Abstract
This article analyses the junior secondary Economic and Public Affairs (EPA) syllabus and two most popular series of textbooks in Hong Kong on the eve of 1997. The objective is to real their very nature of citizenship in four dimensions: (1) civil rights and duties; (2) image of the Hong Kong government; (3) relationships between people and government; and (4) political ideas and political actors. Content and textual analysis found that in line with the official syllabuses, most textbooks were characterised by a rather partial, passive and parochial conception of citizenship, misrepresenting the social and political realities. The textbooks justified and legitimised the status quo, and served to enhance the students' faith and trust in government. Finally, their implications for citizenship education and changes in the formal curriculum are discussed.
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