Much has changed in the twenty years since Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China spurred a reshaping of the city’s social, business and political landscape.Young China Watchers is pleased to have authors of two recent books on the special administrative region lead a discussion: Ben Bland, South China correspondent for the Financial Times and author of “Generation HK,” will talk about the shifting identities of those who grew up in post-handover Hong Kong and the efforts of young Hong Kongers to build a better future at this uncertain time. Antony Dapiran, corporate finance lawyer and author of “City of Protest,” will share his insight on the history of dissent in the city, its struggle to assert itself and the often fraught relationship between politics and belonging.Doors will open at 7pm, join us for a drink before the discussion begins at 7:30pm!

Ben Bland is the South China correspondent for the Financial Times and the author of Generation HK: Seeking Identity in China’s Shadow, which is published by Penguin. Now based in Hong Kong, he was previously the FT correspondent in Indonesia and Vietnam and has reported across Asia from Papua New Guinea to Myanmar. Prior to that, Ben was a business reporter for The Daily Telegraph in London, his home city. Ben studied History at the University of Cambridge and completed a Masters in Southeast Asian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.