HKU Bulletin

Hong Kong
Soul-Searching

Hong Kong’s place in the world is being re-defined by rapid changes at the local and global levels. Drawing on their deep expertise in this area, HKU scholars take various perspectives to look at how these changes have been shaping the city across economic, social, cultural, and political domains, and possible directions in future.

Finding a New Groove

Economic activity has defined Hong Kong in ways that cannot be said of most other cities. The pragmatic focus on the bottom line has enabled it to thrive in the wake of war, revolution, political uncertainty, major financial crises and disease scares (e.g.SARS). Now the economy faces direct challenges from changing demographics, regional and global competition, and rapid technological development, can the city stay strong and flourish? Two HKU scholars see an optimistic future.

Language Lessons

The medium of school instruction impacts not only student learning, but also business, politics and culture. In Hong Kong it is usually framed as a stark choice: learn in Cantonese, or Putonghua, or English. But Professor Angel Lin proposes translanguaging and pluralingualism.

The People’s Perspective

How Hong Kong residents identify themselves – as Hongkonger, Chinese and/or other – is changing and will have implications for the development of civil society.
Dr Robert Chung Ting-yiu, Director of the Public Opinion Programme, and Professor Eliza Lee Wing-yee, Director of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance, have been tracking the changes.

Beyond the Lion Rock

Hong Kong popular culture had a brilliant flowering in the last decades of the 20th century, but has since wilted, overtaken by cultural imports from Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Mainland. Two scholars of Hong Kong culture consider its past, present and future.

An Uneasy Relation

Uncertainty about Hong Kong’s future identity within China, and the Government’s ineffective response to that, are fuelling mistrust on both sides of the border, suggests political scientist Dr Peter TY Cheung.