Hong Kong Tradition and Modernization - Essay Example

Bi-cultural Hong Kong- its Tradition and Modernization The Beijing Olympics was inaugurated on the 8 th August 2008 in Beijing, China. During the march of the sportspersons from the different countries, it was the well turned out contingent from Hong Kong which attracted the greatest applause from the spectators. The Chinese spectators from all over the Mainland China felt thrilled at seeing their cousins from the island, although the mainlanders excelled themselves in all the sports they participated in. The Hong Kong Chinese have a special sophistication, a certain style that the mainlanders admire and envy. While the ordinary mainland Chinese is traditional, the Hong Kong Chinese is modern, while the former speaks only Chinese, the latter is bilingual, speaking both Chinese and English, and while the Chinese is not exposed to Western culture, the citizen of Hong Kong is perfectly at ease in both the cultures. The citizen of Hong Kong represents the spirit of Hong Kong , with its resilience, its enterprise and its multi-lingual, multi-cultural strength. No city in China, be it the capital Beijing with its magnificent roadways or the bustling city of Shanghai with its skyscrapers compares to this beautiful island city of Hong Kong in aesthetics, modernity , safety and amenities for its citizens. As Wong says, Hong Kong is a model for the rest of China.(Wong 325) In the thesis "The Future of Hong Kong", published in the Geographic Journal I, Vol 150, Part 1, Dwyer talks about the history of Hong Kong, and its future as he sees it after its annexation by China. He dwells extensively on the part played by the British in acquiring the island from the Chinese , and the various ways in which the culture of Hong Kong and then of China were influenced by the western way of thought. The thesis was written mote than a decade before Hong Kong reverted back to China. After it became a part of China, it did not follow the dire predictions made by different authors. The Hong Kong of the early twenty first century has belied all expectations and is holding on to its position in the financial forefront of the world. In spite of all its modernization , there still needs some measures to be taken if Hong Kong is to get back its earlier prominence. This is amply brought out in the contemporary article by Christine Loh in the Time magazine of 15 March, 2007. Clyde Haulman, in his article, "An Asia-Pacific Economic Links and the Future of Hong Kong says that the best that Hong Kong can hope for is not to have any change. He writes about the economic change which is bound to happen in Hong Kong as a result of Chinese takeover. Although his article was written much before the Handing over of Hong Kong to China, his arguments are sound. This beautiful island on the south of China was the prize possession of the British Empire till it reverted back to China in 1997.It was named Hong Kong- the Sweet smelling Harbor - because of its magnificent harbor. The British with their expansionist ideas, seized the first opportunity after the first Opium war with China , to sign a treaty with China in which Hong Kong was ceded to Britain in 1842. It was declared a British colony in 1843. Realizing the strategic importance of the magnificent harbor, the British wanted more territories for the purpose of its defense. So, in 1860, Britain secured a lease in perpetuity of the tip of the peninsula comprising of Kowloon. Since Britain was the greatest super power at the time, with a vast disparity of military strength between China and Britain, not surprisingly, the treaties entered into were blatantly favorable to Britain. The British colony still felt the need for expansion - to supply farm produce for the British and other inhabitants of Hong Kong, and to provide farming land and pastures to the farmers. This need for land resulted in The New Territories, a vast area, which were secured from China by means of a 99 year lease agreement in 1898.These expansions of the British territory were done by those that were in seats of power during the time, ostensibly to provide defense for the growing port of Hong Kong , as well as for the safety and comfort of its residents. The march of the imperialist expansion of the British Empire was quite evident. The great disparity of economic and military strengths between that of China and Britain, the world's foremost superpower of the time, ensured that Britain got an unfair advantage over China. This fact seems to have had a great impact on the history of the colony. The name Hong Kong means a sweet smelling harbor in the Chinese language. The harbor which was the home of many Chinese fisher folk, is situated on the Pearl River delta in a strategic position facing the South China Sea. It consists of the island of Hong Kong, the peninsular tip of Kowloon just across the harbor, and the New Territories and the outlying islands. The new airport is situated in the island of Lantau, which is some distance away from the main business center. The Hong Kong of today has no resemblance to the sleepy fishing village with its Chinese boats of the nineteenth century. Today Hong Kong has a skyline that can vie with the skyline of New York. Sut the harbor for which it was famous, is shrinking , according to Loh.. The Island of Hong Kong was the favored place of residence and work of the British during the colonial times. It has huge wooded areas verdant with sub tropical woods, which have been left untouched by the administration. The Business district with its bustling activity lies on a narrow strip of land between the sea and the wooded hills. All the great banks and financial institutions of the world have their own premises in this part. Hong Kong has become the financial capital of Asia. The port of Hong Kong can accommodate large containers and bulk carriers, which most of the other Chinese ports are not able to do. Handling vast amounts of cargo, Hong Kong is one of the ten most important ports in the world. Kowloon, which is a part of Hong Kong, is on the tip of the peninsula, separated by the island by a stretch of blue water. The northern part of Kowloon was leased to the British in 1898 for 99 years as part of the New Territories. Kowloon contained the curious 'Kowloon Walled City', which was a Chinese enclave inside British territory. It was destroyed by the Japanese during World War II. Not only Chinese and British, but also Indians, Eurasians, and people of numerous other cultures have contributed to the growth and prosperity of Hong Kong. Being a melting pot of different cultures and ideas, the city has prospered, learning from different viewpoints. Hong Kong has long been regarded as a bridge between the East and the West. Being exposed to the British values and ideas, the bi-lingual , bi-cultural Chinese found it easy to accept new technology. The Kowloon-Canton Railway introduced in 1911 was a of great benefit to the people, although it was part of the British expansionist program aimed at South China. According to Dwyer, in his 'Future of Hong Kong', it is very difficult to predict the future of the region. He says "Hong Kong will not tumble down, but stumble down".(Dwyer 139) At the same time, he is quite optimistic about its future .In 1972, China announce that Hong Kong is not a colonial power, ans it should not be treated as one. This attitude of China was prompted by the fears of the various investors in the island. Moreover, the British had always been careful to have minimal dealings with the Russians. They were also very politically shrewd because they did not have any associations with Taiwan. All these factors made China realize that Hong Hong posed no real treat to China. . On the other hand, according to Sun Dan Chang, Hong Kong will continue to prosper as long as "the principles essential to its past economic development are upheld". He says that the relevant cultural factors may continue to fuel the development of Hong Kong. Sen-Dan Chang says that cities in traditional china have shared common characteristics. Hong Kong, though it shared many characteristics with Shanghai and other major cities of China, was unique in being more westernized. The railroads which contributed to the modernization of China , also helped Hong Kong. More than anything, it was the port which helped in its prosperity. According to Sen-Dang Chang, port cities were created with external interest as "isolated foreign islands".(Sen Dan Chang 213) This made the new regime in China declare them as 'foreign enclaves'. Thus were born the Special Economic Zones. When on the midnight of 30 June 1997, Hong Kong reverted back to China, there were many , Westerners as well as Chinese who had misgivings despite China's assurance that there would be "One country, two systems"., and that Hong Kong would enjoy its special status. . Hong Kong was declared a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and people from mainland China were not allowed to visit Hong Kong freely. Many Hong Kong Chinese emigrated to the U.S before the Handover, feeling that the opportunities for advancement in U.S to be better than that in a Chinese Hong Kong. Fears for the continuing prosperity of Hong Kong were widespread during the time of the transfer. As Hong Kong is closely related to China as well as the United States, its future is affected by the Sino-US relations as it is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Hong Kong is also affected by any political change in China or US. Any economic downturn in the US or China will adversely affect the economy of Hong Kong. This was amply illustrated by the effect the recent financial crisis in the US had on Hong Kong's bourses. Being in a sensitive situation, any reform in China's economy is going to affect Hong Kong's economy. As Haulman says , "The best that Hong Kong can hope for is no change, while a more likely possibility is increasing state control of trade".(Haulman 162) Although this was written before the Transfer of Hong Kong, it is still valid. China feels an obligation to ensure its continued success, but at the same time, the high speed of development in China can bring about a change in its policies- especially policy towards Hong Kong, which may not be in the best interest of the region. Already, most of the manufacturing facilities have shifted from Hong Kong to the neighboring Shenzhen in the Mainland . Shenzhen has grown from a sleepy village into a bustling manufacturing town having a large population. While Hong Kong has moved much of its low- tech manufacturing to places across the border, it has not taken advantage of the phenomenal growth in the high -tech industries. Thus , while cities like Bangalore in India have become the hub of the IT sector, Hong Kong relies on the service sector for its growth. The service sector , being the main engine of Hong Kong's growth, is beset with problems of productivity and technical innovation. There will be more problems if the low value-added components of the service sector are shifted from Hong Kong. Another problem with Hong Kong is the dearth of facilities for higher education . Hong Kong has traditionally followed the British system of education . Most of the students from Hong Kong go abroad for higher education, preferring the universities of the United States. Coming to environmental problems, Hong Kong faces a serious problem of air pollution. Although some maintain that the pollution is caused by the neighboring Chinese provinces, studies have shown that Hong Kong itself is the culprit. The pollution will cause health problems and rising medical costs for the citizens. Power generation, shipping and transport should be made more efficient and pollution free. The government needs to adopt the global air-quality guidelines given by the World Health Organization. A constitutional reform by which Hong Kong becomes fully democratic will go a long way in restoring to Hong Kong its slowly slipping glory. According to Christine Loh in the Time magazine, "The legislative council also suffers from a democratic deficit." Since the system favors the few over the majority it is unfair, and in the long run, unsustainable. "Hong Kong needs a full democracy"(Loh) The beautiful harbor for which the city was named has been dwindling in the name of expansion. Land reclamation has taken its toll on the harbor, making it nothing more than a pond now. Many historical structures have been pulled down in the name of modernization .If this continues, time will soon come when Hong Kong will be reduced to a featureless concrete jungle. .Hong Kong is in a unique position in the world with its multi-lingual, multi-cultural society. By adopting some political , economic and environmental measures, it can become the greatest city in the world. References Dyer,D.J. "The Future of Hong Kong" The Geographical Journal, Vol 150,No.1.(March 1984) pp 1-10 Published by Blackwell Publishing On behalf of The Royal Geographical Society. Haulman,Clyde A. Asia-Pacific Economic Links and the Future of Hong Kong Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 547, The Future of Hong Kong (Sep., 1996), pp. 153-164 Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. in association with the American Academy of Political and Social Science Loh, Christine. "An Agenda for Hong Kong's Future" Time Magazine, March 15, 2007. Sen-Dou Chang Modernization and China's Urban Development Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 71, No. 2 (Jun., 1981), pp. 202-219 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of the Association of American Geographers Modernization and Chinese Culture in Hong Kong Wong Siu-lun The China Quarterly, No. 106 (Jun., 1986), pp. 306-325 Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and African Studies . Read More