In an engaging, revisionist study, John M. Carroll argues that in the century after the Opium War, Hong Kong's colonial nature helped create a local Chinese business elite.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the colonial government saw Chinese businessmen as allies in establishing Hong Kong as a commercial center. The idea of a commercially vibrant China united them. Chinese and British leaders cooperated on issues of mutual concern, such as the expansion of capitalism and political and economic directions for an ailing China.

These Chinese also found opportunities in the colonial system to develop business and commerce. In doing so, they used Hong Kong's strategic position to underscore their own identity as a distinctive group unlike their mainland counterparts. Nationalism took on a specifically Hong Kong character. At the same time, by contributing to imperial war funds, organizing ceremonies for visiting British royalty, and attending imperial trade exhibitions, the Chinese helped make Hong Kong an active member of the global British Empire.

In Edge of Empires, Carroll situates Hong Kong squarely within the framework of both Chinese and British colonial history, while exploring larger questions about the meaning and implications of colonialism in modern history.

Introduction                                       1
1 Colonialism and Collaboration: Chinese Subjects and
the Making of British Hong Kong                    16
2 A Better Class of Chinese: Building the Emporium of
the East                                           37
3 Strategic Balance: Status and Respect in the Colonial
Context                                            58
4 A Place of Their Own: Clubs and Associations        84
5 Nationalism and Identity: The Case of Ho Kai       108
6 Preserving Hong Kong: The Strike-Boycott of 1925-
1926                                              131
7 Transforming the Barren Island: The 1941 Centenary  159
Conclusion                                           182
Notes                                                197
Selected Bibliography                                237
Index                                                253