Building Colonial Hong Kong: Speculative Development and Segregation in the City

In the 1880s, Hong Kong was a booming colonial entrepôt with European and Chinese residents living in palatial mansions and crowded tenements. Cecilia L. Chu's book explores the emergence of the 'speculative landscape' from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, highlighting the contradictory logic of colonial urban development and the role of the built environment in generating and attaining individual and collective aspirations in a racially divided, unequal, but upwardly mobile colonial city.

Format: Hardback
Length: 228 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

In the vibrant and bustling 1880s, Hong Kong emerged as a thriving colonial entrepôt, attracting a diverse array of European, particularly British, residents to reside in grandiose mansions nestled in the picturesque Mid-Levels and at the Peak. However, beneath the surface of this glamorous city lay a harsh reality of migrant life, where Chinese workers crowded together in cramped tenements, sharing bedspaces in the congested Taipingshan district. Despite the persistent disparities in wealth and social status, Hong Kong continued to draw diverse classes of sojourners and immigrants, driven by a relentless pursuit of social advancement and wealth accumulation, particularly through land and property speculation.

In her captivating and meticulously researched book, Cecilia L. Chu delves into the intricate tapestry of Hong Kong's 'speculative landscape' by tracing its evolution from the late nineteenth to the early decades of the twentieth century. Through a series of compelling case studies, she sheds light on the contradictory logic of colonial urban development, highlighting how native investment was encouraged to support a laissez-faire housing market while simultaneously enforcing the segregation of populations in a hierarchical, colonial spatial order.

What sets this book apart is its recognition that the production of Hong Kong's urban landscapes was not a one-dimensional process dictated from the top down. Rather, it emerged through a complex interplay of negotiations and interests among various constituencies, each with their own vested stakes in property. Chu's study reveals that the built environment played a pivotal role in shaping and realizing individual and collective aspirations within a racially divided, highly unequal, yet upwardly mobile modernizing colonial city.

This insightful work received recognition in 2023 when it was awarded the prestigious Best Book in Non-North American Urban History by the Urban History Association. Cecilia L. Chu's book offers a fresh perspective on the history of Hong Kong, shedding light on the complex dynamics that shaped its urban landscape and the aspirations of its diverse population. It is a must-read for scholars and enthusiasts alike who seek to understand the intricate relationship between urban development, race, and social inequality in the context of a rapidly changing world.

Weight: 580g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138344655