Hong Kong education is based on an imperialist rhetoric which serves to "domesticate" rather than "liberate" the school population. The importance of memorization is clearly evident in education in Hong Kong. The community's educational system reflects a classical Chinese emphasis on familiarity with a set body of texts and on a rigorous public education system. English is used as the medium of instruction in Hong Kong schools from the late primary grades through the university. The use of English in instruction prohibits the development of a liberated consciousness among Hong Kong students, and the Eurocentric rhetoric of the English-language textbooks has a domesticating effect. An imperialist rhetoric of memorization and examination allows students little time for free exploration, and the Eurocentric rhetoric of the textbooks constricts students' ability to make their own world with their own voices and in their own ways. Teachers can help students find their own voices by: (1) removing English composition textbooks from the classroom; (2) promoting collaborative learning; (3) utilizing local literature; and (4) allowing students to set the parameters by which their writing is judged. A new "Hong Kong-centric" rhetoric may give students the liberating voice to create their own post-imperialist rhetoric. (Sixteen references are attached.) (SG)