​Decade of Challenge and Transformation: Hong Kong in the 1960s

Decade of Challenge and Transformation: Hong Kong in the 1960s

The 1960s were a watershed period for Hong Kong. Numerous key events during this era still carry significant contemporary resonances. The decade started with the devastating aftermath of the Great Leap Forward in China, and ended with the international triumph of the Hong Kong display at the Osaka World Expo. Along the way, the refugee/illegal immigrant influx in 1962, ongoing water shortages, bank runs in 1965, the Star Ferry riots and the upheavals of 1967, all posed their own challenges.

Industry transformed itself throughout this period; as local wages steadily rose, additional value was added. Hong Kong’s entertainment industry also took off; the introduction of television changed the way this society saw itself and took the Hong Kong “brand” right across the Chinese (and wider) world. Extensively illustrated, wide-ranging yet anecdotal, this detailed lecture will bring this momentous decade to life.