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Apart from eleven years in England for school, university and National Service, and a three-year 'overseas posting' as Hong Kong Commissioner in London, Denis Bray has lived all his life in Hong Kong and China. The metamorphosis is of the man himself as he grew up from childhood, through adolescence to become an administrator in Hong Kong for thirty-five years. It is also the story of Hong Kong's emergence from near death after the Second World War to become one of the major cities in Asia. The story is told as an autobiography, from growing up in China to the occasional brief occupation of the Governor's seat. In the early days, 'administration' was rather a grand word to describe the daily grappling with novel problems never before encountered. In fact, it is difficult to detect any onset of routine. In this life, as in the life of Hong Kong itself, change and challenge were the only constants.
“A beautifully written journey into the mechanics of the world of the cell, and even beyond, exploring the analogy with computers in a surprising way” (Denis Noble, author of Dance to the Tune of Life). How does a single-cell creature, such as an amoeba, lead such a sophisticated life? How does it hunt living prey, respond to lights, sounds, and smells, and display complex sequences of movements without the benefit of a nervous system? This book offers a startling and original answer. In clear, jargon-free language, Dennis Bray taps the findings from the discipline of systems biology to show that the internal chemistry of living cells is a form of computation. Cells are built out of mole...
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At the end of the nineteenth century a slice of imperial China was abruptly incorporated into the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. It became known as the New Territories. The people of this remote and traditional corner of the Ching empire were not consulted about the annexation, initially resisted and long resented it. To placate them, the incoming authorities promised that little would alter and that their customs would be respected. The promise would not be fully kept but it became the source of the preservation of Chinese customary law in respect of rural land and the justification for privileges afforded to indigenous inhabitants. Their tenacious assertion of those rights and aversion...
A heartbreaking story of survival set in World War II Hong Kong, perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies A country at war. A love to last a lifetime. Hong Kong 1941, Fifteen-year-old Kate lives a rarefied life of wealth and privilege in the pre-war Hong Kong expatriate community, but when the Japanese invade she’s interned in squalid Stanley Camp with her parents. Enduring cramped conditions, humiliation, disease, and starvation, Kate befriends seventeen-year-old Charles, and they give their hearts to each other under the orchid tree. But neither of the young lovers know what terrible cruelties lie in their future. The internment camp is just the beginning, and as they face the horrors of war,...
A supplement to Frazer's The Golden Bough, this 1936 work remains an important text for scholars of religion and anthropology.
Underground Front is a pioneering examination of the role that the Chinese Communist Party has played in Hong Kong since the creation of the party in 1921, through to the present day. The second edition goes into greater depth on the party’s view on “one country, two systems”, “patriotism”, and “elections”. The introduction has been extensively revised and the concluding chapter has been completely rewritten in order to give a thorough account of the post-1997 governance and political system in Hong Kong, and where challenges lie. Christine Loh endeavours to keep the data and the materials up to date and to include the discussion of some recent events in Hong Kong. The appendic...
After ruling Hong Kong for 155 years, what did the British leave behind when they withdrew at midnight on 30 June 1997? C. K. Lau answers this question for the lay reader. Whether you are a long-time resident or merely a newcomer to the territory, Hong Kong's Colonial Legacy promises to deepen your understanding of this Pearl of the Orient. Questions this book tackles include: (1) What is the attitude of Hong Kong Chinese towards British rule and the resumption of Chinese sovereignty? (2) Why have most of them failed to master English despite a century and a half of colonial rule? (3) What is the future of the common law after 1997? (4) What do Hong Kong's leaders mean by executive-led government? (5) What is Hong Kong's recipe for economic success? (6) What is the future of press freedom in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region?
In democratization theory, Singapore continues to be a remarkable country for its extremely low level of contentious politics despite rapid economic development. In contrast, many different groups in Hong Kong have taken their demands to the streets since the 1970s. Even though there is an obvious difference in the willingness of the population to actively challenge the regime, the political developments of the two city-states show a similar pattern of political mobilization and government reaction. This book examines the changing pattern of contentious politics in the democratization process of these Asian city-states. It explores the causal connections between popular contention and democratization, using a multi-disciplinary approach with theoretical insights from the political sciences, sociology and psychology. The political process model is applied to provide further understanding of the patterns of interaction between contenders, opposition groups or social movements and the ruling elite. The book argues that differences in the strategies applied by the ruling elite explain why members of the opposition were empowered or obstructed in challenging the government.