After the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842, which marked the end of the First Opium War, Hong Kong was ceded to the British Crown as part of the agreement for an indefinite period of time. During this period of time, Hong Kong experienced major social changes, particularly in the area of women’s education. The purpose initially appeared to be the desire to help the Chinese; however, the truth was that Great Britain sought to establish their superiority by undermining the prevalent Confucian family system through the education of women.
The educational system in Hong Kong shortly before colonial rule was mostly composed of schools in small villages often associated with temples (Sweeting 87). The traditional Confucian family system placed an emphasis on men being superior over women. Boys usually attended these schools since most family believed that girls were more useful at home doing housework. These evidence might lead us to conclude that the progress of education in Hong Kong remained stagnant until the arrival of the British but it was not the case. For example, there was a college in Hong Kong, near the village of Kam Tin, founded several centuries before the first college was established in England (Sweeting 89). Nevertheless, the arrival of foreigners in Hong Kong accelerated the pace of change in the area of education and social wellbeing as more and more opportunities became available.
Few women attended schools in Hong Kong before 1842. A British man observed the lack of education for women writing, “By neglecting to educate females, and to take proper care of children in the first years of their lives, the foundations of society are corrupted… Such are some of the particulars in which education among the Chine...
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Chiu, Patricia Pok-kwan. "‘A Position of Usefulness’: Gendering History of Girls’ Education in Colonial Hong Kong (1850s–1890s)." History of Education 37.6 (2008): 789-805. EBSCOhost. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Featherstone, W. T. The Diocesan Boys School and Orphanage, Hong Kong: The History and Records, 1869 to 1929. Hong Kong: School, 1930. Google Books. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Sweeting, Anthony. "Chapter Two and Three." Education in Hong Kong, Pre-1841 to 1941 : Fact and Opinion: Materials for a History of Education in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong UP, 1990. 87-194. Print.
Tsang, Steve Yui-Sang. "Chapter 5: Economy and Society." A Modern History of Hong Kong. London: I.B. Tauris, 2004. 56-72. Print.
White, Barbara-Sue. "Part IV: The Pursuit of Luxury (1860s - 1880s)." Hong Kong: Somewhere between Heaven and Earth. Hong Kong: Oxford UP, 1996. 62-100. Print.
One of the most important aspects of imperialism is the take over of government. The English accomplished this in several ways. Some of the “Unfair Treaties” forced the Chinese to allow the English ships into their ports and to allow them to have a major role in the trade market. The English wanted tea, porcelain, and silk from china. The Chinese however didn’t want to gods the English offered in return. The English began trading opium in return for the goods. Although it was illegal, many of the money hungry merchants excepted the opium in return for the things that were valuable to the English. Because of this, the first Anglo-Chinese war erupted. China underestimated the power of England and was defeated. At the end of the war, they were forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing (1842). The treaty was one of the first treaties known as the “Unfair Treaties.” Under this treaty, china gave up the island of Hong Kong, abolished the licensed monopoly system of trade, granted English nationals exemption from Chinese laws, and agreed to give England whatever trading concessions that were granted to other countries then and later.
Ban Zhao wrote Lessons for a Woman around the end of the first century C.E. as social guide for (her daughters and other) women of Han society (Bulliet 167). Because Zhao aimed to educate women on their responsibilities and required attributes, one is left questioning what the existing attitudes and roles of women were to start with. Surprisingly, their positions were not automatically fixed at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Ban Zhao’s own status as an educated woman of high social rank exemplifies the “reality [that] a woman’s status depended on her “location” within various social institutions’ (167). This meant that women had different privileges and opportunities depending on their economic, social, or political background. Wealthier noble women would likely have access to an education and may have even been able to wield certain political power (167). Nevertheless, women relinquished this power within the family hierarchy to their fathers, husbands, and sons. Despite her own elevated social status, Ban Zhao still considered herself an “unworthy writer”, “unsophisticated”, “unenlightened’, “unintelligent”, and a frequent disgrace to her and her husband’s family (Zhao). Social custom was not, however, the only driving force behind Zhao’s desire to guide women towards proper behavior.
From 1750 to 1914, the role of women in Western Europe and Eastern Asia gradually changed as a result of industrialization, political revolutions, and European imperialism. The role of women in these two regions were parallel in that the women faced similar hardships in the labor force and women displayed political power by taking part in rebellions and fighting for civil rights. Yet, the women of Eastern Asia had greater access to education and made up an immense portion of the work force
In the patriarchal, Confucian influenced, Han dynasty, a woman’s role and social status was far from equal to that of a man. In Ban Zhao’s work Lessons for a woman she depicted the role of a woman, as a lower-class member of society. Hidden beneath the stereotypes of what a woman was supposed to be, Ban Zhao was a rarity of her time as she excelled as a historian and teacher.
Greenberg, Michael. British Trade and the Opening of China 1800 - 42. New York: Monthly Review, 1979. Print.
Hong Kong Reading - "The Book of the Year" Through imperialism, British rule encouraged industrialization and modernization which led to visible growth in the economy as the city is described as a trade center and important in manufacturing and banking, which suggests that the industries and businesses prospered. Additionally, the fear of Chinese rule suggests that businesses operated better under British rule, which shows how imperialism improved the lives of the people of Hong Kong compared to the government before imperial rule. The way that citizens of Hong Kong left the colony before it was returned to China further highlights the different effects of British rule and Chinese rule on the people, suggesting that British rule was preferred by the citizens of Hong Kong which is why they left rather than live under Chinese rule. This implies that the colonized people considered Great Britain’s imperialist rule to be better than the government before which was Chinese. This demonstrates that imperialism improved the lives of the colonized people because it helped the economy grow and prosper.
Lessons for Women was written by Ban Zhao, the leading female Confucian scholar of classical China, in 100 C.E. It was written to apply Confucian principles to the moral instruction of women, and was particularly addressed to Ban Zhao’s own daughters. As her best remembered work, it allows the reader insight into the common role of a woman during this fascinating time-period. The work starts off by Ban Zhao unconvincingly berating herself, and claiming how she once lived with the constant fear of disgracing her family. This argument is rather implausible, for the reader already knows the credibility of Ban Zhao, and how important her role was in ancient China.
Firstly, the relationship expectations in Chinese customs and traditions were strongly held onto. The daughters of the Chinese family were considered as a shame for the family. The sons of the family were given more honour than the daughters. In addition, some daughters were even discriminated. “If you want a place in this world ... do not be born as a girl child” (Choy 27). The girls from the Chinese family were considered useless. They were always looked down upon in a family; they felt as if the girls cannot provide a family with wealth. Chinese society is throwing away its little girls at an astounding rate. For every 100 girls registered at birth, there are 118 little boys in other words, nearly one seventh of Chinese girl babies are going missing (Baldwin 40). The parents from Chinese family had a preference for boys as they thought; boys could work and provide the family income. Due to Chinese culture preference to having boys, girls often did not have the right to live. In the Chinese ethnicity, the family always obeyed the elder’s decision. When the family was trying to adapt to the new country and they were tryin...
Through the characters and their experiences in The King of Children, Ah Cheng shows the effects that the Cultural Revolution had on education and how that affected the people’s search for personal meaning in education. The Cultural Revolution and Down to the Countryside’s elimination of all practical and economic incentives for receiving an education caused characters to find moral and ethical incentives for education, such as to protect others and to be able to communicate effectively.
“Philips, Sony, and Toyota factories are popping up all over—to the self congratulatory applause of the nation’s governors and mayors, who have lured them with promises of tax abatements and new sewers, among other amenities.” (Paragraph 17) People are born into their jobs, and are doomed for their economic boats. IN other countries such as China, it has been proven that the families with the moneys are the ones with the money, are the ones with the economic power. “Many wealthy Chinese and western residents moved their money abroad and some actually left the colony. By 1971, the Cultural Revolution in China had ended in failure and conditions in Hong Kong calmed,” (Lannom) such as Gloria Lannom states, yet it took a while for Hong Kong to rebuild its economic standings because of this
Hong Kong in the post Second World War period has experienced quite a number of social changes, in terms of political condition, economy and population structure. Family, as one of the most principal social institutions, is shaped by these external forces, which give rise to transformations in the familial ethos, along with different sets of familial values and practices. However, family is not only at the receiving end of social changes (OUHK, 2013). It is able to exert certain influences on society as well. In this essay, the reciprocal relationship between the family and society in postwar Hong Kong is examined with reference to relevant academic studies. The first part is about how the family institution is conducive to stability and
Hsueh, Chun- tu, The Chinese Revolution of 1911: New Perspectives (Hong Kong: Joint _____Publishing Co., 1986), pp.1-15, 119-131, 139-171
In the Victorian Period receiving an education was an act of unconformity. Women were to be pure, domestic, and submissive and these traits could not be achieved through education. The education of women was thought to disrupt the social balance of time, but in the Victorian Period women were educated because they were mothers of men. They wanted women to teach their children so they had to be educated. Women were stripped of their rights and dignity, but they were finally free to break through the co...
Yoo, Theodore Jun. The Politics of Gender in Colonial Korea: Education, Labor, and Health, 1910-1945. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008.
The demand for international school in Hong Kong is increasing in the recent years. According to the annual questionnaire survey done by the Education Department, the total number of students in international schools increases 83.2 % from 1610 to 2950 within four years (1997/98 - 2001/02). Moreover, the total number of local students attending those schools also increases 63.2% from 6.8% to 11.1%. (Detail of statistics can be found in appendix P. 12) We can see that, local parents have a high value on their children's entry into international schools. In this essay, I am going to explain some reasons for the lure of international schools in Hong Kong. Firstly, I will discuss their packaging and images by exploring the web pages of some international schools in Hong Kong. Secondly, I will compare these schools with local schools in order to find out the reasons why these packaging are so attractive in Hong Kong context. Finally, I will also interview with a previous international student and his parents to find out their points of view on this issue.