Hong Kong: Migrant Lives, Landscapes, and Journeys (Fieldwork Encounters and Discoveries)

In 1997 the United Kingdom returned control of Hong Kong to China, ending the city’s status as one of the last remnants of the British Empire and initiating a new phase for it as both a modern city and a hub for global migrations. Hong Kong is a tour of the city’s postcolonial urban landscape, innovatively told through fieldwork and photography. Caroline Knowles and Douglas Harper’s point of entry into Hong Kong is the unusual position of the British expatriates who chose to remain in the city after the transition. Now a relatively insignificant presence, British migrants in Hong Kong have become intimately connected with another small minority group there: immigrants from Southeast Asia. The lives, journeys, and stories of these two groups bring to life a place where the past continues to resonate for all its residents, even as the city hurtles forward into a future marked by transience and transition. By skillfully blending ethnographic and visual approaches, Hong Kong offers a fascinating guide to a city that is at once unique in its recent history and exemplary of our globalized present. Beginnings and endings Arriving in postcolonial Hong Kong Framing migration Framing migrants Framing Hong Kong Chineseness Framing whiteness Framing empire and after Framing the investigation Arranging the dead Soldiering on Drying the flag Making new lives An ordinary life(style) Day-trip to Shenzhen Inside the expatriate bubble Fabricating the city Moving on The English business The schools and language game Trading places Old China hands Riding the waves Managing dis/location Island life "Britain saddens me" Lifestyle migration The baby Working global systems Corporate lives/wives America and the matrix of global dominance "Choosers and losers" Chungking mansions Central Kowloon mosque Indian food Life at the top The peak Ladies who lunch Tea? Service Serving-class migrants Living inside others' lives Sundays in Statue Square Relationships with the Philippines Routes out Boys' night out Night and day in Wanchai Wanchai warriors The 'girlies' Clubbing Club scenes United Services Recreation Club Poolside with the vicar's wife Poolside with the diver "It's time to pack up and go home" Kowloon Cricket Club On patrol Migration revisited Endings and beginnings. "Caroline Knowles and Douglas Harper's point of entry into Hong Kong is the unusual position of the British expatriates who chose to remain in the city after the transition. Now a relatively insignificant presence, British migrants in Hong Kong have become intimately connected with another small minority group there: immigrants from Southeast Asia. The lives, journeys, and stories of these two groups bring to life a place where the past continues to resonate for all its residents, even as the city hurtles into a future marked by transience and transition. By skillfully blending ethnographic and visual approaches, Hong Kong offers a fascinating guide to a city that is at once unique in its recent history and exemplary of our globalized present."--BOOK JACKET Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Prologue......Page 12 Beginnings and Endings......Page 15 Making New Lives......Page 51 The English Business......Page 77 Old China Hands......Page 93 Working Global Systems......Page 115 Life at the Top......Page 147 Service......Page 169 Boys' Night Out......Page 193 Clubbing......Page 211 On Patrol......Page 231 Migration Revisited......Page 241 Endings and Beginnings......Page 257 Notes......Page 270 Bibliography......Page 278 Index......Page 284 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 10 Prologue 12 Beginnings and Endings 15 Making New Lives 51 The English Business 77 Old China Hands 93 Working Global Systems 115 Life at the Top 147 Service 169 Boys' Night Out 193 Clubbing 211 On Patrol 231 Migration Revisited 241 Endings and Beginnings 257 Notes 270 Bibliography 278 Index 284 0226448576,9780226448572,0226448568,9780226448565 University Of Chicago Press