One of the most notable features of urbanization in China in the past two decades is the rise of ... more One of the most notable features of urbanization in China in the past two decades is the rise of an urban middle class. From the proliferation of nightlife entertainment in urban hot spots to the consumption of luxurious items and/or foreign brands, the drastic increase in car ownership to the growth of gated communities, cityscape in contemporary China has undergone drastic changes in the course of urbanization and socio-economic re-stratification. The rise of a newly formed middle class in the major cities is both an agent in shaping the changing cityscape and an outcome of current urban development. This chapter, drawing upon the authors’ observations conducted in a suburban middle-classcommunity in Beijing in 2007-2017 and the study of the middle class in Shanghai since the mid-1990s, reports on the emergence and formation of an urban middle class in contemporary Chinese cities. It is argued that this middle class came into existence when China’s economy was marketized and the social structure had undergone a major transformation as a result of such economic changes. Within a period of 20-25 years, there witnessed the birth of a middle class in the context of the transition to a post-socialist economy, the formation of new class identities and lifestyles, and growing class-related anxieties. Our discussion covers the formation of this urban middle class, its social and cultural outlooks, and an analysis of how their class interests shape the social landscape of the Chinese cities.
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 2017
In ‘Gentrification in Hong Kong? Epistemology vs. Ontology’, Ley and Teo examine what they find t... more In ‘Gentrification in Hong Kong? Epistemology vs. Ontology’, Ley and Teo examine what they find to be the absence of identification and naming of gentrification in Hong Kong. They argue for the need to look at urban redevelopment in non‐Anglo‐American cities, those in Asia Pacific at the very least, in a different light. They query the extent to which the concept of gentrification has been overly stretched to explain urban processes falling outside Anglo‐American cities. This essay is a response to their argument. It presses for further and closer examination of local complexities and greater critical‐theoretical reflection on the transferability of analytical concepts to different socio‐economic contexts. Ley and Teo have raised some important questions for serious theoretical reflection and discussion. Yet they seem to have fallen into the problematic positions that they critique. Without sufficient attention to the part played by historical and local context in shaping the urban ...
The post-war economic performance of the East Asian newly industrialised economies — Hong Kong, S... more The post-war economic performance of the East Asian newly industrialised economies — Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan — has been remarkable. This so-called ‘East Asian miracle’ has sparked off a race among observers — academic and journalist — to find the winning formula behind their success. Many different accounts have been offered, including macro-level analysis of global economic restructuring, micro-level discussion of economic culture, the role of the capitalist developmental state and the forces of the market.1 Yet, despite the fact that research on East Asian development has come to constitute a growing industry of its own incorporating a wide array of research areas, few attempts have been made to look at the organisation of production in these societies.2 This neglect is problematic and reflects the lacunae in the existing literature on East Asian development. Very often, the focus of discussion is placed on mechanisms external to the organisation of economic activity, such as the developmental state, economic culture, global division of labour or the market. The implication is that one can unravel the secrets of economic success in the East Asian economies without knowing the organisational basis of the economic activities on which competitiveness rests.
1 The Significance of Hong Kong 2: Fleeing the Nation, Creating a Local Home, 1949-1983 3: Rejoin... more 1 The Significance of Hong Kong 2: Fleeing the Nation, Creating a Local Home, 1949-1983 3: Rejoining the Nation, 1983-2006 4: Representing the Nation in Hong Kong Mass Media 5: Hong Kong Schools and the Teaching of National Identity 6: Hong Kong People's Changing Comprehensions of National Identity 7: How American, Chinese, and Hong Kong University Students Understand "Belonging to a Nation" 8: Hong Kong People Encountering the Nation in South China 9: Hong Kong's Market-based National Identity: Harbinger of a Global Future?
The literature on the development of global cities suggests that Hong Kong had qualified as a glo... more The literature on the development of global cities suggests that Hong Kong had qualified as a global city by the early 1990s. Using data from the Population Censuses, this paper documents the extent to which the process of social polarisation accompanied Hong Kong's globalisation. As predicted by the global city literature, Hong Kong experienced during the 1990s a process of occupational polarisation and widening income inequality as a result of its transformation from an industrial colony to a producer service-driven global city. The paper outlines the gender dimension in this polarisation process, and how the forces of migration contributed to the reshaping of the social structure so that it now resembles an 'hour-glass'. The findings largely support Sassen's hypotheses regarding the social consequences of global city development, but the paper also highlights the effect of local institutional contexts in mediating the impact of global forces.
cle&dquo; of the 20th century (Lau 1982, p. 1). In a recent review of the study of social con... more cle&dquo; of the 20th century (Lau 1982, p. 1). In a recent review of the study of social conflict and collective actions in Hong Kong, Leung notes that &dquo;[a]lthough a rapidly modernizing society under colonial rule, Hong Kong has been exceptional in having been spared the frequent turmoil and instability that have plagued other countries of a similar socio-economic and political status. Since they have not been a particularly salient feature of the society, social conflict and social movements have rarely been the subject of inquiry in studies of Hong Kong&dquo; (Leung 1996, p. 159). Of course, few observers of Hong Kong politics would deny the existence of social conflict and social movements in contemporary Hong Kong. Rather, they argue that &dquo;conflicts will be confined in scale because, under normal conditions, it is extremely difficult to mobilize the Chinese people in Hong Kong to embark upon
One of the most notable features of urbanization in China in the past two decades is the rise of ... more One of the most notable features of urbanization in China in the past two decades is the rise of an urban middle class. From the proliferation of nightlife entertainment in urban hot spots to the consumption of luxurious items and/or foreign brands, the drastic increase in car ownership to the growth of gated communities, cityscape in contemporary China has undergone drastic changes in the course of urbanization and socio-economic re-stratification. The rise of a newly formed middle class in the major cities is both an agent in shaping the changing cityscape and an outcome of current urban development. This chapter, drawing upon the authors’ observations conducted in a suburban middle-classcommunity in Beijing in 2007-2017 and the study of the middle class in Shanghai since the mid-1990s, reports on the emergence and formation of an urban middle class in contemporary Chinese cities. It is argued that this middle class came into existence when China’s economy was marketized and the social structure had undergone a major transformation as a result of such economic changes. Within a period of 20-25 years, there witnessed the birth of a middle class in the context of the transition to a post-socialist economy, the formation of new class identities and lifestyles, and growing class-related anxieties. Our discussion covers the formation of this urban middle class, its social and cultural outlooks, and an analysis of how their class interests shape the social landscape of the Chinese cities.
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 2017
In ‘Gentrification in Hong Kong? Epistemology vs. Ontology’, Ley and Teo examine what they find t... more In ‘Gentrification in Hong Kong? Epistemology vs. Ontology’, Ley and Teo examine what they find to be the absence of identification and naming of gentrification in Hong Kong. They argue for the need to look at urban redevelopment in non‐Anglo‐American cities, those in Asia Pacific at the very least, in a different light. They query the extent to which the concept of gentrification has been overly stretched to explain urban processes falling outside Anglo‐American cities. This essay is a response to their argument. It presses for further and closer examination of local complexities and greater critical‐theoretical reflection on the transferability of analytical concepts to different socio‐economic contexts. Ley and Teo have raised some important questions for serious theoretical reflection and discussion. Yet they seem to have fallen into the problematic positions that they critique. Without sufficient attention to the part played by historical and local context in shaping the urban ...
The post-war economic performance of the East Asian newly industrialised economies — Hong Kong, S... more The post-war economic performance of the East Asian newly industrialised economies — Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan — has been remarkable. This so-called ‘East Asian miracle’ has sparked off a race among observers — academic and journalist — to find the winning formula behind their success. Many different accounts have been offered, including macro-level analysis of global economic restructuring, micro-level discussion of economic culture, the role of the capitalist developmental state and the forces of the market.1 Yet, despite the fact that research on East Asian development has come to constitute a growing industry of its own incorporating a wide array of research areas, few attempts have been made to look at the organisation of production in these societies.2 This neglect is problematic and reflects the lacunae in the existing literature on East Asian development. Very often, the focus of discussion is placed on mechanisms external to the organisation of economic activity, such as the developmental state, economic culture, global division of labour or the market. The implication is that one can unravel the secrets of economic success in the East Asian economies without knowing the organisational basis of the economic activities on which competitiveness rests.
1 The Significance of Hong Kong 2: Fleeing the Nation, Creating a Local Home, 1949-1983 3: Rejoin... more 1 The Significance of Hong Kong 2: Fleeing the Nation, Creating a Local Home, 1949-1983 3: Rejoining the Nation, 1983-2006 4: Representing the Nation in Hong Kong Mass Media 5: Hong Kong Schools and the Teaching of National Identity 6: Hong Kong People's Changing Comprehensions of National Identity 7: How American, Chinese, and Hong Kong University Students Understand "Belonging to a Nation" 8: Hong Kong People Encountering the Nation in South China 9: Hong Kong's Market-based National Identity: Harbinger of a Global Future?
The literature on the development of global cities suggests that Hong Kong had qualified as a glo... more The literature on the development of global cities suggests that Hong Kong had qualified as a global city by the early 1990s. Using data from the Population Censuses, this paper documents the extent to which the process of social polarisation accompanied Hong Kong's globalisation. As predicted by the global city literature, Hong Kong experienced during the 1990s a process of occupational polarisation and widening income inequality as a result of its transformation from an industrial colony to a producer service-driven global city. The paper outlines the gender dimension in this polarisation process, and how the forces of migration contributed to the reshaping of the social structure so that it now resembles an 'hour-glass'. The findings largely support Sassen's hypotheses regarding the social consequences of global city development, but the paper also highlights the effect of local institutional contexts in mediating the impact of global forces.
cle&dquo; of the 20th century (Lau 1982, p. 1). In a recent review of the study of social con... more cle&dquo; of the 20th century (Lau 1982, p. 1). In a recent review of the study of social conflict and collective actions in Hong Kong, Leung notes that &dquo;[a]lthough a rapidly modernizing society under colonial rule, Hong Kong has been exceptional in having been spared the frequent turmoil and instability that have plagued other countries of a similar socio-economic and political status. Since they have not been a particularly salient feature of the society, social conflict and social movements have rarely been the subject of inquiry in studies of Hong Kong&dquo; (Leung 1996, p. 159). Of course, few observers of Hong Kong politics would deny the existence of social conflict and social movements in contemporary Hong Kong. Rather, they argue that &dquo;conflicts will be confined in scale because, under normal conditions, it is extremely difficult to mobilize the Chinese people in Hong Kong to embark upon
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