Re-branding without re-developing: constraints of Hong Kong's ‘Asia's World City’ brand (1997–2007)

Abstract

Interest among academics towards Hong Kong's global status has gradually waned since 1997. However, identifying Hong Kong's position on the international platform is essential if the Special Administrative Region's competitiveness is to be distinguished from that of regional rivals. The positioning challenge not only results from the sovereignty retrocession, but also from the rapid pace of globalization and the intensified competition from major cities in the Greater China Region. Instead of focusing on the much-researched topic of the direct competition between Hong Kong and Shanghai or Singapore, an exploration of Hong Kong's hitherto little-researched re-branding experience not only throws light on Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's policy orientation, but is also valuable in understanding how other cities in the region conducted similar exercises. This article reviews the overall evolution of the ‘Asia's World City’ (AWC) discourse as promoted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from 1997 to 2007. It starts by reviewing the international identity of post-colonial Hong Kong as background to the discourse, in order to reconstruct various theoretical assumptions that led to the re-branding exercise. The second section examines the purpose and evolution of the AWC campaign, and identifies the problems within the discourse. The concluding section focuses on the unrealized theoretical assumptions and other administrative and ideological constraints that the HKSARG faced in the exercise as a means to explaining the overall limited achievements of the campaign and proposes possible ways to remedy the shortcomings.     

迪拜与香港现代化比较

迪拜与香港均是世界著名的贸易、金融、旅游和物流中心,二者在战略地理位置、近现代史和发展现代化的历程等层面有很多相似之处。迪拜和香港的现代化进程都受到英国殖民统治的影响;凭借优越的地理位置,它们都从一个小渔村发展成世界著名的港口;移民为它们的经济建设做出了巨大贡献;转口贸易都曾是其经济结构中最重要的构成部分;目前服务业都是其经济构成中占比最高的部门。在发展现代化的道路上,二者都有值得相互借鉴的经验和教训。     

粤港澳刑事警务执法合作的内容与机制构建

随着近年来跨境犯罪的增加,粤港澳警方的刑事警务执法合作体系的构建也越来越趋于成熟,刑事警务执法合作的内容与机制已经初具模型,对中国区际刑事执法合作的研究具有示范性意义。司法实践主体在代为调查取证、送达法律文书、情报交流、缉捕遣送通缉犯、追缴和移交赃款赃物、刑事案件管辖移交、学术交流等合作内容的基础上逐步构建了完整的粤港澳合作机制。     

中国区际警务执法合作的建构过程与特征初探

中国的区际警务执法合作是在四个互不隶属的法域、三种不同的法系、两种不同的政治社会制度中进行,尽管各法域的历史过程有所不同形成了文化区别,但都植根于中华文化文明,所以,构建过程中依赖共同文化底蕴和民族生存与发展的需要。经过30多年努力地孕育和开拓,从相互隔绝到接触、碰撞、磨合,达到今天的互信,构建了具有中国特色的区际警务执法合作机制,并基本适应了维护各地社会治安稳定的需要。     

社会性别主流化:香港推动社会性别平等的经验及启示

社会性别主流化于1995年第四次世界妇女大会被联合国确定为促进社会性别平等的全球战略,要求各国将社会性别平等作为一项重要的政策指引,将社会性别观点纳入社会发展各领域的主流.成立于2001年的香港社会性别专责机构--妇女事务委员会一直致力于社会性别主流化的实施,特别是在政策范畴(制定、推行、实施)的参与和监督方面,有效地推动了香港地区的社会性别平等事业和社会的可持续发展.香港社会性别主流化的实践经验可为中国大陆社会性别主流化的建设和发展提供借鉴和参考.     

施叔青：香港经验和台湾叙事——兼说世界华文创作中的“施叔青现象”

施叔青是出生于台湾、入籍于美国并一度定居于香港的著名作家.在她完成"香港三部曲"之后返归台湾矢志写作"台湾三部曲".本文以施氏返台后创作的两部长篇小说<微醺彩妆>和<行过洛津>("台湾三部曲"之一)作为讨论对象,探讨施氏的香港经验对她台湾叙事的意义、影响和局限,分析此两部作品的特点和不足,并将施氏的"跨越写作"作为世界华文创作中的一种文化现象进行分析.     

赴香港研修考察警察教育训练的思考

公安部组织公安院校青年教官对香港进行了为期两周的研修考察,在这次研修考察中,我们感受到,香港警察教育训练“以人为本”的理念是做好警察教育训练的关键和基础。在这个理念的指导下,实用灵活的训练内容和教育及教师运行机制保证了整个警察教育训练的质量,完善、高质量的硬件建设和先进的装备,使香港警察教育训练始终站在世界的前列。     

洪秀全早期思想与基督教关系新论

本对洪秀全早期反清革命思想的产生与基督教影响的关系提出新的看法：即不是基督教唤起了洪秀全的反清革命思想，也不是洪秀全自觉地利用基督教发动农民革命，更不可能洪秀全有一段“纯粹的宗教家”的思想历程，基督教对早年洪秀全的影响与作用，只是这位欲举大事而又十分迷信的农民革命领袖提供了极其需要的，新的“君权神授 ”的内容与依据，有力地促进了他的农民革命思想体系的成熟与定型。     

Homicide–suicide in Hong Kong, 1989–1998

This study provides the first systematic research of homicide–suicide (HS) in a Chinese society. Data were drawn from the HK Homicide Monitoring Data-base computer file derived from investigation and death reports held by the HK Police Force and the Coroner’s Court. During the 10-year study period, 56 events involving 133 deaths were identified. The majority of offenders were males (75%) and most victims were female (64%). The mean age of offenders and victims were 41.9 and 32.3 years, respectively. Spouses and lovers comprised the majority of victims (46.4%) followed by child victims (36%). Most HS events were motivated by separation or termination of marital or sexual relations (39%), economic reasons (25%) and other domestic disputes (20%). The most frequent modes of killing were strangulation/suffocation (26%), stabbing/chopping (24%), followed by gassing/poisoning (14%) and falling from a height (14%). The commonest method of suicide was falling from a height (48%). It was followed by gassing/poisoning (22%) and strangulation/suffocation (13%). Depression (18.3%) was found to be the commonest mental disorder. Most offenders were from low-socio-economic background. Two-third were unemployed and 76.6% had 9 or less years of education. HS in HK were distinguished from those reported in the western literature in respect to the high relevance of economic factors, the absence of mercy killing between old couples, a higher percentage of pedicide–suicides and the infrequent use of firearms.     

对香港少年警讯的几点思考

香港少年警讯是香港警务处推行防止罪案工作中最为成功的项目之一,它的成功经验对我们有着积极的借鉴作用。我 们应当适应时代要求,转变观念,积极引入警察公关理念,对内地青少年教育资源进行有效整合。