A Borrowed Place: The History of Hong Kong

by Frank Welsh

Book Overview

In 1842 a "barren island" was reluctantly ceded by China to an unenthusiastic Britain. "Hong Kong", grumbled Palmerston, "will never be a mart of trade". But from the outset the new colony prospered,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1568361343
• ISBN13: 9781568361345
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Kodansha
• Length: 624 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 5.7" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

One with Nineveh and Tyre Redux

One is old enough to remember the British Empire during the period between 1945 and the devaluation of sterling in 1967, as a young, inquisitive, American, and when I visited London in 1973, I was duly impressed, as was Henry James in 1880, by the sooty *gravitas* of that great city as if it was still dreaming of Hong Kong, and palm and pine. But much water has passed under London bridge since then. The past year or so, my commercial affairs have taken me to two dying embers of the British Empire, Suva in Fiji and Hong Kong, now a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Welsh¡¯s book is invaluable on Hong Kong. Dying? Dead. Suva is today a province in fact if not in law of Australia and Frank Welsh's book makes it very clear that Hong Kong never was British. It's always been a Chinese city with a vast Chinese majority. The British overlordship was curiously meaningless, and, if I read Welsh's book alright, it has serious lessons for any American still so foolish as to support Bush's idiotic attempt at reconquista in Iraq. For in weak piping times of peace, there is, it seems, and at least in the UK and in America, dominated as they are, and rightfully so, by formidable females, no shortage of men who come upon a mad desire for military folly nel mezzo de camin, as a midlife crisis. Precisely when the generation that had actually braved shot and shell at Waterloo was beginning to succumb to age and strong drink, ambitious and unscrupulous politicians, it is clear from Welsh, decided it was time, in Marx's sense, to resolve a few contradictions with gun-powder. The Opium wars resulted even as today the Iraq wars have been the folly of choice. Like the Iraq wars, the Opium wars had a curious two-phase structure. The first war was limited by what the impossible French would call considerations of humanity on both sides. British commanders set specific limited goals and the Chinese mandarins actually expressed, more than once, concern for the welfare of white colonies in Guangdong factories and in Macau. In the 1840s, neither side in other words quite fit the demonizing caricature and one is reminded of the fact that Tariq Azis, now in American clink, is an Iraqi Christian (a damnably inconvenient fact well-concealed by the idiot American news media) who endeavored to limit the first war for nothing more, and nothing less, than considerations of humanity (for ¡°let us not speak falsely now the hour is much too late¡±)¡­even as Bush the elder (and a genuine coalition) could not stomach a drive on Baghdad. Iraqi physicians and soldiers in April of 2003 protected Jessica Lynch until her rescue for nothing more, and nothing less, than considerations of humanity. In the Guangdong region, British commanders demanded extra-territorality because the Mandarins would, they said, impose savage and un-Christian punishments on Britishers, and the British wanted to impose condign Christian punishments including the cat of nine tai

A spirited history

Frank Welsh has written a magnificent history of Hong Kong: His account of nearly two centuries of British rule is comprehensive, spirited, fair and funny. Welsh obviously enjoyed writing this book, and his energy and enthusiasm are contagious. I loved his concise, blunt and often hilarious assessments of the rogues, eccentrics, incompetents and occasional heroes who governed or otherwise played major roles in Hong Kong: Gov. John Bowring "possessed almost every gift but that of common sense.'' "It might have been possible to find a man more unsuited to be a Colonial Governor than John Pope Hennessey,'' Welsh writes, "but it would not have been easy.'' Welsh admits that he writes from an Anglo perspective, and he is sympathetic to Hong Kong's British colonial rulers. But he is not blind to their snobbish, condescending and sometimes plainly racist attitudes toward the ethnic Chinese they ruled. To this reader, Welsh's argument that the Opium War wasn't really about opium isn't convincing, but his defense of the so-called "unequal treaties" between China and Britain is. Welsh sometimes wades too far into the minutiae of diplomacy and politics, and he too readily assumes the reader's familiarity with 18th century British history and personalities. But these are quibbles; in fact, the weaknesses are the flipside of one of the book's great strengths: It strives to put events in Hong Kong in a broader historical perspective, explaining the political backdrop in Britain or mainland China. One of Welsh's recurring themes struck this reader as particularly timely: the shameful degree to which Hong Kong's business elites, be they British or Chinese, put their narrow interest in profit above the public interest. In the 19th century, Hong Kong moneymen, worried about losing tenants and facing higher costs, opposed efforts to improve public sanitation and fight disease by tearing down squalid, congested tenement buildings. Today, they argue alongside the communist leadership in Beijing against any expansion of democracy in Hong Kong - fearful no doubt that a democratically accountable government might look twice at their privileges and dodgy business practices. Overall, this is a fine book and belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the history of Hong Kong or indeed of Great Britain.

Definitely Worth the Time

Although a little 'dry' at times, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Frank Welsh's analysis of the development of this incredible city, its history and culture is fantastic. What caught my attention was in the Introduction when he remarked that Hong Kong was never a British colony but a Chinese colony administered by the British. From there on, he had my attention.

A Rarity on Hong Kong History

There used to be a saying that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because of the incredible number of colonies the Great Britain governed. The internationally-focused handover of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 historically marked the end of both British ruling over the Chinese financial capital and the legend of the once mighty empire.A British and former international banker, Frank Welsh touched based with both Chinese communist ruler and British officials in the determination of Hong Kong's post-colonial scope. A full account with lucid details on the coming of joint-declaration cosigned by the Bristish and Chinese government in 1984 was included in this one-volume history of the Pearl of the Orient, also dubbed the Heart of Asia.Upon the end of Opium War and the seizure of Hong Kong by UK more than 150 years ago, the British authority has miraculously turned a fishing village to a world-known financial and business capital. "A Borrowed Place: The History of Hong Kong" is a written account that witnesses the political, social, and economical history of the colony exploited by the Great Britain. The timely release of this volume in July 1996 sets the tone of the fearfully waited handover in exactly one year, on July 1, 1997. The book concludes with speculation on post-handover life and socioeconomic aspects of the city. One of the major concerns of natives, democrats, politicians, and even the Taiwaneses, is whether the highly-proclaimed "One Country, Two Systems" approach will function efficiently for, at least, 50 years, as firmly promised by the Chinese Communist power in Beijing.This book is about changes. It is a recollection of events that help transforming a fishing town to the busiest port. It is, however, also a witness to whether the promise made by Chinese government will be fulfilled.

An excellent one-volume history of Hong Kong.

Opening with an explanation of trade in China and ending with speculation about the handover of Hong Kong to China, Welsh does an excellent job of providing the reader with a moving story about the evolution of Hong Kong. From fishing villages to financial capital, Welsh provides not only a political history, but also the economic and social details that make this a compelling work.