CUHK electronic theses & dissertations collection

There has been a misconception that there was no political party in Hong Kong before the 1980s, and that the Hong Kong people cared less about political reforms before the 1990s. This misconception is reinforced by various discourses such as the “lifeboat” theory, the “administrative absorption” theory, and the national characteristic of the Chinese people. Through a historical study of the Reform Club of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Civic Association in the early postwar period, we come to a clear picture of the history of political development in Hong Kong. First, Hong Kong people were not indifferent to politics, although constitutional reforms made little progress before the 1980s. Second, early form of political party did exist before the 1980s.The Reform Club of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Civic Association were more than pressure groups but could be defined as political parties to pursue political, economic and social reforms in Hong Kong. Serving as the bridge between the Government and the people, they were particularly interested in such social issues as the urban development, housing, medicare, economy, education, crime, and hawking. Although the two parties often took a critical stance towards the Government, the Government used them to communicate with the people and to balance of interest of different political forces. The historical role of the Reform Club of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Civic Association is largely forgotten and little-studied. This is the first academic treatment of these two earliest political parties in postwar Hong Kong. It aims to give a better understanding of the intricate relationship between the Colonial Government and the staff in London, the nature of colonial politics in early postwar Hong Kong, and the legacy of the Reform Club of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Civic Association in today’s Hong Kong.一直以來，香港史的論著都認為政黨在一九八零年代後才興起，而香港人在一九九零年代開始才比較關心政治。這誤解可能建基於不同的理論：包括難民心態、行政吸納政治，以及傳統中國人性格等。通過戰後香港革新會及香港公民協會的歷史研究，我們可以對當時的政制發展有更清晰的了解。雖然政制發展在一九八零年代前並不顯著，但香港人並非政治冷感；其實政黨早在一九八零年代前已經開始有所發展。香港革新會及香港公民協會並非一般所指的壓力團體，而是積極爭取政治，經濟及社會改革的政黨。作為政府與市民之間的橋樑，它們特別關注香港的城市發展、房屋政策、醫療保障、經濟發展、教育普及、治安以及小販問題。雖然兩個政黨不時批評政府的政策，但殖民地政府亦樂於利用它們作為與民溝通的橋樑以及平衡各方勢力。香港革新會及香港公民協會的歷史角色已漸被遺忘及忽視。這篇論文首開這兩個政黨學術研究之先河，希望通過其研究加深對殖民政府與宗主國的關係，戰後的殖民地性質、以及被遺忘的香港革新會及香港公民協會的了解。Tsang, Yik Man.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 336-357).Abstracts also in Chinese.Title from PDF title page (viewed on 30, September, 2016).Detailed summary in vernacular field only.Detailed summary in vernacular field only