EASTD 121 Chapter McDonough & Wong: EASTD 121- McDonough & Wong (Global Hong Kong)
18 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Hong%Kong%has%been%intrinsically%"global"%since%it%took%shape%165%years%ago%at%
the%edges%of%two%world%empires%-- China%and%Great%Britain.%Eight%years%after%the%
Handover%of%1997%that%formally%returned%this%crown%colony%to%Chinese%control,%
the%Hong%Kong%Special%Administrative%Region%(HKSAR)%and%its%citizens%live%in%a%
hybrid%system%that%balances%the%colonial%past%and%China's%present%and%future.%%
(Intro)
•
Moreover,%the%legacies%of%multiple%populations%and%landscapes%forged%under%
colonialism%-- in%which%a%handful%of%Britons%(and%other%colonized%subjects)%
thousands%of%miles%from%home%ruled%a%burgeoning%but%divided%Chinese%
population%-- continue%to%pose%new%questions.%
•
Hong%Kong%played%a%pivotal%role%in%the%trade%of%opium%-- produced%in%
colonial%India,%sold%By%Western%merchants%for%debilitating%use%in%China%--
that%united%those%worlds.%
○
Hong%Kong%emerged%at%the%intersection%of%world%systems,%when%the%political%
economic%interests%of%expanding%European%maritime%colonial%empires%
confronted%the%millennial% development%of%imperial%China
•
"Asia's%world%city"%-- due%to%its%dynamic%role%in%trade,%investment,%currency,%and%
information%
•
"World%City"%as%discussed%by%Friedman,%King,%Sassen%Swyngedouw,%and%Baeten:%
postmodern%images%of%a%nodal%position%in%an%electronic%global%economy%or%of%
cities%competing%for%primacy%in%a%global%playing%field,%both%of%which%we%explore%
in%this%volume%
•
Brought%language,%laws,%imperial%connections,%and%mixed%
populations%to%the%divided%city
§
British
○
Maintained%and%transformed%ties%to%Southern%Chinese%culture%and%
society
§
Chinese
○
Complicate%the%history%of%the%territory
§
Eurasians,%South%Asians,%Filipinos,%and%"Americans"%
○
Colonization
•
"global%cities%are%not%only%global%because%of%their%connectedness,%but%also%
because%they%have%a%presence%and%salience%that%separates%them%from%competing%
destinations%and%locales"
•
"It%also%represents%a%crucible% of%change,%where%observers%seek%clues%about%
how%Chinese%and%Western%heritages%and%divergent%agendas%may%mesh%in%
the%future
○
"Hong%Kong%is%no%longer%an%exotic% colonial%outpost%or%a%symbol%of%decadent%
capitalist%modernity%-- images%that%permeated%earlier% Western%and%Chinese%
discourse.%Instead,%it%now%represents%a%creative%city%of%speed%and%flash,%known%
for%its%exciting%films,%its%soaring%buildings,%and%its%frenzied%pace."
•
"Yet%as%shown%throughout%this%book,%Hong%Kong%and%its%people%embody%
many%continuities%of%family,%place,%culture,%action,%and%creativity."
○
Hong%Kong%as%an%example%of%globalization%to%come•
Chapter%4:
Hong%Kong%became%a%tertiary%center%where%tourism,%finance,%trade,%real%estate,%
and%information%all%expanded,%including%managerial%and%intermediary%roles%vis-
a-vis%China,%reinforcing%some%extent%the%"Westerness"%of%the%colony.%(89)
•
Visitors,%in%turn,%help%re-create%Hong%Kong%as%a%global%shopping%center.%A%
consumption%driven%economy%transformed%land%and%property,%eventuating%the%
now-ubiquitous%malling%of%HK.%(90)
•
"While%many%residents%feel%that%traditional%trades%and%crafts%are%disappearing,%a%
nostalgia%underscored%by%a%1995%Hong%Kong%Museum%of%History%exhibition,%
Hong%Kong%has%become%a%vibrant%consumer%society%with%goods%and%services%for%
very%different%segments%of%the%population(90).%
•
I%enjoyed%McDonough%and%Wong's%Global&Hong&Kong and%found%their%way%of%
presenting%Hong%Kong%as%a%global%city%to%be%very%effective%and%interesting.%While%other%
pieces%I've%read%about%global%cities%tend%to%focus%on%a%city's%connectivity%and%
importance%as%a%business%and%economic%hub,%Global&Hong&Kong&truly%looks%at%a%city%
and%its%history%through%the%perspective%and%experience% of%its%people,%who%have%lived%
through%changing%governments,%a%rapidly%developing%society,%skyrocketing%prices,%and%
a%city%that%is%said%to%be%an%example%for%global%cities%to%come.%
As%I%have%never%been%to%Hong%Kong,%it%is%difficult%to%picture%a%much%of%what%
McDonough%and%Wong%are%describing,%however%having%just%spent%2.5%months%in%Tokyo%
over%the%summer,%it's%quite%interesting%to%compare%and%contrast%the%two%places.%
Despite%Tokyo%dwarfing%Hong%Kong%in%terms%of%population%size,%Hong%Kong%has%a%
greater%total%area.%However,%while%Tokyo%may%be%home%to%far%more%people,%including%
a%large%expat%population,%Global&Hong&Kong describes%a%city%that%inherently%seems%far%
more%"global"%due%to%its%colonial%settlement%and%its%lasting%impacts.%As%the%authors%
explain%in%the%introduction,%"Hong%Kong%and%its%people%embody%many%continuities%of%
family,%place,%culture,%action,%and%creativity."%It%will%be%interesting%to%see%how%Hong%
Kong%will%be%continually%looked%to%as%an%example% of%global%cities%to%come,%and%what%
demographic%changes%may%occur%with%increased%globalization,%and%land%prices%that%are%
accelerating% at%a%faster%rate%than%wages.%
In%terms%of%questions%about%the%reading,%I%am%most%curious%about%how%Hong%Kong%
natives%identify,%given%the%complex%history%of%the%city,%and%the%differing%ethnicities,%
religions,%and%languages%found%in%Hong%Kong.
!"#$%$&'()*)+$%'),-.$/0.)1$%')2$%'3
Sunday,%September% 17,%2017
10:55%PM
