The public protests that swept through Hong Kong in 2019 were the largest protests the region had ever seen and laid bare long-simmering tensions between the local population and mainland China. In Hong Kong Eclipse Ilaria Maria Sala embarks on an in-depth exploration of the roots of the protests and their consequences.

Exploring the history and geography of Hong Kong from colonial times to the present, Hong Kong Eclipse looks at the forces that have shaped the identity of its people. This book tells the story of the booksellers that disappeared into China for dealing in political volumes; of Lo Ting, the legendary half-human, half-fish ancestor of Hong Kong; and of the revolutionaries, refugees, Christian communities, care workers and entrepreneurs who have all made Hong Kong their home. It delves deeply into the diverse urban landscape - shaped by colonialism and the movement of hundreds of thousands of political refugees - and how it changes from island to island, from district to district. And it tells how all of these elements came together in a wave of discontent that made headlines across the world.