University of Toronto
HIS385H1-F
HISTORY OF HONG KONG
Fall 2020
Chin Lim
chin.lim@utoronto.ca
Drop-in Virtual Office Hours
Tuesdays and Thursdays. 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. (Toronto time)
This is an online, asynchronous course. Lectures will be pre-recorded and posted in
Quercus on a weekly basis. Office hours will be scheduled twice a week on
Blackboard (Bb) Collaborate for students to ask questions and clarifications about
course and lecture contents. Course readings are located in Library Course
Reserves and available through Quercus. Students are not required to purchase a
textbook or course reader.
This course examines the growth of Hong Kong from a trading port set up by Great
Britain in the mid-19th century, to the city’s rise as a major center of world economy and
Chinese diaspora in the 20th century, culminating with its return to Chinese sovereignty in
1997. It focuses on both Hong Kong’s internal developments and broader contexts,
including a comparative consideration of British colonialism in East- and Southeast Asia.
During Hong Kong’s first century of existence, a society of sojourners – Chinese
migrants and British and other expatriates – was formed under British colonial rule. In
the same period, Hong Kong functioned as a point of exchange between China and the
outside world, for goods, ideas and people. For three decades after the establishment of
the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Hong Kong lost a good deal of its function as an
entrepot between China and the West. However, its economy underwent rapid
industrialization, and became significant on the global scene. At the same time, unique
social, political, and cultural patterns arose, distinct from other Chinese-speaking or
English-speaking societies. In 1997, the United Kingdom handed sovereign power over
the territory to a vastly different People’s Republic of China, initiating significant
changes in Hong Kong.
EVALUATIONS




Quizzes (5 x 6%)
Topic Proposal and Annotated Bibliography
Thesis and Outline
Research Paper
1
30%
20%
20%
30%
ASSIGNMENTS OVERVIEW
Quizzes (5 x 6% = 30%)
DUE: September 25, October 9, October 23, November 6, November 27, 2020
The quizzes are intended for you to engage and relate with course materials including
lectures and readings. Each quiz may be different depending on specific course materials
covered. For instance, you may be required to provide short answers in one quiz while
asked to search for information on the Internet in another quiz. Each quiz is due on a
Friday and instructions will be provided on Monday of the same week. The due dates will
be strictly enforced, and no late submission or make-up quiz is allowed.
Topic Proposal and Annotated Bibliography (20%)
DUE: October 16, 2020
Identify a topic for your Research Paper. The Topic Proposal is to help you think about
and commit to a topic that has rich potential for research and argument. It also provides
an opportunity for you to receive feedback about the viability of your question early in
the writing process. The Annotated Bibliography is intended for you to become familiar
with the secondary research and commentary relating to your topic. It requires you to
identify and read your sources before you start working on the Research Paper. It must
include annotations, or comments, on each source. More details available in Quercus.
Thesis and Outline (20%)
DUE: November 20, 2020
This allows you to formulate a thesis for the Research Paper and construct an outline that
maps the structure and organization of your paper. In addition to a thesis, the outline will
indicate the main point/idea of each paragraph and evidence what will be used to support
those points/ideas. More details available in Quercus.
Research Paper (30%)
DUE: December 18, 2020
Length: 2000 – 3000 words
At this point, with the completion of preceding assignments, you will be able to study an
aspect of Hong Kong history in more depth and develop your higher-level abilities of
analysis, synthesis, and comparison. You are required to make use of all materials from
the annotated bibliography. You are also required to incorporate course readings that are
relevant to your topic in the Research Paper. More details available in Quercus.
COURSE POLICIES
Quercus and Bb Collaborate
The course uses Quercus for lecture recordings, announcements, handouts, assignment
submissions and grades. Blackboard Collaborate, which is an integrated tool in Quercus
is used for virtual office hours and meetings.
2
Lecture Recordings
Weekly lecture recordings will be available in Quercus every Monday, no later than
11:59 p.m. (Toronto time).
E-mail correspondence
Each e-mail must clearly identify the sender and subject information. Unidentified emails will be erased. Check course syllabus carefully before sending a question through
e-mail.
Submitting Papers
All papers must be typed, double-spaced, with size 12 font, using standard margins and
page numbers. Submissions must be made in Quercus only.
Request for Extension and Late Assignments
All assignments are due no later than stipulated dates and times. A request for extension
or late submission must be emailed to and approved by the instructor at least 48 hours
before a stipulated deadline.
Notice of Video Recording Download and Sharing
Course lectures will be recorded and will be available to students in the course for
viewing remotely. Course videos and materials belong to the instructor, the University,
and/or other source depending on the specific facts of each situation and are protected by
copyright. In this course, you are permitted to download lecture videos and materials for
your own academic use, but you should not copy, share, or use them for any other
purpose without the explicit permission of the instructor.
Turnitin
This course uses Turnitin.com which is an integrated tool in Quercus.
Submission of coursework to Turnitin.com is requested for a review of textual similarity
and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their essays to be
included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database, where they will be
used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the
University’s use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com web site.
If you cannot or do not wish to use Turnitin, you may submit paper copies of your work
with supporting notes BUT must notify us of this in advance of assignment deadlines.
Academic Integrity
The University of Toronto treats cases of plagiarism very seriously. The Code of
Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines the behaviours that constitute academic
dishonesty and the procedures for addressing academic offenses. See
http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies/behaveac.htm. If you have questions
or concerns about what constitutes appropriate academic behaviour or research and
citation methods, you should seek information from your instructor or other university
resources.
See http://www.utoronto.ca/academicintegrity/resourcesforstudents.html
3
At the discretion of the instructor, you may be required to clarify certain points in the
written assignments or to account for your source materials at an individual virtual
interview before a grade is awarded.
Accessibility
The University provides academic accommodations for students with disabilities in
accordance with the terms of the Ontario Human Rights Code. For information on
services and resources, see http://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/as
LECTURE SCHEDULE
Week 1 (September 14, 2020)
COURSE ORIENTATION
There is no lecture recording scheduled this week. We will take the time to become
familiar with the virtual teaching and learning environment. There will be questions and
concerns as well as pedagogical and technical challenges for all of us. We will use this
week to address course-related issues. Instead of lectures, I will post recordings with
elaboration on assignments and other aspects of the course.
Week 2 (September 21, 2020)
Quiz 1 due September 25
Lecture:
Hong Kong: Pre-history
Readings:
1) Robarts Library E-journal: Bernard Hung-kay Luk, “Hong Kong
History and Culture,” Chinese Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 30,
Issue 3 (Spring 1998), 13-24.
2) A. Birch, “Approaches to Hong Kong history”
Week 3 (September 28, 2020)
Lecture:
Readings:
Founding of a Crown Colony
1) T.N. Chiu, Port of Hong Kong, Chapter 1
2) D. Faure, “Introduction: Hong Kong, Colonial Society” in
Documentary History of Hong Kong: Society
Week 4 (October 5, 2020)
Quiz 2 due October 9
Lecture:
Chinese community in early colonial Hong Kong
4
Readings:
1) C. Munn, Anglo-China Chinese People and British Rule in Hong Kong,
1841-1880, Chapter 1
2) C. Smith, “The English-educated Chinese elite in 19th-century Hong
Kong
Week 5 (October 12, 2020)
Topic Proposal and Annotated Bibliography due October 16
Lecture:
Hong Kong as an entrepot
Readings:
1) W.K. Chan, The making of Hong Kong society, Chapter 3
2) K.N. Vaid, Overseas Indian Community in Hong Kong, Chapter 1
Week 6 (October 19, 2020)
Quiz 3 due October 23
Lecture:
Hong Kong from 1900s to 1930s
Readings:
1) N. Miners, Hong Kong under imperial rule, 1912-1941, Chapter 1
2) D. Faure, “The People’s Livelihood in the 1920s and 1930s” in
Documentary History of Hong Kong: Society
Week 7 (October 26, 2020)
Lecture:
Readings:
Hong Kong under Japanese Occupation
1) D. Faure, “The Second World War and the Japanese Occupation” in
Documentary History of Hong Kong: Society
2) D. Faure, “The return to immigrant society, 1945-1966” in
Documentary History of Hong Kong: Society
Week 8 (November 2, 2020)
Quiz 4 due November 6
Lecture:
Export-led Industrialization, 1950s-1980s
Readings:
1) A.J. Youngson, Hong Kong economic growth and policy, Chapter 1
2) J. Young, “The building years: maintaining a China-Hong Kong-Britain
equilibrium, 1950-1971”
Fall Term Reading Week (November 9 - 13, 2020)
No classes
Last day to drop F course without academic penalty – November 9
Last day to add/remove CR/NCR option in F course – November 9
5
Week 9 (November 16, 2020)
Thesis and Outline due November 20
Lecture:
1970s as watershed: a civil society and Hong Kong identity
Readings:
1) S.K. Lau and H.C. Kuan, The Ethos of the Hong Kong Chinese, Ch. 1
2) A. Leung, Perspectives on Hong Kong society, Chapter 3
3) Wang Gung-wu, “Chineseness: the dilemmas of place and practice”
Week 10 (November 23, 2020)
Quiz 5 due November 27
Lecture:
Road to Decolonization
Readings:
1) R. Buckley, Hong Kong: the road to 1997, Chapter 4
2) J. Tang & F. Ching, “Balancing the Beijing-London-Hong Kong “threelegged stool,” 1971-1986”
3) S. Tsang, Hong Kong: appointment with China, Chapter 5
Week 11 (November 30, 2020)
Lecture:
Readings:
The Handover and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
1) M. Chan, “Democracy de-railed: Realpolitik in the making of the Hong
Kong Basic Law, 1985-1990”
2) M. Chan, “Global implications of Hong Kong’s retrocession to Chinese
sovereignty”
3) A. So and M. Chan, “Crisis and transformation in the Hong Kong SAR”
4) M. Chan, “The legacy of British administration of Hong Kong”
Week 12 (December 7, 2020)
No lecture recording
Additional office hours will be scheduled for consultation on Research Paper
Further details to be announced
Final Assessment Period (December 11 – 22, 2020)
Research Paper due December 18, 2020
6