Wenyi Qingnian （文藝青年）, or Wenqing, in its most straightforward and literal sense, refers to youths interested in culture and art. Rooted in modern Chinese history, the term reemerged in today Hong Kong when local young people were spotted dressing themselves in particular styles; joining particularly cultural activities; and gathering themselves in collectives. By now, it has become a common term. On the one hand, this group of young people, in their preference for culture and art and in their pursuits not dictated by social and filial expectations, may constitute alternative and even counter-culture to dominant values of Hong Kong, having their creative careers and delivering their creativity. On the other hand, it is increasingly portrayed by media as yet another group of youthful victims of consumer culture and trend-followers. The project focuses on a recent phenomenon in Hong Kong: the emergence of a group of youths who are loosely called wenyi qingnian 文藝青年 (Literary Youths). It aims to study their history, creativity and politics, particularly in the contemporary context of Hong Kong.

Portraits of hong merchants produced in the latter period of the Canton Trade (1820-1840) portray these merchants in a new manner — one that previously had not been seen in China. These portraits depict Chinese subjects through a pastiche of signs associated with China's elite, yet the medium of oil painting and the use of perspective, drawn primarily from European artistic traditions, was unusual in Canton and was not in popular use in China as a whole. This study examines portraits of hong merchants executed by a Scottish artist residing in Canton, George Chinnery, as well as his Chinese student, Lamqua, in order to trace a particular form of portraiture that emerged at this time. As I will argue, this type of portraiture evoked the contradictions inherent in the hong merchant's position, which was situated between Chinese rule and foreign trade, and also gave form to a range of tensions and disparities that existed between the merchants and Chinese mandarin officials, or hoppos. Along with the exchange of commodities which was central to the merchants trade, there existed a simultaneous cultural exchange which was affected by new media and new forms of knowledge. The introduction of oil painting to China and the circulation of merchant portraits are a case in point. The hong merchant portraits offered a stage for the performance of a carefully constructed and imagined identity that encapsulated a range of desires and aspirations for elite status within China. Furthermore, these portraits also served as an important mode of exchange with, and for, European viewers. This identity was a performance of status and class both in the imagination of the hong merchant, but also one performed for foreign traders who would see these images. The portraits of the hong merchants thus embody diverse social dimensions where the subject is embedded within a network of references to class, rank, and demeanour. Using the medium of oil paint, the illusion of the image extended beyond the use of shadow and perspective as the portraits inscribed an identity for the hong merchant that was at once elusive and illusive. / Arts, Faculty of / Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Department of / Graduate

Robert Baden-Powell established the world's first Boy Scouts in Britain in 1907. with unexpected quickness, the first Chinese Boy Scouts was established in 1912. The Chinese Boy Scouts first started in missionary schools and its early development was concertrated in Shanghai and Jiangsu province. In 1928, the Nationalist Party (KMT) started to turn the Scouts into a tool to mould ideal future citizens of the country by indoctrinating the Scouts with the Three People's Principles and training them with practical living skills. In the 1930s, stimulated by the Japanese invasion and inspired by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany's extensive use of youth organizations to train highly militarized youth to serve the nation's needs, Chiang Kai-shek entrusted the Blue Shirts, who were led by the graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy, to be responsible for the Scouts affairs. They changed the focus of remodeling the Scouts from politicization to militarization. the KMT believed that the "reformed" Scout program would produce a patriotic and disciplined youth who had the will and the ability to contribute to the nation. in addition, by expanding the Scout program, the KMT believed that rural areas and creating a separate Girl Scout program, the KMT believed that rural children and girls, who had been ignored by the Scout organizers before the KMT period, would become valuable citizens to help revive China. However, there was an uneasy gap between the reality and the KMT's expectations. Due to the missionary and non-government orgin of the Scouts, the KMT found it difficult to indoctrinate the Scouts with its political principles. Furthermore, the uneasy relationship between the government and the party, and the lack of funding became hindrances to KMT's effort to spread the Scouts nationwide. the relatively small number of Scouts in China also limited the effect of militarizing and creating separate gender roles for all Chinese youth as the KMT had envisioned. This thesis is divided into four parts. First, it will discuss the early development of the Boy Scouts before the KMT's takeove (1912-1928) with the focus on the Boy Scouts organizations in Shanghai and Jiangsu province. it will also discuss how the organizations dealt with patriotism in political movements. Second, it will analyze how effective the KMT was in terms of taking over the Scout organization nationwide. It will also analyze why during the Nanjing Decade (1928-1937), the KMT changed the focus of the Scout's development from political control into quanitative expansion by incorporating the Scout program into the formal school curruculum and expanding the Scouts from the cities to rural areas. Third, it will analyze, from 1930 to 1937, how the KMT under the influence of the German model responded to the same dilemma faced by Baden-Powell in Britian in the 1910s: should the purpose of the Boy Scouts program be to train future citizens or future soldiers? Last, it will analyze the assumption behind the KMT's formulation of the Girl Scout program: should girls be good housewives and mothers in the home or active citizens in society as boys were supposed to be ?

This study analyzes political, cultural, and social factors that influence democratization using Hong Kong as a case study. Hong Kong is a transitional society which provides a unique set of political and social characteristics for which to study democratic transition. Additionally, reports of political repression from the 2004 Legislative Council election have possibly created a crisis for the democratization process. Drawing from existing literature in theories of democratization, political repression and Hong Kong politics several hypotheses were developed. It was hypothesized that unchecked hegemonic deterrence, antidemocratic elites, and a weak political culture have contributed to a lack of democratization. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that political repression has also contributed to Hong Kong’s lack of democratization. The relationships between unchecked hegemonic deterrence, anti-democratic elites, and weak political repression in limiting democratization were upheld. However, the link between political repression and lack of democratization was not supported due to insufficient evidence.

Abstract not available

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Geography and Geology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Ecology and Biodiversity / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / History / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Ecology and Biodiversity / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy