Suchergebnisse

First published in 1979. Sociology flourished in China during the 1930s and 1940s but with the establishment of the People's Republic of China, controversies arose over the place of sociology in the process of socialist construction. Siu-lun Wong analyses the reasons for this change in the fortune of sociological studies in China and examines it in relation to the country's contemporary political system

First published in 1979. Sociology flourished in China during the 1930s and 1940s but with the establishment of the People's Republic of China, controversies arose over the place of sociology in the process of socialist construction. Siu-lun Wong analyses the reasons for this change in the fortune of sociological studies in China and examines it in relation to the country's contemporary political system.

The Chinese and Indian diasporas constituted two of the most massive migration flows in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Yet they were seldom compared. This commentary explores one of their key differences, namely, how they handled their lost souls. For the Chinese migrants of that period, what they dreaded most was dying alone in a foreign land and becoming a stray ghost. Their fervent wish was for their bones and souls to be reunited with their forebears in the ancestral graves. Much effort was made individually and collectively to ensure that this final wish would be realized. However, for the Hindu migrants, the same dread induced quite a different response. Their physical remains were of little importance to them. There was no urgency in seeking a return of their souls to their ancestral land. Their fervent wish was for their souls to be ritually purified and reunited with their ancestors in the sacred cosmos. This commentary further examines how these cultural differences also bear on how Chinese and Hindu migrants differ in their remittance behavior, network patterns and homeland ties.

Hong Kong has been the top source area for Asian migration to Australia in recent years. The majority of the Hong Kong migrants are young, educated professionals. Using survey data conducted in Hong Kong on emigration tendencies, this article analyzes why they are leaving Hong Kong, what attracts them to Australia, and what impact this influx has on Australian society. It is speculated that this movement may create an enduring change in the identity of emigrant Hong Kongers and have a wider significance in the contradictory currents of geopolitics and geoeconomics which are simultaneously encouraging and resisting migration.

Hong Kong, by now, is quite modern. At the same time, it remains essentially Chinese. Measured by most accepted indicators, Hong Kong qualifies as a newly industrialized region. It is using so much inanimate power to drive machines that the increase in fuel consumption is no longer proportionate to the increase in population size. It has joined the ranks of the "ecological phase 4 societies" in which the livelihood of the inhabitants is dependent on "extrasomatic energy". As it began its transition in the pattern of energy usage much later, Hong Kong is still well behind western industrial nations in per capita energy consumption. But in Asia, in 1981, it had the third highest per capita use of commercial energy after Japan and Singapore, which stood at 1,487 kilograms of coal equivalent. Between 1960 and 1979 its average annual growth rate in energy consumption was about 10 per cent, a rate higher than those of all the industrial economies and most Asian countries except Singapore and the Republic of Korea. Hong Kong's productivity is high, ranking third in Asia after Japan and Singapore with a Gross National Product (GNP) per capita that grew at the annual rate of 6 8 per cent. By 1980 its GNP per capita reached US$4,240.5 In terms of employment, in 1981, 49 per cent of its labour force was engaged in manufacturing and construction, 47 per cent in commerce and various lines of services, and just 2 per cent in agriculture. The inhabitants of Hong Kong are keen participants in the mass media.

After several ebbs and flows a new high-tide in population control has been gathering force since 1978. This new birth control campaign has three major features which separate it from earlier ones: consensus as to its desirability among the top leadership, the high priority being awarded to it, and a sense of urgency in achieving results.

After several ebbs and flows a new high-tide in population control has been gathering force since 1978. This article is concerned with possible side-effects of the new population policy and the damage these may cause in other areas of social life. On the political front, the present birth control campaign has encountered resistance from the people as a result of a clash between national and individual interests. The official norm of one child per couple is by no means widely accepted by the people. (DÜI-Sen)