Questions on Hong Kong

Answer briefly the following questions (10 minutes, one point per correct answer):

1. Where is Hong Kong (be precise)?
2. What are the three areas that make up Hong Kong called?
3. What is a “metropolitan area”?
4. What is a “megalopolis”?
5. What is the name of the political party that runs China?
6. Up to when was Hong Kong a British colony?
7. About how many people live in Hong Kong?
8. How many people live below the poverty line in Hong Kong?
9. What does the Gini coefficient measure?
10. What is the “HDI” and what was Hong Kong’s position in 2014?

Write an essay on ONE of the following topics (20 minutes, 10 points):

• Explain why there were street protests in Hong Kong in 2014.
• Describe and explain the problems facing Hong Kong.
• List the reasons Hong Kong lacks space and explain what is being done to overcome the problem.
• Explain the fact that Hong Kong has become one of the leading global cities.

ANSWERS:

1. Where is Hong Kong (be precise)?

Hong Kong is a city on the Pearl River Delta (South China Sea coast) in Guangdong Province, southeast of China.

2. What are the three areas that make up Hong Kong called?

The three areas that make up Hong Kong are Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories (including the 200-plus islands).

3. What is a “metropolitan area”?

A metropolitan area is made up of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories.

4. What is a “megalopolis”?

A megalopolis is a very large, heavily populated urban complex (the chain of 11 metropolitan areas around the Pearl River Delta form a megalopolis).

5. What is the name of the political party that runs China?

The People’s Republic of China is run by a single political party: the Communist Party of China (CPC).

6. Up to when was Hong Kong a British colony?

1997

7. About how many people live in Hong Kong?

7,188 million in 2013

8. How many people live below the poverty line in Hong Kong?

About 1, 9 million people (one person in four) live below the poverty line in Hong Kong.

9. What does the Gini coefficient measure?

Income disparity (income inequality) is measured by the Gini coefficient (in Hong Kong, the gap between the rich and the poor is the highest of all the developed economies).

10. What is the “HDI” and what was Hong Kong’s position in 2014?

“HDI” means Human Development Index (it is used to compare countries as regards their social and economic progress; it is measured using the following criteria: life expectancy, levels of health, levels of education, and GDP per capita). Hong Kong was 15^th out of 187 countries in 2014 on the HDI United Nations list.

Write an essay on ONE of the following topics (20 minutes, 10 points):

Explain why there were street protests in Hong Kong in 2014.

China is a one-party state. It is controlled by the Communist Party of China. Hong Kong, however, is a Special Administrative Zone which means it is not directly controlled by the CPC or by the authorities of Guangdong Province; it can make its own decisions concerning its affairs. Hong Kong has a greater degree of democracy than the rest of China.

The city will hold elections in 2017 in which every adult can vote. The CPC, however, has ruled that only pro-Beijing candidates can stand for election. The massive pro-democracy street protests in Hong Kong in 2014, popularly called “the Umbrella Revolution”, were a reaction to this.

Describe and explain the problems facing Hong Kong.

The population density of Hong Kong is one of the highest in the world. This overcrowding is due to the lack of space (hills on one side, sea on the other, and many islands) and it is made worse by the influx of immigrants seeking work.

The income disparity of Hong Kong (the income gap between the rich and the poor) is the worst of any developed economy. This is due to the ultra-liberal economic system (which favours the wealthy) and inefficient social security system (affecting the elderly most).

The social and spatial disparity of Hong Kong (the rich live in luxurious mansions and apartments on Hong Kong Island and in redeveloped areas of Kowloon, the poor where they can, often in inadequate housing) is made worse by the growing income gap, the increased cost of living, and increased demand for housing (even middle-income families are finding it hard to get decent housing).

Hong Kong’s status as a Special Administrative Zone (it is more democratic than the rest of China) is being undermined by interference from the CPC (there have been pro-democracy street protests).

The bad air pollution of Hong Kong (affecting people’s health and their ability to work) is due to coal-fired power stations, traffic, and the thousands of factories around the Pearl River Delta.  Water and light pollution are also a problem.

List the reasons Hong Kong lacks space and explain what is being done to overcome the problem.

Hong Kong is a coastal city of more than 7 million. There are more than 7 million people and population pressure is very high (too many people for the amount of space available). The problem is exacerbated by the influx of immigrants seeking work (about 54,000 a year), mostly from mainland China. The geographical constraints make the expansion of the city very difficult: hills around the north of the New Territories, the South China Sea, and the more than two hundred islands most of which are inhabited. There is lack of space for economic activity, housing, facilities like schools and hospitals, and transport infrastructure.

All available space is being used or (re)developed: skyscrapers have had to be built for both business and housing and there is extensive land fill. The transport infrastructure is highly developed (roads, rail, bridges, tunnels, ferry boats) to enable easy access to the islands, the airport, and to other cities and the new towns around the Pearl River Delta (this enables freer movement of people and goods over a wider area and many factories have been relocated outside Hong Kong).

Explain the fact that Hong Kong has become one of the leading global cities.

The British brought law and order, developed Hong Kong into an important international trade centre, and set up some democratic institutions. Since 1997, the Chinese authorities and the Hong Kongers have pursued the town’s development because it brings in wealth to and creates employment in China.

To take advantage of the fact that it is on a major international maritime trade route, Hong Kong’s harbour facilities have been enlarged and modernized (like the other ports around the Pearl River Delta). It is now one of the busiest container ports in the world.

Hong Kong has never lacked manpower; which is both skilled and hard-working. Its harbour complex (international trade) and factories (now mostly producing high-tech consumer goods) have given it resources with which to build houses, facilities and offices, and build sophisticated transport infrastructures. The tertiary sector has been developed; Hong Kong is now one of the world’s most important financial centres. There are many business entrepreneurs that contribute to making the economy diverse and dynamic and the city is fully integrated into the globalized economy and very open to the world (most residents speak English).

The population is mostly law-abiding and wanting to keep its democratic independence. This makes for a relatively stable political and social system and the city is high on the HDI.

Hong Kong is trying to overcome the problems it faces (such as pollution, high cost of living and wealth disparity).

For all these reasons, Hong Kong has become one of the world’s top four global cities.