Defying the Dragon
Hong Kong and the World’s Largest Dictatorship
Defying the Dragon tells a remarkable story of audacity: of how the people of Hong Kong challenged the PRC’s authority, just as its president reached the height of his powers.
Stephen Vines has lived in Hong Kong for over three decades. His book unpacks the Hong Kong–China relationship and its wider significance—right up to the astonishing convergence of political turmoil and international crisis with Covid-19 and the 2020–21 crackdown.
Vividly describing the uprising from street level and with unique access to the major players, Vines explains how and why it unfolded and its global repercussions. The book shows why the international community is reassessing relations with Beijing in the light of Hong Kong’s rebellion and China’s handling of the pandemic. In a crisis that has become existential, what lies ahead for Hong Kong, China and the world?
Breaking new ground the book traces the connections to the Chinese leadership’s personal wealth vested in Hong Kong to explain why there was no military intervention to put down the uprising.
Using the author’s first hand knowledge of the main players in this story Vines provides a unique who who’s guide, alongside an extensive timeline of events.
Published in the UK by Hurst & Company and distributed in North America by the Oxford University Press
Chinese edition to be published by Rive Gauche, Taiwan in late 2022 and audio version to be published by Tantor, late 2022
Buy direct from Hurst and get 25% discount by using the code DRAGON25 at the checkout.
Praise for the book
Vines, who made Hong Kong his home for more than three decades defends Hong Kong’s freedoms and values (with) passion
Defying the Dragon takes its place alongside other books that seek, honestly and with integrity, to chronicle a moment in Hong Kong’s history as it faces being rewritten or even erased.
Stephen Vines’ powerful new book Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World’s Largest Dictatorship places Hong Kong’s swirl of contradictions and complexity in eloquent context. He details the pain of the 2019 protests, framing his narrative between a powerful history of Britain’s loveless treatment of its colony over nearly a century and a half, and a shrewd analysis of what will likely come next.
A highly readable account of the events of the 2019 protests…a worthy account of (the government’s) failure
That he has managed to cram over 300 pages full of reportage, narrative, interviews and statistical analysis, together with pen portraits of the main players on either side of the political divide, is a tribute to the author’s energy and formidable powers of organisation. The writing is brisk, assertive and never gets in the way of the story. As the story might be one of the pivotal events of the decade, that’s a substantial achievement.
A detailed chronicle of Hong Kong’s fight in the face of repression. Anyone who cares about Hong Kong and China will definitely want to read this book.’
A superb book about Beijing’s ruthless and depressing efforts to stamp out Hong Kong’s freedoms, erode its rule of law and attack its identity as an open society. Vines, a brave and distinguished journalist, sets this sad story of a great international city within the brutal politics of the Chinese regime.
One of the most important stories of our times of the fight against authoritarian regimes. The best way to understand China is through the lens of Hong Kong’s struggles.
A definitive, compelling account of a drama that has gripped the world. Vines interweaves frontline reporting, insights from key players and a local’s knowledge to chronicle Hong Kong’s defiant challenge to the might of Xi Jinping’s China.
A compelling narrative set against two major crises facing China —control of Hong Kong and unprecedented international pushback. With his signature dry wit and razor-sharp pen, Vines skewers Quislings, dysfunctional bureaucracies and self-interested elites, arguing that we shouldn’t bet against Hongkongers just yet.