Hong Kong Remembers

Product Description

The story of Hong Kong`s social, political, & economic development
- from the post-War period to the end of its life as a colonial territory
- is a remarkable Chinese-British story. This book contains first-hand accounts of life & times in Hong Kong by luminaries, former governors, officials, politicians, business people, artists, & average people
- natives, emigres, & expats alike. Over six decades, Hong Kong has been transformed from a depressed & overcrowded, refugee haven, fraught with health & welfare problems, to a shining model of laissez-faire capitalism with an exemplary public housing programme, a modicum of democracy, & a thriving, hybrid cultural life. The contributors to this book recall the important events along the rocky path of development, including the housing crisis of the 1950s, the 1967 anti-Government riots, the Sino-British talks over Hong Kong in the 1980s, the sobering affect on the Hong Kong people of the Tiananmen Incident in 1989, & the contentious politics of the transition to Chinese rule in 1997. Among those who tell how it happened are the former Governors Lord (Murray) Mac Lehose, Lord (David) Wilson, & current Governor Christopher Patten; T. S. Lo (who is on the short-list of candidates for the position of Chief Executive of Hong Kong after the transition); Hong Kong`s most important democracy advocate, Legislative councilor Martin Lee; colourful media tycoon Jimmy Lai; a former drug addict; a political cartoonist; the founder of a ballet school; a former leftist guerrilla; & a Maryknoll sister. Their recollections are opinionated, personal, poignant, amusing, & always informative. Collectively they provide a unique & valuable account of Hong Kong history.