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The Fulbright program in Hong Kong provides American
scholars with an opportunity to learn about Asian
culture in a setting that blends East and West.
"Hong Kong," observed one recent Fulbright
grantee in his interim report, "is not a
difficult place for an American to live."
Another noted that conditions are so good that
it hardly seems like a foreign experience. A third
found Hong Kong "an exciting and very livable
city and in many respects, far more modern than
many cities in the United States."
Hong Kong, S.A.R. (Special Administrative Region)
is composed of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the
New Territories and the Outlying Islands. Kowloon
and the New Territories are on a peninsula of
the Chinese mainland on the northern side of the
harbor, and Hong Kong Island is on the south side
facing Kowloon. Seen from Victoria Peak, Hong
Kong's beauty and dynamism is unforgettable. Looking
down on the world's busiest deepwater port, one
sees a city where making money is a major focus
of life, but the neon light show that emanates
from some of the sky-scrapers of Central (the
local name for the business district on Hong Kong
island) at dusk and the busy shopping malls and
bustling restaurants tell the visitor that this
is a place where people also enjoy life.
While the impressive skyline of Central suggests
a Western city and the colonial past has left
a British legacy in a variety of forms, not far
below the surface is the Chinese cultural heritage
that influences the lives of most of its inhabitants.
More precisely, the pervasive language and culture
is Cantonese which is not surprising given that
many Hong Kong residents or their ancestors came
from neighboring Guangdong province.
Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Zone Region
of the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) in 1997
after 156 years of British rule. Facing the expiration
of its lease on the New Territories (the part of
Hong Kong next to the Chinese mainland) with China
in 1997, the British government decided in 1984
that it would end its presence in Kowloon and Hong
Kong Island at the same time. Under the agreement
between London and Beijing, Hong Kong retains its
pre-1997 social, economic and legal systems until
2047 and is subject to the direction of Beijing
only in the areas of foreign affairs and defense.
China's official policy with regard to Hong Kong
is "one country, two systems." At the
border, citizens of the PRC must go through an immigration
process just as visitors from other countries, and
citizens of other countries must have a Chinese
visa to enter the PRC from Hong Kong. The Treaty
of Nanking that ended the first Opium War in 1841
gave Britain control of Hong Kong Island. Britain
acquired the Kowloon peninsula in 1860 under the
terms of the Convention of Peking and in 1898 secured
a 99-year lease on the New Territories. Created
primarily to protect British interests in China
and to promote trade, Hong Kong became an important
trading post in the British Empire. In the two decades
before World War II, the colony began a gradual
shift from trade to manufacturing that accelerated
with the victory of the Chinese Communist Party
on the mainland in 1949 and the outbreak of the
Korean War in 1950 when an American embargo forced
Hong Kong to increase its manufacturing capacity
and to develop service industries. In the 1950s,
the size of the workforce grew rapidly as thousands
of refugees fled from the mainland.
The transition to Chinese rule has not had the dire
consequences predicted by some, but there have been
ongoing disputes with the government in Beijing
over a variety of issues. Although Hong Kong was
affected by the Asian economic crisis of the late
1990s and has experienced rising unemployment, falling
property prices and close to zero growth in recent
years, it is still a vibrant financial center and
one of the world's great cities.
Although the last British governor sought to
increase democratic representation in the government,
the Chinese have retained the British colonial
regime's pattern of concentrating most of the
power in the hands of the executive in the post-1997
era. Under the Basic Law, the governing instrument,
executive power is held by the Chief Executive
(CE), who is appointed by the Election Committee
composed of 800 representatives of the community.
The CE must also answer to the State Council of
China. In 1997, shipping tycoon Tung Chee Hwa
was chosen by Beijing to fill the post of chief
executive for five years with powers analogous
to those of the former British Governor. In June
2002 he was confirmed for a second term of office.
The Chief Executive appoints a 15-member Executive
Council to assist in the administration of the
Region. The sixty-member Legislative Council (LegCo)
has limited powers and a limited franchise. Twenty-four
of the members are directly elected from geographical
constituencies and thirty are selected from "functional
constituencies" (mostly professional bodies
and business interests). The other six are chosen
by the Election Committee. The Democratic Party
for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), a pro-Beijing
political party created shortly before the handover,
gained control in the election held in May 1998
and has maintained its power since. The system
insures that no serious opposition can be mounted
to the policies of the current administration.
The following link takes you to a Web site that
provides background on Hong Kong's early development,
its colonial influence, and modern city life.
It will also take you to a presentation called
"The Hong Kong Story." It will connect
you with a section on inhabitants and information
on historical sites and sightseeing opportunities.
http://208.179.38.218/explore/culture/history/index.php
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and Academic Life |
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While the dominant cultural environment is Chinese
and Cantonese, Hong Kong universities see themselves
as a link between Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia.
There are numerous programs focusing on other parts
of Asia and linkages with institutions in other
Asian countries. Because many faculty members received
their graduate training in Europe (especially the
United Kingdom), North America, or Australia, they
have a very cosmopolitan outlook and view of academic
life. The fascinating world of South China, one
of the most dynamic zones of the country, is a short
distance away and much of the rest of Asia can be
reached in less than four hours flight time.
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| The
Fulbright Scholar Program |
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The Hong Kong Fulbright program offers three to
four lecturing/research awards each year. The awards
are usually for ten months but five-month grants
have been given. Grantees are affiliated with the
major Hong Kong universities. There are also up
to two research awards for projects focusing on
contemporary Hong Kong or China-related projects.
Awards at three of the host institutions Hong Kong
Baptist University, City University of Hong Kong,
and Lingnan University are open to scholars in a
variety of disciplines in the social sciences and
humanities. The American Studies Centre at the University
of Hong Kong welcomes Fulbright Scholars whose work
focuses on the United States and uses an interdisciplinary
perspective in their work. The Hong Kong-America
Center (HKAC), located on the campus of the Chinese
University of Hong Kong, offers one of the few Award Descriptions in the world for scholar/administrators.
While applicants are free to communicate with the
host institutions, applicants are not required to
secure an invitation letter. The usual teaching
load is one or three courses per semester depending
upon how the curriculum and academic calendar of
the host institution is organized. Grantees may
also be asked to give guest lectures in other courses
and to consult on program and curriculum development.
The grantee at HKAC teaches only one course during
the year and spends the bulk of his or her time
on organizing conferences, symposia, etc.
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| Academic
Life in Hong Kong |
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Fulbrighters are pleased to discover that academic
life in Hong Kong is much like it is in the United
States with colleagues actively engaged in research
and being part of the international scholarly community.
The observation of one grantee reflects those of
others: "The students in Hong Kong are very
conscientious and hardworking. They are anxious
to get directions and are good at following instructions.
Overall they are highly organized and efficient."
Grantees also find that their students are somewhat
shy and reticent to speak in class and not always
comfortable with the more informal teacher-student
interaction that is typical of the American classroom.
English language abilities of the students vary
across institutions and departments.
The overall assessment of Fulbright grantees
is that teaching in Hong Kong is a very rewarding
experience. Host institutions make grantees feel
welcome, and most grantees find that their level
of engagement with faculty colleagues is what
they anticipated, leading in some instances to
lasting contacts with host institutions and colleagues.
One recent grantee reported that he was impressed
by the level of academic activities in his department,
noting that there were presentations given by
local academics and overseas speakers on almost
a weekly basis. He also found all faculty members
actively engaged in academic research and publication.
Grantees also note that host institutions have
excellent libraries and good classroom facilities
that include up-to-date audiovisual equipment
and computer facilities.
The Fulbright grant makes Hong Kong affordable.
Despite the high cost of living in Hong Kong,
Fulbright Scholars report that they are able to
live comfortably on the Fulbright package. Pleasant
living quarters are provided for free by the host
institutions as part of the grant, and the grant
includes funds to cover utility costs. Hong Kong's
excellent public transportation system makes it
quite easy to get around.
In assessing the value of the Fulbright experience
in Hong Kong, one grantee wrote: "My Fulbright
was invigorating, enlightening, and enjoyable….In
addition to providing a rare opportunity to exchange
views with a wide variety of people (it) forced
me to re-examine my personal values and beliefs.
In this very important sense, it was a life-changing
experience." An administrator affiliated with
the Hong Kong-American Center found the year "very
fruitful and productive . . . as a scholar and administrator."
Grantees also reported gaining new perspectives
on their research as well as obtaining new material
for their courses. Some also noted that the benefits
of their time in Hong Kong extended to their families
with one writing that the experience changed his
children forever.
Here are some other observations from recent
grantees that reflect the personal and professional
impact of the experience and the benefits that
they brought home.
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In all this has been an exciting, valuable
experience like none I've had since graduate
school. Where before I considered myself an
Americanist, now I think of myself as a globalist
(in attitude, if not in expertise). In addition,
I have a much better grasp of America from
seeing it from outside. |
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…this has been one of the best experiences
in my professional career. |
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After I come back to the United States,
I will be able to add a stronger comparative
component to the courses I teach as a result
of this grant. I will eventually develop a
comparative criminal justice course as part
of our curriculum at my university. |
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My Fulbright experience has resulted
in a new research interest or rather taking
a previous research interest (language and
power) and examining it in a new dynamic language
situation.
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This experience has also left a great
impact on me personally. I grew very close
to my students and, as a result, they gave
me valuable insights into their culture. |
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The grant also gave me the opportunity
to travel around Asia, an area I did not know
well. I left feeling a greater appreciation
for the values and cultures of Asia. |
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My teaching (in Hong Kong) has provided
me materials to use in my linguistics classes
at my home institution….The students,
the local newspapers, and my interaction with
colleagues and other Chinese added to the
repertoire of examples that I can use to enhance
my linguistics classes. |
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The experience of living in another,
fairly different, country was also a great
benefit. Intellectually, it made me think
about what qualities really distinguished
various societies.…My tenure in Hong
Kong opened my mind to a whole host of subjects
that I might not otherwise have considered,
in particularly the culture of American business.
Even though American business is one of the
subjects of my research heretofore I had not
thought that much about what makes it different
from business elsewhere. |
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U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau
http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/
This is the official Web site of the U.S. Consulate
General in Hong Kong. It carries information on
services provided by the consulate and other information.
| Hong
Kong Government Sources |
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Preparing for and Settling in Hong Kong
www.YPExpat.com
A commercial site with some useful information.
Living in Hong Kong
www.esdlife.com/eng/default.asp
Commercial site developed by Hong Kong government
providing information on
electronic service delivery.
Hong Kong Tourism Board
www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/index.jsp
A Hong Kong Tourism Board Web site designed specially
for U.S. visitors.
Hong Kong Government Information
www.info.gov.hk/index_e.htm
This is a Hong Kong government Web site on its
services.
Hong Kong Annual Report
www.yearbook.gov.hk
Hong Kong Background Information
www.info.gov.hk/ef3.htm
Hong Kong Fact Sheets
www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheet/index.htm
A very useful page for knowing more about current
developments in Hong Kong.
Living in Hong Kong
www.business.gov.hk/bep/opencms/release/eng/index.html
A Hong Kong government web site for overseas investor
who are interested in
coming to Hong Kong.
| Host
Institutions in Hong Kong |
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Hong Kong Baptist University
www.hkbu.edu.hk/
City University of Hong Kong
www.cityu.edu.hk/
Lingnan University
www.ln.edu.hk/
American Studies Programme
University of Hong Kong
www.hko.hk/amstedy/
Hong Kong-America Center
www.cuhk.edu.hk/hkac/
April 2003 Department of State Background Note:
Hong Kong
www.hongkong.usconsulate.gov/hkmoinfo.html
This page provides political, economic and social
backgrounds on Hong Kong.
Usually updated annually.
Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China)
- Consular Information
Sheet March 4, 2003
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1136.html
This page is maintained by the Bureau of Consular
Service providing
necessary information for travelling to Hong Kong.
It also includes links to
different Hong Kong government Web sites.
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