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Freedom Undone: The Assault on Liberal Values and Institutions in Hong Kong
What happens when liberal constitutional institutions are undone? Can Freedom survive the loss of separation of powers with the associated legal and political accountability? The Chinese Communist Party has been at the forefront in its disdain for liberal institutions and promoting illiberal alternatives. This disdain placed Hong Kong people on the frontlines of the global struggle for freedom. Since its handover from Britain, Hong Kong has felt the brunt of China’s illiberal agenda, recently with increased intensity since the crackdown in 2019 and Beijing’s imposition of a National Security Law in 2020. Thousands have been jailed and a city famous for vigorous protests has been silenced. Professor Michael Davis, a close observer who taught human rights and development in the city for three decades, takes us on the constitutional journey of both the city’s vigorous defense of freedom and its repressive undoing—a painful loss for Hong Kong and a lesson for the world.
- GenresNonfiction
292 pages, Paperback
Published February 27, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 17, 2024
I want to extend my appreciation to the Publishers Association for Asian Studies for providing me with a prepublication edition of Freedom Undone by Professor Michael C. Davis. This book is due to be published on the 27th of February 2024. Unfortunately, I approach this text with a critical lens due to its apparent bias and potential toxicity.
Right from the start, the introduction of this book details its certainty, claiming that readers will easily learn "who are the heroes and who are the villains of this extraordinary story." Such a definitive stance raises red flags, suggesting a predetermined agenda rather than a balanced and objective exploration of history.
Look, I’m not an expert of Chinese relations or politics, but neither am I clueless enough to be a supporter of it. I despise it, in fact. However, as an author, writing a book about these things, I find it baffling that you believe your book is so true and covers so many points of views and so much history that you’ve managed to come to the ultimate truth of who’s evil and who’s good. I understand being on one side, or even biased in real life (politically active), but this gives me the nervous impression from literally page one that this book solely exists to convince me, to tell me all about China being evil, and not to give me a detailed account of China and Hong Kong relations and allow me to decide for myself who’s evil. Maybe I started reading this book with the wrong idea of what to expect, because I genuinely wanted to learn about the history and politics of China and Hong Kong, and then make my own opinions along the way.
If your research is detailed and true enough, you won’t need to reiterate so many times in the introduction how bad I’m going to think China is. As readers, we can read, we can think for ourselves.
Throughout the text, the language used reveals a clear bias and preconceived judgment, painting China as the unequivocal antagonist and employing emotive language to depict its actions as inherently evil, with no particular cause or reason for their actions (or… reactions).It is very black or white, which in this century is such a decision.
Professor Davis's impressive academic credentials do little to alleviate my concerns about the book's objectivity. While his expertise may lend credibility, the pervasive bias evident in the text calls into question the integrity of his analysis and the reliability of his conclusions.
As readers, it is essential to approach such works with caution and skepticism, recognizing the potential harm they can cause to informed and constructive dialogue. And this goes for all non-fiction, even when there’s a clear “bad guy” or whatever, its ok to keep your writing pretty factual and neutral- because if the evil is evil enough, the facts will allow the readers to find this out themselves. As I said, readers aren’t stupid, and we are able to think and have morals even if we don’t have several PhDs and a thriving academic career.
Right from the start, the introduction of this book details its certainty, claiming that readers will easily learn "who are the heroes and who are the villains of this extraordinary story." Such a definitive stance raises red flags, suggesting a predetermined agenda rather than a balanced and objective exploration of history.
Look, I’m not an expert of Chinese relations or politics, but neither am I clueless enough to be a supporter of it. I despise it, in fact. However, as an author, writing a book about these things, I find it baffling that you believe your book is so true and covers so many points of views and so much history that you’ve managed to come to the ultimate truth of who’s evil and who’s good. I understand being on one side, or even biased in real life (politically active), but this gives me the nervous impression from literally page one that this book solely exists to convince me, to tell me all about China being evil, and not to give me a detailed account of China and Hong Kong relations and allow me to decide for myself who’s evil. Maybe I started reading this book with the wrong idea of what to expect, because I genuinely wanted to learn about the history and politics of China and Hong Kong, and then make my own opinions along the way.
If your research is detailed and true enough, you won’t need to reiterate so many times in the introduction how bad I’m going to think China is. As readers, we can read, we can think for ourselves.
Throughout the text, the language used reveals a clear bias and preconceived judgment, painting China as the unequivocal antagonist and employing emotive language to depict its actions as inherently evil, with no particular cause or reason for their actions (or… reactions).It is very black or white, which in this century is such a decision.
Professor Davis's impressive academic credentials do little to alleviate my concerns about the book's objectivity. While his expertise may lend credibility, the pervasive bias evident in the text calls into question the integrity of his analysis and the reliability of his conclusions.
As readers, it is essential to approach such works with caution and skepticism, recognizing the potential harm they can cause to informed and constructive dialogue. And this goes for all non-fiction, even when there’s a clear “bad guy” or whatever, its ok to keep your writing pretty factual and neutral- because if the evil is evil enough, the facts will allow the readers to find this out themselves. As I said, readers aren’t stupid, and we are able to think and have morals even if we don’t have several PhDs and a thriving academic career.
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February 28, 2024When Michael C. Davis published Making Hong Kong China: The Rollback of Human Rights and the Rule of Law for the AAS Publications Asia Shorts series in late 2020, the city teetered on the precipice of an uncertain future. Months earlier, the government in Beijing had implemented a crushing National Security Law (NSL) designed to quell dissent and punish those who fought for the preservation of freedoms in Hong Kong. Still, it seemed possible that the vibrant local activist community would continue to defy the Chinese Party-state’s attempts to silence it; Hong Kong had never acceded to Beijing’s control without a fight.
Three years later, Davis has followed up his earlier volume with Freedom Undone: The Assault on Liberal Values and Institutions in Hong Kong, which presents a darker picture of Hong Kong under Party-state control. The NSL is now fully implemented, resulting in the repression of media, political organizations, academia, and more. Activists face the choice of risking imprisonment or leaving behind their homes to fight for Hong Kong from afar. The protests that filled city streets with more than a million participants during the summer of 2019 are historical events, unlikely to be repeated.
In Freedom Undone, Davis provides readers with “an in-depth account of the constitutional journey that both created and repressed this incredible city.” Beginning with 1984’s Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law that followed, Davis lays out the forty-year story of increasing intervention in Hong Kong by the Chinese Party-state. In this, he sees lessons not just for those who live in Hong Kong, or under Chinese rule elsewhere. Rather, Davis warns that Beijing’s penetration of Hong Kong could serve as a model for other autocracies seeking to erode the activities of liberal institutions, even while maintaining their outward structures.
Learn more about the book in my Q&A with Michael C. Davis.
Three years later, Davis has followed up his earlier volume with Freedom Undone: The Assault on Liberal Values and Institutions in Hong Kong, which presents a darker picture of Hong Kong under Party-state control. The NSL is now fully implemented, resulting in the repression of media, political organizations, academia, and more. Activists face the choice of risking imprisonment or leaving behind their homes to fight for Hong Kong from afar. The protests that filled city streets with more than a million participants during the summer of 2019 are historical events, unlikely to be repeated.
In Freedom Undone, Davis provides readers with “an in-depth account of the constitutional journey that both created and repressed this incredible city.” Beginning with 1984’s Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law that followed, Davis lays out the forty-year story of increasing intervention in Hong Kong by the Chinese Party-state. In this, he sees lessons not just for those who live in Hong Kong, or under Chinese rule elsewhere. Rather, Davis warns that Beijing’s penetration of Hong Kong could serve as a model for other autocracies seeking to erode the activities of liberal institutions, even while maintaining their outward structures.
Learn more about the book in my Q&A with Michael C. Davis.
October 17, 2024
Excellent book on a pressing subject. Thank you Prof. Davis for this insightful book on Hong Kong's tragic story which is still unfolding. I also want to address some of the criticisms raised by a fellow reviewer regarding this book, particularly the false claim that the book is biased and not objective enough.
First, it’s crucial to recognize the scope and purpose of the book. Davis is not writing a detached, neutral history of Hong Kong or China. He is writing a timely, urgent analysis of the dismantling of democratic institutions and the erosion of human rights in Hong Kong under Beijing’s pressure. Davis is a scholar of human rights law and, throughout his career, has been a defender of liberal values, especially in contexts where those values are under attack. "Freedom Undone" is part of this larger body of work—an attempt to defend democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in one of the most concerning political developments of our time. This does not mean the book is biased; it means it takes a principled stand based on factual analysis and international legal standards.
The critique suggests that Davis’s work pushes a one-sided view, portraying China as the “villain” and Hong Kong’s democracy advocates as “heroes.” I find this critique somewhat misplaced. While the reviewer calls for more neutrality, it’s important to ask: Can we remain neutral in the face of clear violations of human rights and democratic freedoms? Should an author, especially one who specializes in law and human rights, remain "neutral" when addressing well-documented instances of repression, censorship, and political persecution?
Davis’s portrayal of the conflict between Hong Kong and China is firmly grounded in fact. Since the imposition of the National Security Law in 2020, Hong Kong has seen the arrest of pro-democracy leaders, the shuttering of independent media, and the restriction of peaceful protests. I personally know that many of my friends in Hong Kong are now in jail or in exile. These actions are not subject to interpretation—they are verifiable facts. (The late Senator Moynihan said everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not to their own facts.) To ask for neutrality in the face of such actions would be to ignore the weight of evidence showing a clear crackdown on civil liberties. Neutrality in this case would mean obscuring reality, not offering a balanced view.
The reviewer also criticizes Davis for providing a clear moral framework—where there are indeed “villains” and “heroes.” But human rights scholarship often requires moral clarity. Davis’s book does not attempt to pretend that the Hong Kong issue is morally ambiguous because, well, it is not. The dismantling of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, which guaranteed certain freedoms, is not a matter of perspective but an indisputable breach of international commitments. The Sino-British Joint Declaration guaranteed “one country, two systems” until 2047. The fact that China has reneged on these promises is not Davis’s opinion; it is a fact recognized by international legal analysis and recorded by history.
The review claims that Davis’s book seeks to “convince” rather than inform. In truth, Davis provides ample evidence to support his arguments—historical facts, legal principles, and direct observations of how the political landscape in Hong Kong has shifted since China’s increasing encroachment. The book presents readers with well-researched, factual content grounded in international law and human rights principles. Readers are certainly capable of forming their own judgments, and Davis’s clarity of argument only makes that process more effective.
I would argue "Freedom Undone" is the farthest thing from “biased” or “toxic,” it is rather a principled defense of democratic freedoms and human rights, rooted in rigorous legal scholarship. It is a book that provides clarity and insight on one of the most important political struggles of our time. Davis’s work should be seen as a major contribution to the global discussion on authoritarianism and the erosion of liberal institutions. For academic or general readers who are interested in the struggle between liberal values and authoritarianism in Hong Kong, "Freedom Undone" is essential reading.
First, it’s crucial to recognize the scope and purpose of the book. Davis is not writing a detached, neutral history of Hong Kong or China. He is writing a timely, urgent analysis of the dismantling of democratic institutions and the erosion of human rights in Hong Kong under Beijing’s pressure. Davis is a scholar of human rights law and, throughout his career, has been a defender of liberal values, especially in contexts where those values are under attack. "Freedom Undone" is part of this larger body of work—an attempt to defend democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in one of the most concerning political developments of our time. This does not mean the book is biased; it means it takes a principled stand based on factual analysis and international legal standards.
The critique suggests that Davis’s work pushes a one-sided view, portraying China as the “villain” and Hong Kong’s democracy advocates as “heroes.” I find this critique somewhat misplaced. While the reviewer calls for more neutrality, it’s important to ask: Can we remain neutral in the face of clear violations of human rights and democratic freedoms? Should an author, especially one who specializes in law and human rights, remain "neutral" when addressing well-documented instances of repression, censorship, and political persecution?
Davis’s portrayal of the conflict between Hong Kong and China is firmly grounded in fact. Since the imposition of the National Security Law in 2020, Hong Kong has seen the arrest of pro-democracy leaders, the shuttering of independent media, and the restriction of peaceful protests. I personally know that many of my friends in Hong Kong are now in jail or in exile. These actions are not subject to interpretation—they are verifiable facts. (The late Senator Moynihan said everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not to their own facts.) To ask for neutrality in the face of such actions would be to ignore the weight of evidence showing a clear crackdown on civil liberties. Neutrality in this case would mean obscuring reality, not offering a balanced view.
The reviewer also criticizes Davis for providing a clear moral framework—where there are indeed “villains” and “heroes.” But human rights scholarship often requires moral clarity. Davis’s book does not attempt to pretend that the Hong Kong issue is morally ambiguous because, well, it is not. The dismantling of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, which guaranteed certain freedoms, is not a matter of perspective but an indisputable breach of international commitments. The Sino-British Joint Declaration guaranteed “one country, two systems” until 2047. The fact that China has reneged on these promises is not Davis’s opinion; it is a fact recognized by international legal analysis and recorded by history.
The review claims that Davis’s book seeks to “convince” rather than inform. In truth, Davis provides ample evidence to support his arguments—historical facts, legal principles, and direct observations of how the political landscape in Hong Kong has shifted since China’s increasing encroachment. The book presents readers with well-researched, factual content grounded in international law and human rights principles. Readers are certainly capable of forming their own judgments, and Davis’s clarity of argument only makes that process more effective.
I would argue "Freedom Undone" is the farthest thing from “biased” or “toxic,” it is rather a principled defense of democratic freedoms and human rights, rooted in rigorous legal scholarship. It is a book that provides clarity and insight on one of the most important political struggles of our time. Davis’s work should be seen as a major contribution to the global discussion on authoritarianism and the erosion of liberal institutions. For academic or general readers who are interested in the struggle between liberal values and authoritarianism in Hong Kong, "Freedom Undone" is essential reading.
May 7, 2024
Very strong and comprehensive book that is loaded with highly persuasive insights. The author is a recognized authority in his field.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews