Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

Fortune's bazaar : the making of Hong Kong / Vaudine England.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Scribner, 2023Copyright date: ©2023Edition: First Scribner hardcover editionDescription: 358 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781982184513
  • 1982184515
Other title:
  • Making of Hong Kong
Subject(s):
Contents:
Introduction: the different city -- The world to Hong Kong -- Fresh off the boat -- Honey -- Home -- Through the screen -- Constructing identities -- Hong Kong people making Hong Kong -- A cosmopolitan place -- Imagining communities -- The Eurasians -- Dancing on the edge -- Wars within and without -- Tough love -- The Hong Kongers -- Epilogue.
Summary: "Hong Kong has always been many cities to many people: a seaport, a gateway to an empire, a place where fortunes can be dramatically made or lost, a place to disappear and reinvent oneself, and a mixing pot of diverse populations from literally everywhere around the globe. A British Crown Colony for 155 years, Hong Kong is now ruled by the Chinese Communist Party who continues to threaten its democracy and put its rich legacy at risk. Here, renowned journalist Vaudine England delves into Hong Kong's complex history and its people--diverse, multi-cultural, cosmopolitan--who have made this one-time fishing village into the world port city it is today. Rather than a traditional history describing a town led by British Governors or a mere offshoot of a collapsing Chinese empire, Fortune's Bazaar is the first thorough examination of the varied peoples who made Hong Kong. While British traders and Asian merchants had long been busy in the Indian and South East Asian seas, there were many from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds who arrived in Hong Kong, met and married--despite all taboos--and created a distinct community. Many of Hong Kong's most influential figures during its first century as a city were neither British nor Chinese--they were Malay or Indian, Jewish or Armenian, Parsi or Portuguese, Eurasian or Chindian--or simply, Hong Kongers. England describes those overlooked in history including the opium-traders who built synagogues or churches, ship-owners carrying gold-rush migrants, property tycoons, and more. Here, too, is the visionary who plumbed Hong Kong's harbor depths to spur reclamation, the half-Dutch Chinese gentleman with two wives who was knighted by Queen Victoria, and the landscape gardeners who settled Kowloon and became millionaires. A story of empire, race, and sex, Fortune's Bazaar combines deep archival research and oral history to present a vivid history of a special place--a unique city made by diverse people of the world, whose part in its creation has never been properly told until now"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 951.2506 E58 Available 33111011306871
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A timely, well-researched, and " illuminating " ( The New York Times Book Review ) new history of Hong Kong that reveals the untold stories of the diverse peoples who have made it a multicultural world metropolis--and whose freedoms are endangered today.

Hong Kong has always been many cities to many people: a seaport, a gateway to an empire, a place where fortunes can be dramatically made or lost, a place to disappear and reinvent oneself, and a melting pot of diverse populations from around the globe. A British Crown Colony for 155 years, Hong Kong is now ruled by the Chinese Communist Party. Here, renowned journalist Vaudine England delves into Hong Kong's complex history and its people--diverse, multi-cultural, cosmopolitan--who have made this one-time fishing village into the world port city it is today.

Rather than a traditional history describing a town led by British Governors or a mere offshoot of a collapsing Chinese empire, Fortune's Bazaar is "a winning portrait of Hong Kong's vibrant mosaic" ( Publishers Weekly ). While British traders and Asian merchants had long been busy in the Indian and South East Asian seas, many people from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds arrived in Hong Kong, met, and married--despite all taboos--and created a distinct community. Many of Hong Kong's most influential figures during its first century as a city were neither British nor Chinese--they were Malay or Indian, Jewish or Armenian, Parsi or Portuguese, Eurasian or Chindian--or simply, Hong Kongers. England describes those overlooked in history, including the opium traders who built synagogues and churches; ship owners carrying gold-rush migrants; the half-Dutch, half-Chinese gentleman with two wives who was knighted by Queen Victoria; and the gardeners who settled Kowloon, the mainland peninsula facing the island of Hong Kong, and became millionaires.

A story of empire, race, and sex, Fortune's Bazaar presents a "fresh...essential" (Ian Buruma), "formidable and important" ( The Correspondent ) history of a special place--a unique city made by diverse people of the world, whose part in its creation has never been properly told until now.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-332) and index.

Introduction: the different city -- The world to Hong Kong -- Fresh off the boat -- Honey -- Home -- Through the screen -- Constructing identities -- Hong Kong people making Hong Kong -- A cosmopolitan place -- Imagining communities -- The Eurasians -- Dancing on the edge -- Wars within and without -- Tough love -- The Hong Kongers -- Epilogue.

"Hong Kong has always been many cities to many people: a seaport, a gateway to an empire, a place where fortunes can be dramatically made or lost, a place to disappear and reinvent oneself, and a mixing pot of diverse populations from literally everywhere around the globe. A British Crown Colony for 155 years, Hong Kong is now ruled by the Chinese Communist Party who continues to threaten its democracy and put its rich legacy at risk. Here, renowned journalist Vaudine England delves into Hong Kong's complex history and its people--diverse, multi-cultural, cosmopolitan--who have made this one-time fishing village into the world port city it is today. Rather than a traditional history describing a town led by British Governors or a mere offshoot of a collapsing Chinese empire, Fortune's Bazaar is the first thorough examination of the varied peoples who made Hong Kong. While British traders and Asian merchants had long been busy in the Indian and South East Asian seas, there were many from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds who arrived in Hong Kong, met and married--despite all taboos--and created a distinct community. Many of Hong Kong's most influential figures during its first century as a city were neither British nor Chinese--they were Malay or Indian, Jewish or Armenian, Parsi or Portuguese, Eurasian or Chindian--or simply, Hong Kongers. England describes those overlooked in history including the opium-traders who built synagogues or churches, ship-owners carrying gold-rush migrants, property tycoons, and more. Here, too, is the visionary who plumbed Hong Kong's harbor depths to spur reclamation, the half-Dutch Chinese gentleman with two wives who was knighted by Queen Victoria, and the landscape gardeners who settled Kowloon and became millionaires. A story of empire, race, and sex, Fortune's Bazaar combines deep archival research and oral history to present a vivid history of a special place--a unique city made by diverse people of the world, whose part in its creation has never been properly told until now"-- Provided by publisher.

Powered by Koha