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Man in a Hurry

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In Man in a Hurry: Murray MacLehose and Colonial Autonomy in Hong Kong, Ray Yep explores the latest available archival materials and re-examines MacLehose’s pivotal governorship in Hong Kong (1971–...
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  • 30 August 2024
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In Man in a Hurry: Murray MacLehose and Colonial Autonomy in Hong Kong, Ray Yep explores the latest available archival materials and re-examines MacLehose’s pivotal governorship in Hong Kong (1971–1982). MacLehose arrived in the challenging 1970s, when there were expectations for social reforms, uneasiness in the relationship between Hong Kong and London, and the 1997 factor looming large. The governor successfully carried out various social reforms and he also handled various major issues, including the anti-corruption campaign, the Vietnamese refugee crisis, and the granting of land lease of the New Territories beyond 1997. Yep unveils the tension and bargaining between the British government and explains how interest of the colony could asserted, defended, and negotiated. This book is an important study of Hong Kong’s ‘golden years’ when the city’s economy took off. It is a significant contribution to our understanding of how local autonomy was defined.
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Price: £47.00
Pages: 216
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
Imprint: Hong Kong University Press
Publication Date: 30 August 2024
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9789888842926
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:

HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General, HISTORY / Asia / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Asian

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‘Ray Yep is one of the leading historians of Hong Kong. His latest book, Man in a Hurry, compellingly tells the story of how Hong Kong’s state and civil society modernized under its longest-serving colonial governor, Murray MacLehose. Drawing on extensive research into newly-available primary sources, Yep shows that MacLehose, a “reluctant reformer”, navigated a path between an increasingly assertive and expectant population and a newly intrusive British political class to help create a prosperous and well-managed territory and a city of global importance. Anyone interested in the making of contemporary Hong Kong needs to read this book.’ 

Mark Hampton, author of Hong Kong and British Culture, 1945–97

List of Figure and Tables viii

Acknowledgements ix

1. Introduction 1

2. The Restive 1960s 22

3. Pre-empting the Sovereign: The Creation of ICAC and the Police

Mutiny 45

4. Pushing Back: Social Reforms and the Hong Kong Planning Paper 78

5. Humanitarianism Outsourced: The Vietnamese Refugee Crisis,

1975–1979 108

6. Asserting Local Concern: Land Leases in the New Territories and

the Future of Hong Kong 138

7. Final Remarks 170

Bibliography 187

Index 195