It's clear that when Wong Kar-wai devised the loose trilogy comprised of Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, and 2046, the tumultuous ongoing political situation in Hong Kong was at the front of his mind. In order to understand the allusions to the Cultural Revolution and the precarious hold that the United Kingdom retained on Hong Kong as a colony in the latter half of the twentieth century, one should know a bit about the island's history of colonial rule, dating back to 1842, when Hong Kong was claimed by the British in the Treaty of Nanking at the end of the First Opium War. It quickly became an economic hub for the U.K. due to its port, and several industries cropped up in the city as a result. At first, mainlanders in Southern China could easily come and go; many Southern Chinese worked and established businesses in Hong Kong, or migrated to Hong Kong in times of instability on the mainland, but were able to return. The rise of industry led to a population boom in Hong Kong, which went from 5,000 inhabitants in 1840 to over one and a half million residents by 1941.
But the easy passage to and from Hong Kong to mainland China ended in 1949, with the establishment of the People's Republic of China. The new communist government aimed to excise Hong Kong culturally and economically from China proper and condemn the western colonial influence of the United Kingdom. A significant aspect of Mao's legacy is that he's credited with driving colonialism out of China, and building a wall and intense border security around Hong Kong was a big piece of that. But the intention of keeping Hong Kong and mainland China separated was not solely an effort of the PRC; the colonial government in Hong Kong also made efforts to keep Chinese refugees out of the colony, requiring strict documentation for entry. The colonial government also suppressed communism within the borders of Hong Kong and prevented other cultural and academic influences from mainland China from taking hold by, for example, depriving government funding to any non-colonial institutions. As a result, Hong Kong lived out the latter half of the twentieth century significantly siloed, developing a culture and economy distinct from China.
Hong Kong prospered economically through the 1970s, but economic confidence in its hinterlands waned as investors began to consider the eventual (1997) expiration on the U.K.'s lease on the New Territories. In order to quell the lack of confidence, London initiated negotiations with Beijing in the early 1980s to propose a renewal of its lease on the Hong Kong territory, but to the United Kingdom's surprise, the PRC not only refused to renew the lease, they claimed that China would resume its rule over Hong Kong proper in 1997, thus unifying China and finally driving out colonial influence entirely. The shocking development set off a cascade of uncertainty and instability in Hong Kong, leading to record-high inflation and a full-blown financial crisis. Hong Kong residents' confidence in the colonial government waned as the situation there worsened without sufficient intervention, leading to riots and strikes in the early 1980s.
In an effort to court public opinion in Hong Kong, Beijing proposed a "One Country, Two Systems" model of governance, in which Hong Kong would become a part of China in 1997, but would be allowed to retain governing autonomy and its established capitalist system. The proposal outlined a system in which Hong Kong would have a government elected and composed of Hong Kong citizens, and the PRC would not intervene or send proxies to meddle. Britain agreed to these terms in 1984. However, the terms of this initial 1984 agreement would be altered in the '90s in response to anti-Beijing protests in Hong Kong following the violent suppression of student protesters in Tiananmen Square by the Chinese government.
The transition from U.K. to Chinese rule of Hong Kong in 1997 faced obstacles, but nonetheless proceeded. The "One Country, Two Systems" contract was to remain in place, according to the agreement, for fifty years, making the year 2046 the final year before the Chinese government, in whatever form it took, had complete discretion over the Hong Kong region. The transition from colonial rule to Chinese rule was marked with uncertainty, and to this day, the governing of Hong Kong and the level of influence exerted by the PRC is hotly contested. Wong's choice to make Chow's new apartment number "2046" indicates an attention to uncertainty and upheaval, subjects Wong would continue to explore in the final installment of the trilogy, 2046.
