Hong Kong has remained the global metropolis for Asia since its founding in the 1840s following the Opium Wars between Britain and China. David Meyer traces its vibrant history from the arrival of the foreign trading firms, when it was established as one of the leading Asian business centres, to its celebrated handover to China in 1997. Throughout this period, Hong Kong has been prominent as a pivotal meeting place of the Chinese and foreign social networks of capital and as such has been China's window on to the world economy, dominating other financial centers such as Singapore and Tokyo. Looking into the future, the author presents an optimistic view of Hong Kong in the twenty-first century, challenging those who predict its decline under Chinese rule. This accessible and broad-ranging look at the story of Hong Kong's success will interest anyone concerned with its past, present and future.

‘Meyer has provided an excellent and much-needed empirical account of Hong Kong’s economic development and applied a new theoretical framework to explain it.’

Source: The English Historical Review

‘This is an eminently readable and fascinating analysis of how and why a major metropolis has been able to establish and then sustain its position within Asia and the wider global urban system … it deserves not to be overlooked by those analysing current processes of change and development in the world’s major metropolises.’

Source: Progress in Human Geography