How Britain’s capitalist experiment has shaped Hong Kong’s attitudes and values, from education to health care and urban planning
- Under the British, a policy of laissez-faire capitalism plus the strong Chinese work ethic made the dreams of Hongkongers a reality. Today, however, the endless toil is taking its toll as the city struggles to safeguard the wider public interest
As the dust settled at the end of the first opium war, Britain’s vision was for sparsely populated Hong Kong to serve as a port city for international trade. The idea was to make money. Lots of it.
Charles Elliot, the first administrator in Hong Kong, proclaimed in 1841 that Hong Kong would be a free port. True to his word, liberal economic policies under laissez-faire governance reigned. The stage was set for Hong Kong’s go-getting nature and forward-looking ethos.
Hong Kong attracted migrants who saw the place as a land of opportunity where they could forge a better life for themselves and their families. For many, it became just that.
Although their accomplishments are celebrated as exceptions rather than the norm, self-made tycoons like Kwok and Li are seen as the poster children of what can be achieved in Hong Kong through hard work and dedication.
Furthermore, one need not search long for more modest success stories. As an immigrant, my late grandfather owned and operated a toy store on Shanghai Street in Mong Kok named Kwan Wing Kee. Today, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are reaping the fruits of his labour.