In 1997, after 99 years of leaving the motherland, Hong Kong finally returned to the embrace of the motherland. This is something that has made countless Chinese people feel extremely excited.
Hong Kong has been colonized by the British for so long, and it has been influenced by the British in terms of living habits and social system.
Just like a child who has been away from home for many years, he has suffered a lot of suffering outside, but after all, it is a piece of meat on the mother of the motherland, and when they go home, the motherland will inevitably tolerate everything about them, and let them integrate into this big family with love and care.
Today, Hong Kong has been back for 24 years, and we have gotten along very well in those 24 years. As the motherland grows stronger, we will never again be bullied by the great powers as we did a hundred years ago.
But one thing is very strange, as of today, Hong Kong lawyers, still have a white ponytail wig on their head, why don't they throw away this wig that came from the UK?
You know, even the United Kingdom has begun to take off this wig, and some people in Hong Kong who oppose taking off the wig are nostalgic for what?
Whether or not to take off the judicial wig is still being debated
As early as 2020, when analyzing the issue of judicial reform in Hong Kong, Ho Junyao proposed that this judicial wig from the United Kingdom should be taken off.
In my opinion, there is really no need to exist. First of all, judicial wigs have no real meaning, they only represent the fairness and impartiality of the judiciary.
When the judge puts on a wig, a robe, and sits in court with a small hammer in his hand, he will abandon all personal emotional factors and strictly follow the law.
But if you don't wear this wig and don't wear a robe, can't you sit in court fairly and justly? The answer is no. Therefore, this kind of thing, which is only symbolic, should be abolished.
However, this view was even opposed by the lever, believing that the focus on a judicial wig with only a symbolic meaning was a little too small, after all, it was only a wig.
Moreover, in 2021, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post also mentioned in the article "Hong Kong's Judicial Tradition Should Be Preserved":
Judicial wigs symbolize the Legal System in Hong Kong, and not only should they not be abolished, but there should also be new regulations and policies to protect the smooth passage of judicial wigs.
It is worth noting that this does represent the views of a large number of people.
I have no objection to Hong Kong having its own symbol of representing the judiciary, which is also their freedom. But we should also know how this judicial wig came to Hong Kong.
More than a hundred years ago, the British relied on force to knock on the door of the Qing Dynasty and unveil the century-old history of humiliation in modern China. The British first knocked on the door of the Qing Dynasty in 1840, and then in 1860, forced the Qing government to sign the Treaty of Beijing, and began to extend its hand to Kowloon and other places.
In 1898, relying on a "New Territories Lease", the British leased Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and more than 200 nearby islands to the British for a period of 99 years.
Isn't the so-called "rent" the same as robbery? Does the UK really pay the rent equally? Britain brings us nothing but humiliation.
In the 99 years of colonization, where will there be the rule of law and fairness, this hat imported from Britain, representing "judicial fairness", is like a joke.
Therefore, if Hong Kong really needs symbols that represent fairness and justice, it can be designed by itself, and it is better than this strange and old-fashioned horsehair wig.
To mention more, if this symbol has a color, I hope it is Chinese red.
Why do The British wear wigs
The question of whether the judicial wig can be taken off Is debated endlessly, you may wish to stop and see why this ponytail wig was born that year.
The representative meaning of the so-called judicial wig is the meaning that was given later. At first, this wig was designed by Richard II to cover his ugliness. Before the 17th century, the British also did not have wigs in their own countries, and the judiciary only wore a robe "meaning".
But then the ruler of England, Richard II, contracted syphilis, and the hair on his head became more and more withered, so he had to wear a wig in order to hide his ugliness.
If he just wears a wig like this himself, it is the same as "thirty thousand hairless here". In order to make himself not look so different, Richard II vigorously promoted wigs in the country, which became popular in the judicial circles.
After this, wigs had to be given a definition, that is, to represent "judicial justice". If you don't do it, people want face, and you can't say that you wear wigs to be with the king, so as not to make the king look so different.
With the development of the times, even the British mainland has begun to set off a wave of taking off wigs, and has achieved certain results. In October 2008, judges and lawyers except judges in criminal cases were exempt from wearing wigs.
If some judges are reluctant to wear it out of affection, there is no problem at all.
postscript
Lawyers and judges in the UK can continue to wear ponytail wigs out of affection, but ponytail wigs in Hong Kong should not exist in the form of feelings and symbolism.
After all, this ponytail wig is a sentiment for the British, but for Hong Kong, it is an item from the colonizers, and this wig, which has no practical significance, should have been taken off a long time ago.
Although the issue of judicial wig removal in Hong Kong is still under discussion, I believe that it will not take long to take off this hat.