Preview

Hong Kong During the 1950s and 1960s

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2652 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hong Kong During the 1950s and 1960s
Hong Kong during the 1950s and 60¡¦s
Hong Kong is often looked upon as the capital of free trade. Located in the center of Southeast Asia, this is no small coincidence as to the region¡¦s success. It is based upon effective governance and the intensive working attitude of the local people. Nevertheless, Hong Kong has had to confront numerous challenges in order to achieve its status in the world market today. In the early 1950s, Hong Kong underwent enormous changes which totally transformed its economy, society and politics. Most particularly was the large influx of Chinese refugees to this region. With effective governance and the hard work of its people, Hong Kong prospered during the 1950¡¦s and 1960¡¦s and ultimately retained its prosperity up until the city¡¦s reunification by China in 1997.
When Hong Kong finally ceded to the Britain in 1943, the region had relied heavily on the entrepot trade. However, Hong Kong, prior to this, was subjected to Japanese occupation for about three and a half years, during the Second World War. They forbid all trade activities in Hong Kong and reassigned most of the region¡¦s resources to support the war effort . The entrepot trade completely collapsed and Hong Kong was subjected to ¡§Three years and Eight months of Hardship¡¨. The population, during this period, dropped from 1.6 million to half a million during the Japanese occupation . There was no economic activities underway in the city during this war-time period. Fortunately, after the British resumed its administrative duties in Hong Kong, after the Japanese surrendered, the economy has restored and even propsered. Its import and export volumes increased steadily shortly after the war and this continued for quite some time. In fact, the total economic output dramatically increased from 1.7 billion Hong Kong Dollars in 1946 to 9.3 billion Hong Kong Dollars in 1951 . At that time, manufacturing remained, however, only a small portion of the total economic output in



Bibliography: Chung, S. Y. Sze Yuen ,Xianggang hui gui li cheng : (Zhong Shiyuan hui yi lu), . London: Toppan Printing Company. 1968 Lee Pui-Tak. ¡§Cultural Formation in Postwar Hong Kong¡¨ Hong Kong: HKU Press, 2001. Cheng, Naishan, Lao Xianggang : dong fang zhi zhu ,Nanjing :JangZao Publishing, 2000. Faure, D. ¡§Hong Kong Documentation History: Society¡¨ Chen, Ji, 1918- Xianggang ji lu (1950-1980) : Chen Ji she ying ji, Joint Publishing (HK) Co,Ltd, Young, John D. The Building Years: Maintaining a China-Hong Kong-Britain Equilibrium, 1950-71. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1994 Chen Ming,Celebration of Hong Kong-Return to Motnerland, Wah Kwong Newspaper Ltd., 1997 Youngeson, A.J. ¡§Hong Kong Economic Growth and Policy¡¨. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1982.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

Related Topics