Dr. Elizabeth Sinn 9 March 2010 History/PSHE/CDI

1. History Seminar: The Social Development of Hong Kong under British rule -Charities in Hong Kong: changing time, changing practices Dr. Elizabeth Sinn 9 March 2010 History/PSHE/CDI

2. Charities in Hong Kong: Changing Times, Changing Practices

3. Who would you go to if you’re poor, sick and disabled today? Who would you have gone to if you were poor, sick and disabled in the 19th century?

4. Charity -- Who gives what to whom and why. • What are the charity activities? Who are the providers? Who are the recipients? Why are such activities necessary?

5. Development of Charities in Hong Kong Three main periods: 1841 to 1945 1945 to 1967 1967/68 onwards

6. Five main groups of welfare providers playing different roles over time 1. Chinese (particularistic) voluntary associations 2. Chinese (general) voluntary associations 3. Christian missionaries and other religious institutions • Non-Chinese non-Christian voluntary associations 5. The government

7. 1841-1949

8. 1841-1949 • Hong Kong Society • Frontier town, single, male-dominated and transient population • 2. Poor, sick, dying, unemployed, kidnapped and victims of other misfortunes could not rely on government help

9. 1841-1945 • Main Givers • Chinese (particularistic) voluntary associations, e.g. native place organizations (tongxianghui同鄉會), guilds • 2. Chinese (non particularistic) voluntary associations e.g. Tung Wah Hospital, Po Leung Kuk, Lok Sin Tong • 3. Christian missionaries • 4. Non-Chinese voluntary associations – Parsee Zoroastrian Charity Trust, Jewish Trust, Welfare League • 5. The government: laissez faire policy, cheap and small government, not to attract more destitute people to HK.

10. 1841-1949 Christian missionaries • education • hospitals (St Francis, Matilda, Nethersole, Canossa) • orphanages • blind • reformatory for boys • spiritual needs

11. Charity Work 1841-1945 Guilds and native place associations (tongxianghui 同鄉會） 1. provide shelter for unemployed 2. relief for sick 3. burials and repatriating bones.

12. 1841-1945 Non-particularistic Chinese voluntary associations Tung Wah Hospital a. history – emergence from I-tsz 義祠 b. medical and non-medical work c. Social impact

13. 1841-1945 Tung Wah Hospital Medical Work – Chinese medicine for Chinese Non-medical work – local for Chinese emigrants, for China

14. 1841-1945 Tung Wah Hospital Non-medical work -- Local i) free school ii) shelter for poor and repatriation of sick and poor iii) shelter for rescued women and children and repatriation iv) free coffins and burial services Charity for the living, charity for the dead

15. 1841-1945 • Tung Wah Hospital • Non-medical work for Chinese emigrants, • i) rescue victims of emigration abuses, kidnapping • ii) repatriating women sold overseas • iii) took care of sick and poor returned emigrants • iv) putting coffins on ships – taiping guan, gold mountain guan金山棺 • v) repatriation of emigrants’ bones and coffins (yizhuang 義庒)

16. 1841-1945 Tung Wah Hospital Non-medical work for China i) Raising funds for famine, floods, drought in China ii) Organizing relief

17. 1841-1945 Tung Wah Hospital Ideological basis i) Confucian ii）Buddhist Some phrases, terminologies used 盛德 天下事可以饜眾生而行久遠 普濟眾生 廣福慈航

18. 1841-1945 Tung Wah Hospital – social and political significance 1 Relationship between Tung Wah Hospital and Hong Kong government: Cheap way to solve social problems—social stability 2. Elite status of merchants in a colonial society (no gentry) British Government awarded honours to encourage Chinese donation and participation – indirect rule 3. Legitimacy of community leadership based on providing community needs according to Chinese principles. 4. Composition of Tung Wah Board deeply embedded in Hong Kong’s economic structure (also financial support)

19. 1841-1949 Po Leung Kuk Protection of women and girls Kidnapped women muitsai 妹仔, prostitutes and concubines

20. 1949-1967 1949-1967

21. 1945-1967 Government’s new role: i) Welfare Office 1948 (to coordinate efforts of different voluntary agents) and Welfare Department 1958 ii) Resettlement and housing iii) Supported “kaifong associations” that provided schools, education and other community movements. iv) Social work training – beginnings of professional social work [course in social work began at HKU 1950]

22. 1945-1967 • Particularistic Chinese volunteer associations: Change of focus for native place associations – more localized, especially schools (schools encouraged by government subsidies) and clinics

23. 1945-1967 • Tung Wah Hospital • Hospital and subsidized schools, etc. • More new services, e.g. convalescent home, for mentally handicapped children. • 3. Western medicine became mainstream.

24. 1945-1967 Po Leung Kuk 1. No longer involved with muitsai 2. More on educating than “protecting”-- schools 3. Child care

25. Post 1967 Post 1967

26. Post --1967 Government 1. Change in government policy – need for community building: Hong Kong as home. 2. Scope of welfare widened – medicine, education, youth work, housing, leisure and culture 3. Expansion of Social Welfare Department Public assistance: cash payment for poor and disabled and infirmed. 4. More subsidies for voluntary associations (NGOs) 5. Community Chest

27. Post 1967 Charities -- TW, PLK, churches 1. Continued diversification: e.g. rehabilitation, youth service 2. Work modified by greater government participation more affluent society

28. Some Conclusions

29. 1841-1949 • Charities: • missionary-led and merchant-led, • transnational and status-conferring • little government involvement, • reflecting commercial, “bachelor” and mobile society

30. 1949-1967 Charities: more localized and rooted because of closing of China

31. Post 1967 Government main welfare provider: Greater direct and indirect participation of government in welfare provision-- effort at community building Much wider scope of welfare: Reflecting more affluent society Other channels of social advancement besides charities