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      • Regional & national history
        July 2017

        Forgotten Heroes

        San On County and its Magistrates in the Late Ming and Early Qing

        by Patrick H. HASE

        This book is an attempt to clarify the history of San On County — the broader Hong Kong area — centring on the troubled years of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It is based on an in-depth study of the San On County Gazetteer, which allows for a detailed discussion of the role, attitudes, and personalities of the San On magistrates, who were the heads of the county administration during this period. Particular focus is given to Zhou Xiyao (magistrate 1640–1644) and Li Kecheng (magistrate 1670–1675). The study finds that they, and at least some of the other magistrates of this period, were genuinely concerned about the county and its people, and tried as best they could to provide good and effective government for them.

      • Regional & national history
        July 2017

        Strong to Save

        Maritime Mission in Hong Kong from Whampoa Reach to the Mariners' Club

        by Stephen DAVIES

        Tracing its origins back to 1822 in Whampoa, the Mariners’ Club in Hong Kong was established to meet a specific need for an Anglo-Chinese society defined by that most dubious of activities, seafaring. Its creation was anything but straightforward, and in this can be seen the mutable and often tortuous relations between the various religious bodies, the local population, the transient sailors, the emerging captains of industry, and the growing regulatory reach of the colonial government. The club evolved through many embodiments and witnessed the growth of Hong Kong from a collection of mat-sheds on the foreshore, through colony to its current status. Throughout its turbulent past it has been occasionally marginalized but has always served as an important base for the key actors in the main commercial activity in Hong Kong: seafarers. This is a history of one of the most enduring institutions of Hong Kong, and the first of its kind. Using the Club’s own records as well as a wide range of sources both from within Hong Kong and from the seafaring world at large, this is a comprehensive account of the life of the Missions, the tenancy of the different chaplains, managers, and stewards, the changes in seafaring practices and shipping, and the transformation of Hong Kong itself.

      • Education
        April 2020

        Leading Healthy and Thriving Schools in Hong Kong

        Theory and Practice

        by Robin M. B. Cheung with Amelia S. C. Lo, Vera M. W. Keung and Amy C. M. Kwong

        The academic setting has a significant influence on the well-being of children and teens. Effective school leadership is, therefore, essential in promoting a healthy school environment. This book, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, establishes the kind of leadership a health-promoting school needs to be successful. It explains the steps school leaders should take to promote health, beginning with an explanation of the link between health and education and then moving into a discussion of how schools can be transformed and what sort of leaders are required for such a transformation. These changes can be applied in individual classrooms and schools as well as more broadly across whole education systems. The theoretical healthy school framework outlined in the main text by Dr Robin Cheung, a seasoned scholar-practitioner in the field of school health promotion, is complemented by success stories written from interviews conducted by Dr Cheung’s co-authors, which are included in the supplemental material of the book. These anecdotes and quotes from these stories enliven the text and narrate how principals in Hong Kong have transformed their schools into successful and thriving health-promoting educational settings. This volume draws particular attention to the role of leadership and management in promoting health and learning in educational and academic settings that will be of interest to school leaders, policy makers, and educators alike. Leading Healthy and Thriving Schools in Hong Kong: Theory and Practice is the first book in the Healthy Settings Series, which focuses on the upstream, midstream, and downstream approaches for improving population health and reducing health inequity in various settings and contexts.

      • Colonialism & imperialism
        December 2019

        Violence and Emancipation in Colonial Ideology

        by Rohan B. E. PRICE

        Are there ethics justifying anti-colonial violence? How and why did the violence and visions of nationalist movements become incorporated by colonial and neo-colonial rule? Using the insurrection by the Malayan Communist Party (1948–1960) as an example, this book argues that resorting to violence sped up the decolonisation of British Malaya by forcing its colonial administration to invent Malay nationalism and pursue ameliorative social policy among the Chinese diaspora community in a manner clearly derived from the Party’s platform. Yet this was not the same as giving the country economic emancipation from the expectations of neo-colonial rule. Violence and Emancipation in Colonial Ideology entertains no warm colonial memories of the cold war years. Confirming Price’s reputation as a plain speaking critic of Empire apologia, this book asks how colonial ideology was considered to be beneath Europe yet desperately needed by it. He faces down nostalgic communities defending an outdated view that “might was right” in South East Asia and that communism failed to contribute to the world that came to be. Using an Althusserian assumption, the book begs the question: if a late colonial state was subjective, then how did it claim a sufficiently objective mantle to rule and how did ideological techniques enable this? “… A major contribution to the literature.” – Prof Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London “… [an] unparalleled command of both scholarly literature and primary sources…” – Prof Björn Ahl, Professor and Chair of Chinese Legal Culture at the University of Cologne

      • Sociology & anthropology
        May 2019

        Traditional Chinese Medicine

        Professionalization and Integration in Hong Kong

        by Edited by Kara CHAN, Dong DONG

        Chinese medicine has a rich history that has only been made more complex by its integration with “Western” biomedicine. Legitimization of Chinese medicine in biomedicine-dominated health systems, such as that in Hong Kong, has posed significant issues. This anthology of articles explores relevant social issues related to various Chinese medicine treatments, including acupuncture and medicinal oils, as well as insight into practitioner licensing and public perception. Each chapter tackles a topic related to the complicated process of legitimizing knowledge and power within a specific social and historical context. Written by professors and researchers with extensive knowledge of Chinese medicine, government regulation, and sociology, this collection provides an overview of the challenges and current social context of Chinese medicine that affect students and practitioners of Chinese medicine, health and para-health biomedical professionals, and patients alike. Traditional Chinese Medicine: Professionalization and Integration in Hong Kong is the first book in the Mediated Health Series, which focuses on the effects of media, lifestyle, doctor-patient communication, and the economy on health and aims to help inform medical decisions and enhance the wellbeing of individuals. "This well-researched book provides deep insight into the landscape of traditional Chinese Medicine (CM), focusing on ethnic and esoteric interpretations of “Chinese” and “Western” medicine. The discussion of legitimation and perception, acupuncture, and hybridization and integration of CM provides a unique contribution into the domain. CM academics, enthusiasts, and practitioners will certainly find this book insightful, compelling, and intriguing." – Prof Ian Phau, School of Marketing, Curtin Business School

      • History
        November 2020

        Settlement, Life, and Politics

        Understanding the Traditional New Territories

        by Patrick H. HASE

        “Without a clear idea of the history of the New Territories, the history of Hong Kong as a whole would be impossible to bring to any sort of satisfactory completion. ... Elucidating the development of a village, a clan, a temple, or a market-town is also, in and of itself, real and valuable history, and abundantly justifies the time and effort spent on it.” This book is a history of village communities in the New Territories of Hong Kong, including those in the areas of Ha Tsuen, Hung Shui Kiu, and Sha Tin as well as those on the islands of Lamma, Ma Wan, and Tung Ping Chau. Elaborating on primary interviews with village elders, government documents, and public information, this book places the individual histories of each area into the context of Hong Kong’s rich past. The introduction sets up the rest of the book, outlining common themes and highlighting the dangers of using the communal memories of village communities while, at the same time, showing the valuable information doing so can bring. Each chapter provides a more detailed account of one specific area, concentrating on the settlement history, the lifestyle, and the politics of that area.

      • Society & culture: general
        January 2018

        The Evolving Landscape of Media and Communication in Hong Kong

        by Edited by Yu HUANG, Yunya SONG

        Over the last twenty years Hong Kong society has witnessed dramatic change, and nowhere is this better reflected than in the realm of media and communications. Across the fields of journalism, public relations and advertising, we can see the changing trends in terms of audience consumption and interaction. From technological developments to the shift in audience participation, the expectations and functions of these professions have been greatly altered. While many of these changes are occurring worldwide, within Hong Kong the processes of change have been further complicated by recent social and political events. Through a selection of essays by field experts, this volume explores the evolution of media itself as well as the complex causes underlying these developments. It identifies not only the difficulties and opportunities for media professionals today, but also the evolving role of the audience.

      • Politics & government
        October 2016

        China's Energy Policy from National and International Perspectives

        The Energy Revolution and One Belt One Road Initiative

        by Qinhua XU, William CHUNG

        Before 2000, roughly 96% of China’s energy demands were met domestically. Since 2001, however, this position of near self-reliance has changed. With steadily increasing demands, China’s need for foreign energy has grown. Today, China is the world’s biggest energy consumer and emitter of greenhouse gases. Building upon the first volume, which examined China’s energy plans, this book will examine the strategies China has taken to meet its burgeoning energy demands, continue its fast-paced economic growth and also address the mounting concerns about environmental welfare and the true cost of China’s development. With new chapters addressing international agreements, the so-called “China energy threat” and the Belt and Road Initiative, this volume will continue to discuss and interpret both domestic policies and China’s international role.

      • Colonialism & imperialism
        January 2017

        Reading Colonies

        Property and Control of the British Far Eas

        by Rohan B. E. PRICE

        By 1945, everywhere one looked in the Far East the British Empire was being openly questioned or was failing outright. Yet in the previous century, the British had been the pre-eminent imperial power from Weihaiwei to North Borneo. Reading Colonies: Property and Control of the British Far East investigates how the British held on for so long. Rent control legislation, and other measures of property law such as land improvement opportunities, are nominated as key tools used to frustrate decolonization in most Eastern colonies. British colonial administrations tried long and hard to inhibit the dialectical discord between their colonial hierarchism and local forms of nationalism with the prompts and plaudits of property policy. In cases where indigenous landlordism masqueraded as patriotism, independence came quickly (Ceylon and Burma). Where public housing established itself as a key post-war plank of social policy, freedom from British rule was a more gradual affair (British Malaya and Hong Kong). This study concludes that British colonial regimes did not offer a share of their industrial modernity to stay at the apex of political power, but readily adjusted old-style landlordism to keep nationalist usurpers at bay.

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