This book considers, in the context of political education in China and colonial Hong Kong, the effects of critical thinking on university students' attitudes toward the nation. Its objective is to understand how students' attitudes toward patriotism diverge from those held by the majority.

The author uses a combination of documentary sources, interviews, ethnographic fieldwork and observation at secondary schools to address the central question of the effects of a depoliticized civic education curriculum versus a system which promotes patriotism through education. He then is able to examine the relative successes of each system in legitimizing their respective governments.