When the British occupied the tiny island of Hong Kong during the First Opium War, the Chinese empire was well into its decline, while Great Britain was already in the second decade of its legendary "Imperial Century." From this collision of empires arose a city that continues to intrigue observers. Melding Chinese and Western influences, Hong Kong has long defied easy categorization. John M. Carroll's engrossing and accessible narrative explores the remarkable history of Hong Kong from the early 1800s through the post-1997 handover, when this former colony became a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The book explores Hong Kong as a place with a unique identity, yet also a crossroads where Chinese history, British colonial history, and world history intersect. Carroll concludes by exploring the legacies of colonial rule, the consequences of Hong Kong's reintegration with China, and significant developments and challenges since 1997.

Jointly issued by Law Commission & H.M. Land Registry

Among the many groups of Chinese who migrated from their ancestral homeland in the nineteenth century, none found a more favorable situation that those who came to Hawaii. Coming from South China, largely as laborers for sugar plantations and Chinese rice plantations but also as independent merchants and craftsmen, they arrived at a time when the tiny Polynesian kingdom was being drawn into an international economic, political, and cultural world. Sojourners and Settlers traces the waves of Chinese immigration, the plantation experience, and movement into urban occupations. Important for the migrants were their close ties with indigenous Hawaiians, hundreds establishing families with Hawaiian wives. Other migrants brought Chinese wives to the islands. Though many early Chinese families lived in the section of Honolulu called "Chinatown," this was never an exclusively Chinese place of residence, and under Hawaii's relatively open pattern of ethnic relations Chinese families rapidly became dispersed throughout Honolulu. Chinatown was, however, a nucleus for Chinese business, cultural, and organizational activities. More than two hundred organizations were formed by the migrants to provide mutual aid, to respond to discrimination under the monarchy and later under American laws, and to establish their status among other Chinese and Hawaii's multiethnic community. Professor Glick skillfully describes the organizational network in all its subtlety. He also examines the social apparatus of migrant existence: families, celebrations, newspapers, schools--in short, the way of life. Using a sociological framework, the author provides a fascinating account of the migrant settlers' transformation from villagers bound by ancestral clan and tradition into participants in a mobile, largely Westernized social order.

This book describes the adaptation of American women to cross-cultural situations in Hong Kong from 1921 to 1969. The Maryknoll Sisters were first American Catholic community of women founded for overseas missionary work, and were the first American sisters in Hong Kong. Maryknollers were independent, outgoing, and joyful women who were highly educated, and acted in professional capacities as teachers, social workers and medical personnel. The assertion of this book is that the mission provided Maryknollers what they had long desired - equal emplyment opportunities - which were only later emphasized in the women's liberation movement of the 1960s.

This book is the first systematic attempt to document statutory building control in Hong Kong. It examines 40 cases decided by the Building Appeal Board with reference to the overlapping jurisdictions of the Buildings, Lands and Planning authorities in controlling building development. The cases are categorized under nine major themes, namely 'procedures and principles', 'immediate neighbourhood', 'widths of streets', 'lanes', 'access and parking', 'stepped streets', 'means of escape', 'illegal structures and enforcement orders' and 'demolition'. Each case is examined in detail, cross-referenced and illustrated by drawings and photographs where appropriate. For each category, a list of relevant law cases and a summary of the decision criteria identified are also provided. This work should be of great value to Authorized Persons, surveyors, lawyers and town planners who practise in Hong Kong, as well as those who are interested in the policies and issues concerning building control in a high-rise and high density living environment. It should also help professional practitioners prepare for the relevant APC examinations for the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors and other professional organizations.