Hong Kong As A Global Metropolis

Hong Kong has remained the global metropolis for Asia since its founding in the 1840s following the Opium Wars between Britain and China. David Meyer traces its vibrant history from the arrival of the foreign trading firms, when it was established as one of the leading Asian business centres, to its celebrated handover to China in 1997. Throughout this period, Hong Kong has been prominent as a pivotal meeting place of the Chinese and foreign social networks of capital and as such has been China's window on to the world economy, dominating other financial centers such as Singapore and Tokyo. Looking into the future, the author presents an optimistic view of Hong Kong in the twenty-first century, challenging those who predict its decline under Chinese rule. This accessible and broad-ranging look at the story of Hong Kong's success will interest anyone concerned with its past, present and future.

Hong Kong is a small city with a big reputation. As mainland China has become an 'economic powerhouse' Hong Kong has taken a route of development of its own, flourishing as an entrepot and a centre of commerce and finance for Chinese business, then as an industrial city and subsequently a regional and international financial centre. This volume examines the developmental history of Hong Kong, focusing on its rise to the status of a Chinese global city in the world economy. Chiu and Lui's analysis is distinct in its perspective of the development as an integrated process involving economic, political and social dimensions, and as such this insightful and original book will be a core text on Hong Kong society for students.

Annotation Hong Kong is a small city with a big reputation. As mainland China has become an 'economic powerhouse' Hong Kong has taken a route of development of its own, flourishing as an entrepot and a centre of commerce and finance for Chinese business, then as an industrial city and subsequently a regional and international financial centre. This volume examines the developmental history of Hong Kong, focusing on its rise to the status of a Chinese global city in the world economy. Chiu and Lui's analysis is distinct in its perspective of the development as an integrated process involving economic, political and social dimensions, and as such this insightful and original book will be a core text on Hong Kong society for students.

The experience of Hong Kong’s innovative and creative industries and the challenges they face serves as an important case study for other Chinese and Asian cities that are actively developing their innovative and creative industries in the era of globalization. The return of sovereignty over Hong Kong back to China in 1997 has led to both collaboration and competition between the two places in innovative and creative sectors for the Greater China and Asian Regions. Hong Kong has remained unique in spite of the integration, but she has to strike a delicate balance between being simultaneously a Chinese and an international city. This book looks at different innovative and creative industries, such as international art and culture exhibition, innovative technology, digital entertainment, TV and movies, as well as government policy for innovative and creative industries, particularly the changing competitive landscape brought about by the latest Great Bay Area development. Drawing insights from cultural history, innovation economics, cultural policy studies, and cultural geography, this book explores the opportunities and challenges of Hong Kong's innovative and creative industries, in particular after the change of sovereignty in 1997. It demonstrates that the city’s legacy, and heavy government input in capital, do not guarantee their sustainable development. This is a book not only for policymakers or academics interested in innovative and creative industries but also to students contemplating a career in these areas in Hong Kong, the Greater China and the Asian Region.

Global Hong Kong locates Hong Kong in the contemporary globalizing world. Hong Kong, as the authors argue, is an archetypal place, sitting at the intersection of East and West. It is also a major center for global capital flows and world trade. Moreover, in recent years, the island's global cultural power has become increasingly evident, as Hong Kong popular culture has spread to the West via a booming film industry. While looking at issues of postcoloniality, transnationalism and economic globalization, Wong and McDonogh focus on the new cultures and social formations of contemporary Hong Kong, as well as the transformation of the physical city itself. They also trace the new interconnections - economic, demographic, social and cultural - between Hong Kong and other parts of the worldthat have benn fostered by globalization. Books in this series look at how nations and regions across the world are navigating the tumultuous currents of globalization. Concise, descriptive, interdisciplinary, and theoretically informed, they serve as ideal introductions to the peoples and places of our increasingly globalized world.

"Does Hong Kong culture still matter? This informative and interdisciplinary volume proves unmistakably so. It stands as an essential Hong Kong reader, a rich resource not only for those specialized in Hong Kong culture and history but also for students, teachers, and researchers interested in cosmopolitanism, postcolonial conditions, as well as cultural globalization."-Laikwan Pang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong "A very timely, ambitious and fascinating book. The essays are based on solid research, and full of theoretical or analytical insights illustrating the complexity of social and cultural life in Hong Kong. In addition to offering excellent essays on Hong Kong cinema, the book also surveys alternative performance art and documentary, which are undoubtedly the least researched aspects of Hong Kong's cultural scene."-Law Wing Sang, Lingnan University Hong Kong as a world city draws on a rich variety of foundational "texts" in film, fiction, architecture and other forms of visual culture. The city has been a cultural fault-line for centuries ù a translation space where Chinese-ness is interpreted for "Westerners" and Western-ness is translated for Chinese. Though constantly refreshed by its Chinese roots and global influences, this hub of Cantonese culture has flourished along cosmopolitan lines to build a modern, outward-looking character. Successfully managing this perpetual instability helps make Hong Kong a postmodern stepping-stone city, and helps make its citizens such prosperous and durable survivors in the modern world. This volume of essays engages many fields of cultural achievement. Several pieces discuss the tensions of English, closely associated with a colonial past, yet undeniably the key to Hong Kong's future. Hong Kong provides a vital point of contact, where cultures truly meet and a cosmopolitan traveler can feel at home and leave a sturdy mark. Contributors include John Carroll, Carolyn Cartier, David Clarke, Elaine Ho, Douglas Kerr, Michael Ingham, C. J.W.-L. Wee, Chu Yiu-Wai, Gina Marchetti, Esther M.K. Cheung, Pheng Cheah, Chris Berry, and Giorgio Biancorosso. Kam Louie is dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Hong Kong.

In this interdisciplinary study, the authors argue that Hong Kong should strengthen the mobility of its population. One country, two systems is a concept not uniquely reserved for post-1997 Hong Kong. Historically, the territory has thrived on being simultaneously part of China and the world. Flexible positioning at the margins has made it a node in the crossroads of empires, trading communities, industrial assembly lines, and now global finance, consumption and media. This essential characteristic, Hong Kong as a 'space of flow,' has always been the source of its success.The book shows that a porous border in fact has been maintained in the post-war years. Unique institutions developed over the century have absorbed waves of immigrants entering from China. However, the study warns that the population is now aging when compared with other world cities and China's fast growing urban centers. Only with a massive input of young, educated, and diverse human talents can Hong Kong remain a vibrant portal for the creative fusion of capital, goods, services, cultural horizons, aspirations and civic energies.