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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
‘Yep’s long-awaited book is the first archive-based account of MacLehose’s governorship through the lens of sovereign-colony interactions. By combining historical research with theoretical insights, the book not only makes a major contribution to Hong Kong and British imperial history, but also provides valuable lessons for managing post-1997 Beijing–SAR relations.’
—Chi-kwan Mark, Royal Holloway, University of London
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