Hong Kong: A Cultural History

by Michael Ingham

Overview

Hong Kong has always been something of an anomaly, and an outpost of empire, whether British or Chinese. Once described as a barren island, the former fishing community has been transformed by its own economic miracle into one of Asia's World Cities, taking in its stride the territory's 1997 return to Chinese sovereignty. Beneath the surface of Hong Kong's clichéd self-image as Pearl of the Orient and Shopping Paradise, Michael Ingham reveals a city rich in history, myth, and cultural diversity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199886241
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	06/18/2007
Series:	Cityscapes
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Michael Ingham teaches at Lingnan University, Hong Kong, and is a founder member of the local Theatre Action drama group.

Table of Contents

Foreword   Lord Patten     v
Foreword   Xu Xi     v
Introduction     xvii
The Pearl River and the Barren Island: The Story of Hong Kong     1
Ancient and Chinese Imperial Hong Kong     1
A Subtle Change of Empire     7
Imagining Possession     11
"An Insular Station"     15
Centres of Power and Imagination: Central and Admiralty     21
A "Floating" City     21
A Walk through Central District: around Statue Square     25
Towards the Mid-Levels     38
Government House     40
The Sorrows of Central Prison and the Joys of the Fringe Club     44
Filming On the Mid-Levels Escalator     48
So Ho, Egg Tarts and the IFC     49
"Suzie's World": from Wan Chai to Happy Valley     55
Literary and Linguistic Antecedents     55
Old Wan Chai: Schemes and Fantasies     59
The Affair of the Poisoned Bread     62
From Ship Street to Sugar Street: Temples, Trams and a Post Office     65
Sugar Street: Sugar and Silver and All Things Nice...     69
Victoria Park: Painting the Town Red...     72
Mad Dogs and Englishmen: Noel Coward and the NoondayGun     76
The Hong Kong Stadium: at Sixes and Sevens     77
Happy Valley: the Turf and the Sod     78
Times Square and the Lee Theatre: Larger Than Life...     82
The Battle of Wan Chai     85
If You Knew Suzie...     86
North Wan Chai: the Imagination Soars     90
"The Great Learning": Pokfulam, Hong Kong University and Western District     95
Western: an Introduction     95
Along Hollywood Road     96
Man-Mo Temple     100
"Cat Street" and Possession Street     103
"The Chinese Quarter"-from Tai Ping Shan to Sai Ying Pun     106
The Battle against Disease: Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine     110
Medicine Men and Poets: the University of Hong Kong     114
"City of Glass": the Myths of Eileen Chang     119
"Rouge" and Old Shek Tong Tsui: The Story of Sai Wan (Western)     121
Han Suyin and Queen Mary Hospital: a Great "Hong Kong" Writer?     125
Pokfulam Reservoir and Country Park, Conduit Road and Mei Lanfang     127
A Floating World: The Peak, Aberdeen, Stanley and Repulse Bay     131
Rarefied Air     131
Aberdeen: Dragons and Dragon-boats     138
Repulse Bay      144
Stanley     147
Tai Tam, Big Wave Bay and the Coastal Defences     154
Across the Fragrant Harbour: the Nine Dragons     159
Kowloon: an Introduction     159
The Star Ferry and Victoria Harbour     162
Modern Tsim Sha Tsui     167
The Markets of Yau Ma Tei     176
Mong Kok: "The Most Densely Peopled Place on Earth"     179
The Lion and the Tomb: Komloon Tong and Sham Shui Po     185
McDull-a Kowloon Icon     189
From the Walled City to Kai Tak     191
Wong Tai Sin Temple: Hong Kong's Refugee God     195
The Alternative Emperor of Kowloon     198
"Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth": From the New Territories to the Outlying Islands     201
The "New" Territories: an Introduction     201
Fung Shui, Feuds, Festivals and Food: New Territories Tradition     206
Ping Shan Heritage Trail and Kam Tin (Yuen Long)     212
Satellite Towns-Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan: Three Wedding and a Crocodile     214
Mai Po Wetlands and the Border: a Foot in Both Camps     218
Tai Po and Shatin: Modern Towns, Old Communities     221
The Sai Kung Peninisula: Rugged Beauty     224
The Outlying Islands: Between Heaven and Earth     226
Cheung Chau     230
Lamma Island     233
Po Toi San: Honourable Schoolboy, Perfidious Albion     234
My City   Agnes Lam     237
Further Reading     241
Further Viewing     245
Index of Historical & Literary Names     247
Index of Places     250

Editorial Reviews

"A boon to literate tourists and engaging for others who know the city."—G.W.McDonogh, CHOICE

From the Publisher