Between Typologies and Representation: The Tong Lau and the Discourse of the "Chinese House" in Colonial Hong Kong

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Aspects Of Urbanization In China: Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou

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Shanzheng (善政) and gongde (公德): moral regulation and narratives of ‘good government’ in colonial Hong Kong

While ‘good government’ has long been hailed as a defining feature of colonial Hong Kong, this paper argues that it should be seen as an epistemological ordering frame whose existence relied upon constant processes of moralization undertaken by many actors across multiple scales. Central to this was the invocation of certain ways of thinking about the roles of government and citizens implicit in Chinese historical experience. These moral constructs, transplanted and transformed within the colonial milieu, became central elements in the way many British officials and Chinese residents came to express themselves, and by doing so constituted themselves as governing subjects upholding colonial rule. To explore the role of these constructs in particular situated practices and broader strategies of colonial governance, this paper focuses on two case studies concerning the improvement of public health amidst growing threats of epidemics between 1900 and 1908. Although these efforts were not successful in containing the spread of diseases, the emphasis on self-help and revival of ‘local traditions’ for encouraging people to improve their neighborhoods helped engender a sense of pride and solidarity amongst the Chinese residents and propagated the idea that Hong Kong was an orderly, ‘civilized’ Chinese society superior to that of mainland China itself. Although both case studies are drawn from particular sites, it is clear that the initiation, implementation and effects of the projects were not confined to the local scale, but were tied to larger shifts in the forms of governance and emerging political discourses beyond Hong Kong. They thus highlight the ‘networks of multiple scales’ and the translocal processes through which competing conceptions of Hong Kong and its relations to the world were actively being constructed by different actors under colonial rule.postprin

Narrating the Mall City

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Spectacular Macau: Visioning Futures for a World Heritage City

This paper examines the conflicting sentiments generated by Macau’s recent developments and how these dynamics have helped galvanize particular visions amongst Macau’s residents holding different possessive relationships to the city. More specifically, it explores these processes through the simultaneous construction of two incongruent landscapes: a fantasyland of gaming and leisure propelled by the liberalization of the casino industry, and a ‘historic city of culture’ exemplified by Macau’s newly acquired UNESCO World Heritage City status. Building on Debord’s conception of the dialectic of the spectacle, this paper illustrates how the growing support for heritage conservation in Macau has been propelled by a shared anxiety over the phenomenal changes brought by an expanding casino industry and concomitant erosion of Macau’s cultural identity. Through extensive interviews with local architects, conservation experts and activists, I elucidate how the designation of Macau as a World Heritage City has helped consolidate particular sets of moral claims around heritage and culture as well as introduced new commodifications of the environment that cannot be easily delinked from other spaces of the ‘spectacle city.’postprin

Review: Non West modernist past: on architecture and modernities (Book Review)

Book review of Non West modernist past : on architecture & modernities, edited by William S.W. Lim & Jiat-Hwee Chang. Singapore : World Scientific Pub., 2012postprin

Combating Nuisance: Sanitation, Regulation, and the Politics of Property in Colonial Hong Kong

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Afterword

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Robot-assisted versus standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: comparison of perioperative outcomes from a single institution

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in a teaching hospital. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Queen Mary and Tung Wah hospitals, Hong Kong. PATIENTS: The first 10 consecutive patients who had robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal tumours between January 2008 and September 2009 with prospective data collection were evaluated. Their outcomes were compared with the last 10 consecutive patients in our database, who had standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy between November 2004 and October 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographics, tumour characteristics, perioperative outcomes, renal function, and pathological outcomes. RESULTS: There were no differences between the groups with regard to age (63 vs 56 years; P=0.313) and tumour size (2.7 vs 2.8 cm; P=0.895). No significant difference was found between the two groups with respect to the operating room time (376 vs 361 min; P=0.722), estimated blood loss (329 vs 328 mL; P=0.994), and length of hospital stay (7 vs 14 days; P=0.213). A statistically significant shorter mean warm ischaemic time for the robot-assisted group was noted (31 vs 40 minutes; P=0.032). Respective renal functional outcomes as shown by the difference between day 0 and day 60 serum creatinine levels were comparable (+10 vs +7 mmol/L; P=0.605). In both groups, there were no intra-operative complications or instances of surgical margin tumour involvement. Three patients endured postoperative complications in the standard laparoscopic group (a perinephric haematoma, urine leakage, and lymph leakage) compared with one in the robot-assisted group (a perinephric haematoma). These complications all resolved with conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is a technically feasible alternative to standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and provides comparable results. Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy appears to offer the advantage of decreased warm ischaemic time. Longer follow-up is required to assess renal function and oncological outcomes. Further experience and randomised trials are necessary to compare robot-assisted with standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.published_or_final_versio

Pilot project of integration of Chinese medicine (acupuncture) and Western medicine for neurohabilitation of children with acquired brain injury: a study of 2 cases

PURPOSE: To demonstrate if there is any efficacy of integration of Chinese medicine (acupuncture) and western medicine for rehabilitation for two children with acquired brain injury (ABI). METHODS: Two children (M/1 year, with dystonic cerebral palsy, cortical visual impairment and global developmental delay due to acute encephalitis; and M/12 years, with spastic tetraplegia, cortical visual impairment, and severe mental retardation due to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) were enrolled into our pilot programme which had started as the ‘First Integrated Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine for Neurorehabilitation of Children with Traumatic or Acquired Brain Injury under the Hospital Authority’ in June 2008. Both of them received daily acupuncture treatment and conventional neurohabilitation programme for 4 months. Pre- and post-assessment were performed for both cases. Deoxyglucose PET scan of the brain, parental daily reports for any change after each acupuncture session were monitored. Objective outcome measures were performed by the Neurohabilitation Team with allied health disciplines including physiotherapist, occupational therapist, optometrist, audiologist, speech therapist and clinical psychologist in pre- and post-acupuncture treatment using objective outcome measures including Modified Ashworth Spasticity Scale, CVI assessment, Video Fluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS) and Functional Independence Measure of Children (WeeFIM). Videos were taken by blind assessors. RESULTS: PET scan of the brain showed mild-to-moderate increase in glucose uptake for both cases. Videos and clinical outcome measures showed improvement in vision and other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: A short and intensive course of acupuncture can be effective in improving visual and functional outcome for children with ABI. Further research is underway to assess the practicability of organising this model of integration of Chinese medicine (acupuncture) and western medicine for neurohabilitation of children with ABI in Hong Kong.published_or_final_versio