Leiden University Scholarly Publications

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England, V.M. (2024)

Hong Kong's place in South East Asia

Doctoral Thesis
Despite Chinese government claims that Hong Kong has ‘always been a Chinese city’, this thesis shows that the people who made Hong Kong into a thriving port city came from all over the world, bringing their diverse faiths, lifestyles and trading networks with them. Through archival research and oral history interviews, I show how women from across Asia birthed the mixed race children who would later lead Hong Kong society. I trace the outsized influence of the Parsi community, of Baghdadi Jews, of Armenians and many others from South and Southeast Asian trading communities: they made Hong Kong not Chinese, but Eurasian. I look closely at exactly who came to Hong Kong, from where, with whom, how they lived with others in Hong Kong, how they reacted to the shock and stresses of Japanese occupation in World War Two and the British return. I conclude that the visions of multiple generations of Hong Kongers of their own futures remain unheard as ruling powers fail to acknowledge Hong...Show moreDespite Chinese government claims that Hong Kong has ‘always been a Chinese city’, this thesis shows that the people who made Hong Kong into a thriving port city came from all over the world, bringing their diverse faiths, lifestyles and trading networks with them. Through archival research and oral history interviews, I show how women from across Asia birthed the mixed race children who would later lead Hong Kong society. I trace the outsized influence of the Parsi community, of Baghdadi Jews, of Armenians and many others from South and Southeast Asian trading communities: they made Hong Kong not Chinese, but Eurasian. I look closely at exactly who came to Hong Kong, from where, with whom, how they lived with others in Hong Kong, how they reacted to the shock and stresses of Japanese occupation in World War Two and the British return. I conclude that the visions of multiple generations of Hong Kongers of their own futures remain unheard as ruling powers fail to acknowledge Hong Kong’s character as neither solely Chinese city, nor British colony, but a Eurasian Port City.
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Eurasian
Port City
Trading Diaspora
Protected Women
Prosopography
Caldwell
Kotewall
Ho Tung
Parsi
Hong Konger
All authors
England, V.M.
Supervisor
Schulte Nordholt, H.; Lai, P.C.
Committee
Formichi, C.; Henley, D.E.F.; Schneider, F.A.; Visscher, S.
Qualification
Doctor (dr.)
Awarding Institution
Leiden Institute for Area Studies (LIAS), Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University
Date
2024-11-07