating the party’s record. She provides an absorbing account of its leaders’ hard-headed pragmatism in tolerating this outpost of colonial and capitalism during the Cold War and the Cultural Revolution. Her analysis of the party’s involvement in contemporary Hong Kong is an impressive contribution to our understanding of Beijing’s expanding involvement in Hong Kong affairs. The author has achieved a notable breakthrough with this fascinating study of a political organisation whose role and influence in Hong Kong have hitherto been shrouded in secrecy.’ —Leo Goodstadt
‘In setting out to write an historical account of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong, Christine Loh has embarked upon an almost impossible task. She points out in the Introduction the delicious irony that nowhere else in the world is there a system where the ruling party remains an underground organisation. Where then does one start to find the facts about the party that dares not speak its name and of whom no-one will admit to being a member? Somehow, she has succeeded in digging out the information and painstakingly piecing it together, telling the story from the earliest activities of communists in Hong Kong to the present day. It makes for fascinating reading. For anyone who takes an interest in the past and future of Hong Kong, this is a must-read.’ —Gladys Li
