Hong Kong Society: High-Definition Stories beyond the Spectacle of East-Meets-West (Hong Kong Studies Reader Series)

This book borrows the concept of "high-definition" from digital broadcasting to highlight our unique approach to Hong Kong society, which gives a sharper image than analyses. It intends to highlight contrasts with many common and taken-for-granted stories, myths and representations of Hong Kong-- which often presented with a low level of detail, lacking proper connections between grounded personal experiences and the macro social context. With chapters covering various salient dimensions of Hong Kong's society, including migration, economy, inequality, identity and social movements, our "high-definition" approach presents images with high enough "resolution" to match multiple layers of experiences from walks of life of Hong Kong people, contributing to an understanding of how global transformation impacts local people's experiences, as well as Hong Kong's significance in the regional and global system. Stephen WK Chiu is Chair Professor of Sociology and co-director of the Academy of Hong Kong Studies at the Education University of Hong Kong. Prior to joining EdUHK, he was professor in the Department of Sociology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests involve the sociological study of Hong Kong from a comparative and historical perspective. Kaxton YK Siu is Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Social Sciences in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He specializes in the comparative labor and migration studies of Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Cambodian workers, and also social policies and youth issues in Hong Kong Preface Acknowledgments Contents List of Figures List of Tables Chapter 1: Hong Kong as a Crown Jewel of the British Empire: Colonial History and Legacy 1 Introduction 1.1 Assessing Colonial Legacies and Postcolonial Development 1.2 Modernization Narratives 1.3 Four British Legacies 1.4 Problem of the Narratives About Hong Kong’s Modernization 2 The Hong Kong Story 2.1 The Global: The Birth of Modern Hong Kong Beyond a Harmonious Encounter (1830s–1890s) Rural Resistance to Colonial Rule: Coercion and Pacification Administering Urban Hong Kong: Collaboration and Incorporation 2.2 The Regional: Nationalism and Decolonization (1870s–1967) Chinese Nationalism and Hong Kong Cold War Politics and Post-War Decolonization in Asia 2.3 The Local: The Rise of Hong Kong (1950s–1990s) 3 The Nuanced Colonial Legacy 3.1 Rule of Law? 3.2 An Efficient Civil Service? 3.3 Open Economy and Fair Opportunity? 3.4 Freedom of Speech? 4 Concluding Remarks: Janus-faced Colonial Modernization References Chapter 2: Hong Kong as an International Hub: The Rise of Hong Kong in the Modern World-System 1 Introduction 2 East Meets West and the Birth of Hong Kong 2.1 A Long Journey to South China 2.2 The First Opium War: The Canton System in South China and the Helping Hands of Chinese Compradors 2.3 Imperialism, Unequal Treaties, and the Planned Taking of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories 2.4 Early Colonial Hong Kong: A Free Port where Commodity, People and Capital Converged 2.5 Free Trade as the Doctrine of the Colony? 3 Hong Kong Embedded in the North-South Trade 3.1 The Curious Case of Trade Embargo and Hong Kong 3.2 From Sea Cucumber to Movies: Hong Kong and North-South Trade Network 4 West Meets Rest in the East and the Rise of Hong Kong 4.1 US Dollar on British/Chinese Soil 4.2 Starbucks Vs Gundam - Americanization of Hong Kong, or Japanization? 5 Conclusion: West Meets East References Chapter 3: Hong Kong as a Migration Haven? Ethnic Minorities in the Global City 1 The Façade of “The Gourmet Paradise” 2 The Global and Regional Contexts: Non-Chinese Ethnic Groups in Hong Kong 2.1 Migration from the British Colonial Network in the Indian Subcontinent 2.2 Polarizations of Migration under Neo-Liberal Globalization 2.3 Chinese Diaspora and Thai Ethnic Enclave 2.4 Cold War Conflicts and the Refugee Port: Vietnamese Boat People and Asylum Seekers in Hong Kong 3 Institutional Barriers and Citizenship of Ethnic Minority in Colonial Hong Kong 3.1 From “Multiculturalism by Default” to “Ethnic Nationalism” 3.2 Changing Citizenship Models in Hong Kong 3.3 Assimilated Schooling for Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong 3.4 Glass Wall and Ceiling in the Labour Markets 3.5 The Lack of Multicultural Policies and Its Social Consequences 4 Concluding Remarks References Chapter 4: Hong Kong as a Place of Conflict over Hearts and Minds: Identity Politics Beyond Left and Right 1 Introduction 2 Sojourner Identity, Refugee Mentality and Political Apathy 3 Metamorphoses of Hong Kong Identities and the Socio-Political Origins 3.1 The 1940s–1960s: From Nationalistic Chinese Identity to Ideological Chinese Identity The 1956 Riot The 1967 Riot 3.2 The 1970s: The Emergence of Populist Local Identity 3.3 The 1980s–1997: The Co-Emergence of Democratic and Conservative Chinese Identities 3.4 Post-1997: The Rise of Radical Local Identity 4 Concluding Remarks References Chapter 5: Hong Kong as an Economic Miracle? The Myth of Laissez-Faire and Industrialization 1 Introduction 2 Laissez-Faire and the Hong Kong Experiment 2.1 Milton Friedman and the Hong Kong Experiment 3 The Myth of Laissez-Faire 3.1 The Banking Industry 3.2 Agricultural Industry 3.3 Manufacturing 4 The Real Magic behind the Hong Kong Miracle 4.1 A Lost Chance: Horizontal Expansion without Vertical Upgrading 5 Post-Colonial Hong Kong: The End of Laissez-Faire 6 Concluding Remarks: Hong Kong as an Exemplar of Crony Capitalism? References Chapter 6: Hong Kong as Asian Hollywood? Hong Kong’s Film Industry in the Golden Age and After 1 Introduction 1.1 Standard-Definition Explanations to the Downfall of Hong Kong Film Industry 2 Revisiting the Golden Decade: The Rise of Distributor-Led Production System 3 The Fall of Hong Kong’s Film Industry 3.1 Stage One: The Rise of Newport 3.2 Stage Two: The Mass Closure of Traditional Theatres 3.3 Stage Three: The Rise of Multiplex Cinemas 4 Hollywood of the East No More? Reflections on the Standard-Definition Explanations 5 Conclusion Appendix References Chapter 7: Hong Kong as a Land of Opportunity? Social Mobility and Inequality in a Divided Society 1 Introduction 2 Hong Kong Under Industrialization: A Land of Opportunity Or Inequality? 2.1 The Refugee Society as the Land of Opportunity 2.2 Class Does Matter 3 Social Inequality in the Global City 3.1 Social Polarization 3.2 The M-Shaped Society Debate 3.3 Blessed with the China Opportunities? 4 Inequality and Its Socio-political Consequences of Inequality: Radical Political and Social Movements Arising from Stalled Youth Social Mobility? 4.1 Are Younger Generations Experiencing Shrinking Opportunities for Upward Social Mobility? 4.2 The University Dream: Does Obtaining a University Degree Enhance One’s Upward Social Mobility in Hong Kong? 5 Conclusions References Chapter 8: Hong Kong as a Battlefield for Shelter: Hong Kong’s Housing Problem and a Dual Land Regime 1 Setting the Stage: The Housing Crisis 2 Framing the Housing Problems: The Logics of Intervention 2.1 Government Intervention in Hong Kong Housing in Hong Kong: A Quick Sketch Pre-1954: Laissez-Faire 1954–1972: Large-Scale Intervention 1972–1985: Consolidation 1985–2000: Privatization The New Millennium: The Two U-Turns in Public Housing Policy and the Look for “New” Land 2.2 Logics of Government Intervention: Existing Images Public Housing: The Logic of Collective Consumption for Social Stability and Economic Development of Local Hong Kong Society The Political Logic: Regional Political Threat on Internal Security The Financial Logic: Neoliberal Globalization and the Privatization of Public Housing Is the Housing Crisis Caused by a Shortage in Land Supply? 2.3 Reclamation—A Room with a (Sea)View and the Harbor Protection Movement 2.4 From Letters AB to Brownfields: When Tradition (Land Right) Meets Modern (Law System) 2.5 A Missing Angle: Land Shortage as an Unintended Consequence of a British Colonial Legacy—Green Zoning? 3 Conclusion: A Triumph of the Political Logic? References Chapter 9: Hong Kong as the Safest Place in the World? From Gangland to Copland to Disneyland 1 Introduction 2 Gangland and the Society (1843—Second World War) 2.1 What Caused More Threats in the Early Colony: Gangs Or Chinese? 2.2 The Parallel Systems of Social Control: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the South China Frontier 3 The Birth of Copland (1950s to 1980s) 3.1 Policing Modernization 3.2 The Changing Boundary and Administration of Policing: The End of Indirect Policing and the Rationalization of Police Practices 3.3 State-Society Restructuring: Enhancing Stability But Not Necessarily Security 3.4 Copland Constituted: The Moral Panic Over Youth and the End of Laissez Faire Policing 4 Cometh the Market and The Disneyland (1980s to the Present) 4.1 “Security Unlimited” 4.2 Deviance Redefined: Breaker of Law Or Capitalist Order? 4.3 Is Hybrid Model Democratizing the Policing of Hong Kong? 5 Concluding Remarks References Chapter 10: Hong Kong as a City of Protest: Social Movement as Motor for Social Change 1 Introduction 2 Explaining Collective Action: Insights from Social Movement Theories 3 Shifting Landscapes of Hong Kong Social Movements: A Historical Survey 3.1 Before the 1960s 3.2 1960s 3.3 1970s 3.4 1980s–1997 4 Post-colonial Development of Hong Kong Social Movements 4.1 New Patterns and Forms of Mobilizations Building Up the Momentum: The 500,000-People March in 2003 The Postmodernization of Hong Kong Protests From 2003 to 2013 An Increasingly Divided Civil Society: The Umbrella Movement A Thirty-Year Fantasy Crushed A Leaderless Movement: The Rise of the “No Main Stage” Principle From 2014 to 2018: A Prelude to the Anti-ELAB Movement The Anti-ELAB Movement “Be Water” as Strategy Solidarity Change in Political Opportunity Structure 4.2 Factors Contributing to the Rise of Recent Social Movements Local and Regional Factors The “Deep-Rooted Contradictions”? Liberal Studies and the “Battle of the Generations”? The Rise of Local Identity The Relevance of Global Context 5 Conclusion: Institutional Factors, Political Opportunity Structure, and the Future of Hong Kong Social Movement References Chapter 11: Postscript 1 The Idea of Freedom as a Fundamental Social Value 2 Rapidly Changing Relations Among State, Market and Society 3 Litmus Test for the Free World 4 Wither Hong Kong Studies? References