As far as I know, there is no place in the world where a country has jurisdiction over two diametrically opposed political economic systems. The "one country, two systems" model that accommodates the Special Administrative Region (SAR)of Hong Kong post-1997 handover from the UK, is unique and fascinating. Not surprisingly, Beijing emphasizes "one country" and Hong Kong emphasizes "two systems". The latter permits HK to allow largely unrestricted political and economic freedom for its SAR citizens, while in mainland China there is one party rule and sharp restrictions on political freedom and expression.
It seems that Beijing is becoming concerned with the relative autonomy of Hong Kong and the perceived allegiance of the population, particularly the younger generation.
The Chinese Vice President told SAR officials that they should not put "two systems" before "one country". And another party official said "I would particularly raise the issue of national education for Hong Kong youth. This matter is very serious and very urgent now."
The arrangement that China made with Britain to allow HK to retain its separate system, expires in 2047. What will happen then?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Hong Kong Political Economy, Part 1
On the Heritage Foundation 2011 Index of Economic Freedom, Hong Kong is ranked number 1 as a result of low or non-existent taxation and minimal government intervention. Not surprisingly, therefore, Hong Kong is also number 1 in income inequality among developed nations (Singapore is 2nd and the USA is 3rd). Only this year has Hong Kong finally established a minimum wage.
The area where the inequality is most severely manifested is in housing. Hong Kong is the most expensive place to live in the world. Land is owned by the government and the sale of land to real estate conglomerates is the primary source of Hong Kong revenue. Very few people can afford to buy an apartment/flat and what is available is overpriced and undersized. Since government revenue is derived from the sale and leasing of land and property, the government has an interest in keeping prices inflated and steadily rising. This is one sphere where there is very little free market competition.
In "Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong" Alice Poon writes: "Our government seems to have more interest in the revenue it earns from land than any regard for the social repercussions of large groups hoarding this scarce and precious resource. This resource has enriched the few large groups so much that they have practically become the ruling class of Hong Kong....Acute concentration in the hands of the economic lords has divided society into a wealthy oligarchy and a poor, struggling-for-survival majority."
One of the stark indicators of this social crisis is the existence of "cage homes".
More with photos here.
The area where the inequality is most severely manifested is in housing. Hong Kong is the most expensive place to live in the world. Land is owned by the government and the sale of land to real estate conglomerates is the primary source of Hong Kong revenue. Very few people can afford to buy an apartment/flat and what is available is overpriced and undersized. Since government revenue is derived from the sale and leasing of land and property, the government has an interest in keeping prices inflated and steadily rising. This is one sphere where there is very little free market competition.
In "Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong" Alice Poon writes: "Our government seems to have more interest in the revenue it earns from land than any regard for the social repercussions of large groups hoarding this scarce and precious resource. This resource has enriched the few large groups so much that they have practically become the ruling class of Hong Kong....Acute concentration in the hands of the economic lords has divided society into a wealthy oligarchy and a poor, struggling-for-survival majority."
One of the stark indicators of this social crisis is the existence of "cage homes".
More with photos here.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Colorism in Hong Kong
Walking around Hong Kong past the endless barrage of commercial advertisements and through shopping malls it is hard to avoid noticing very light skinned faces on the ads and an inordinately large number of cosmetics shops emphasizing whitening solutions. While cosmetic surgery has not taken off in Hong Kong, as far as I can tell, skin whitening is a growth industry .
As this trade story indicates, "The skin-whitening market in Asia has been growing steadily since the early 1970s and shows no sign of abating. Worth a reported US$18 billion in Asia alone, the sector offers immense commercial opportunities, with many of the world’s leading cosmetic companies launching products specifically designed to cater for Asian consumers."
And I thought women carried those umbrellas during the summer to protect themselves from skin cancer.
More on the phenomenon here.
As this trade story indicates, "The skin-whitening market in Asia has been growing steadily since the early 1970s and shows no sign of abating. Worth a reported US$18 billion in Asia alone, the sector offers immense commercial opportunities, with many of the world’s leading cosmetic companies launching products specifically designed to cater for Asian consumers."
And I thought women carried those umbrellas during the summer to protect themselves from skin cancer.
More on the phenomenon here.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Thin Hong Kong
There are no (large) obese people in Hong Kong.
This may sound like a gross overgeneralization but after living here and spending a great deal of time on the streets and in the public transportation system I can make the claim with a great deal of confidence. That is, I never see any US-style grossly obese people in Hong Kong, and very few that I would even describe as “chubby”. The only time I spot someone who is significantly overweight, they turn out to be a Westerner from the US or the UK.
Assuming I do not have a biased sample (obese people are less likely to walk outside, use public transportation, etc), what is the explanation for Thin Hong Kong?
It is not due to a lack of eating. I have commented on the lunch ritual that entails almost every working person going out to lunch at the strike of 12:30 for at least one hour. It has also been observed that Hong Kong residents eat out in restaurants more often than any other population in the world. There is always a queue at the lunch and dinner hours at most restaurants.
So, it must be due to genetics, diet, exercise or likely some combination of these.
On the genetics front: Since there is a massive literature emerging on rising obesity levels in China (see the book, Fat China), and Hong Kong, thin is not an inevitable genetic fate but there does seem to be evidence that obesity in the Chinese takes a different body form than it does in the US. And if obesity is rising in Hong Kong, the phrase “it’s all relative” must be applied as the US is light years ahead on gross national girth.
Diet has always been regarded as a major source of Chinese health. The menu here is heavy on soup, vegetables, fish, chicken, pork, along with rice and soybean. When people eat out they have thousands of restaurants to choose from and these are small and medium size operations that are located everywhere in Hong Kong serving traditional Cantonese fare. People tend to share dishes rather than consume a single entry solo. While fast food is available, it is not on every street corner and it does not seem to be as widely consumed. People drink tea rather than soda. However, there are a large number of bakeries selling various buns and deserts.
In terms of exercise, though people eat out a lot, they will likely have to walk some distance to get to the restaurant. Hong Kongers do a lot of walking to bus stops, public transportation stations, etc. Most people do not drive or own cars. I believe the walking culture is a major contributor to the relatively lean population.
As noted, all of this may be changing as Western dietary habits and less physical activity, along with greater stress, creep into the lifestyle. It seems that in China it takes less increased obesity to produce correspondingly high increases in diabetes. Diabetes in China has now reached epidemic levels.
This may sound like a gross overgeneralization but after living here and spending a great deal of time on the streets and in the public transportation system I can make the claim with a great deal of confidence. That is, I never see any US-style grossly obese people in Hong Kong, and very few that I would even describe as “chubby”. The only time I spot someone who is significantly overweight, they turn out to be a Westerner from the US or the UK.
Assuming I do not have a biased sample (obese people are less likely to walk outside, use public transportation, etc), what is the explanation for Thin Hong Kong?
It is not due to a lack of eating. I have commented on the lunch ritual that entails almost every working person going out to lunch at the strike of 12:30 for at least one hour. It has also been observed that Hong Kong residents eat out in restaurants more often than any other population in the world. There is always a queue at the lunch and dinner hours at most restaurants.
So, it must be due to genetics, diet, exercise or likely some combination of these.
On the genetics front: Since there is a massive literature emerging on rising obesity levels in China (see the book, Fat China), and Hong Kong, thin is not an inevitable genetic fate but there does seem to be evidence that obesity in the Chinese takes a different body form than it does in the US. And if obesity is rising in Hong Kong, the phrase “it’s all relative” must be applied as the US is light years ahead on gross national girth.
Diet has always been regarded as a major source of Chinese health. The menu here is heavy on soup, vegetables, fish, chicken, pork, along with rice and soybean. When people eat out they have thousands of restaurants to choose from and these are small and medium size operations that are located everywhere in Hong Kong serving traditional Cantonese fare. People tend to share dishes rather than consume a single entry solo. While fast food is available, it is not on every street corner and it does not seem to be as widely consumed. People drink tea rather than soda. However, there are a large number of bakeries selling various buns and deserts.
In terms of exercise, though people eat out a lot, they will likely have to walk some distance to get to the restaurant. Hong Kongers do a lot of walking to bus stops, public transportation stations, etc. Most people do not drive or own cars. I believe the walking culture is a major contributor to the relatively lean population.
As noted, all of this may be changing as Western dietary habits and less physical activity, along with greater stress, creep into the lifestyle. It seems that in China it takes less increased obesity to produce correspondingly high increases in diabetes. Diabetes in China has now reached epidemic levels.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Chinese New Year
February 3rd marks the start of the Chinese New Year -- the year of the rabbit.
Victoria Park in Hong Kong has an annual fair with booths selling items from the sacred to the profane.
Not sure what this has to do with the Chinese New Year tradition.
Victoria Park in Hong Kong has an annual fair with booths selling items from the sacred to the profane.
Not sure what this has to do with the Chinese New Year tradition.
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