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Modern Hong Kong: History, Society and Identity

Monday 3:30-6:20pm
B2-LP-14

Hui Kwok Wai

Office: B3-1-04
Email: huikw@ied.edu.hk

This course explores the history of Hong Kong since the early 1800s from several angles:
British imperial history, Chinese history, world history, and as a place with its own identity.
The course will focus on the making of Hong Kongs identity throughout history, where Hong
Kong started as an unnoticed Chinese city, became a British colony in 1842 after the Opium
War, then began to play an important role as an Asian city in the early 20th Century during the
Chinese revolutions and pacific warfare, and continued to evolve into an international
financial center since the 70s; and finally in 1997 Hong Kong began a Chinese City once
againthis time, though, very much noticed. The primary goal of this course is to survey the
formation and transformation of Hong Kongs identity through the construction and the
reconstruction of Hong Kong society in history. Students will have the opportunities to think
critically about the place they live in today by analyzing primary and secondary narratives,
museum exhibitions, art and photos, films and documentaries as a means to explore how
Hong Kong's past has shaped its present.

Class Schedule

Jan 10
Introduction

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Jan 17
Opium War

Readings:
1.
169-171
2. The Treaty Nanjing () 1842 , Convention of Beijing () 1860,
Second Convention of Beijing ( Convention for the extension of Hong Kong
Territory) () 1898

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Jan 24

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Hong Kong in the Chinese Revolutions, 1910s-1920s

Readings:
1. 1925
2.

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Feb 7
War of Resistance: donation and guerrillas forces

Readings:
1. selection

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Feb 14
The Post-war Reconstruction of Legitimacy

Readings:
1. The Young Plan ( ) 1946

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Feb 21
The Influx of Mainland Immigrants and Economic Development

Readings:
1. 1949

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Feb 28
Cold War: The Struggle between Colonizers and Local Leftist

Readings:
1. selection

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Mar 7
Cold War: The 1st Attempt to Create an Independ Hong Kong by the Americans

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Readings:
1. Asia Press, Asia Foundation, selection

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Mar 14
Cold War: Invention of Hong Kong Identity by the Colonizers, 1970s

Readings:
1. Public Records Officeselect archives

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Mar 21
Native Culture: the Popular Cinema, 1980s-1990s

Readings:
1.
2.

*Film or other visual images will be shown

Mar 28
1997: the Handover of Hong Kong

Readings:
1.

*Film or other visual images will be shown

April 3
In Class Exam

~END~

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Assessment:

Course grades will be calculated approximately as follows:

1. Group Presentation 20%

2. Exam 40%

3. Final Paper (1200-1500 words) 40%

Group Presentation:
Every week one group of students (about 4 people) is required to do a 10 to 15 minutes
presentation. Students are expected to read the assigned readings, discuss with their group
mates, and then respond to questions given by the instructor.

**Presentation Questions:
1. What are the main points of the text(s)?
2. Which part of the text(s) strikes you most?
3. To what extent does/do the text(s) challenges your presumptions of the history of
Hong Kong.

Final Paper Requirements:

1. Choose 1 out of the 3 questions given by your teacher and write a response by using both
primary and secondary materials.

2. Your essay must have clear arguments, supported with evidences and analyses, and directly
respond to my questions or requirements.

3. Whenever you make use of others works directly or indirectly, you have to cite the
sources.

4. The main body of your essay must be dedicated to the close reading of the primary
materials that you select and to the responses to my questions.

5. A hard copy of your paper should be submitted on April 21, by 5:00pm. Please put your
paper into my mailbox (outside B3-1-35).

6. Turnitin: You are also required to submit your paper in a word file via. Turnitin. The file
name should be based on your official English name (for example: my name is Hui Kwok
Waitherefore my file name should be huikwokwai.doc).

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The Grading Criteria

Items Requirement Percentage
Contents Able to collect useful archives and able to make use 60%
of them to write a good research work or directly
responding to my questions
Able to think independently and make clear
arguments
Able to find evidences from the archives to support
your arguments
Structure Well organized (with an introduction, a main body 20%
composed of a few inter-related arguments and a
strong conclusion)
The relationship between sub-arguments is logical
and all sub-arguments, combined together, are able to
support a solid general argument.
Writing Able to summarize the main points of the text 10%
skills Grammatically correct
Citations Do citations wherever you make use of others work 10%
in a required manner

Please note the following points:

Papers must be turned in on the due date. Late papers will be penalized one letter
grade (e.g. A to A-, B to B-) for each day they are late.
I will not accept papers turned in via email. You must submit printed copies and
upload your paper through turnitin.
Any instances of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will be dealt with in full
accordance with University policy and will result in a grade of F for the course.

Recommended Readings

Carroll, J. M. (2007). A Concise History of Hong Kong: Critical Issues in World and
International History. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong Press.
Chiu, S., & Lui, T. L. (2009). Hong Kong: Becoming a Chinese Global City. London:
Routledge.
Endacott, G. B. (1987). A History of Hong Kong. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fu, P., & Desser, D. (Ed.). (2002). The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ingham, M. (2007). Hong Kong: A Cultural History (Cityscapes). Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Kan, L. F. (2007). Hong Kongs Chinese History Curriculum from 1945: Politics and
Identity. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong Press.
Lai, B., & Rava, G. (2014). Hong Kong 1941-1945: First Strike in the Pacific War
(Champaign). New York: Osprey Publishing.
Matthews, G. (2011). Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong

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Kong. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Ting, J. S. P., & Siu, S. L. K. (Eds.). (1990). Collected Essays on Various Historical
Materials for Hong Kong Studies. Hong Kong: Urban Council.
Tsang, S. (2007). A Modern History of Hong Kong. London: I.B. Tauris.
Welch F. (2010). A History of Hong Kong. New York: HarperCollins.