Hong Kong Jockey Club: sports, gambling, charity & elite network
How could a sports organisation that ran horse races, gambling activities, and charitable projects take the lead in governing Hong Kong? Pui Chi Lai (Leiden University) offers a peek into the ruling power and political developments in Hong Kong before and after the 1997 handover.
This lecture will be held in the Herta Mohr building from 11:00 to 12:00 Amsterdam Time (not online).
All are welcome to attend, but we kindly ask you to register as seating is limited.
The Lecture
An old joke in Hong Kong says: Hong Kong was ruled by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, Jardine, Matheson & Co., the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and the governor, in that order (Hughes, 1976, p. 23). This lecture will show that this was a satirical joke. It may be argued that the HKJC indeed obtained ruling power in Hong Kong. How could a sports organisation, organising horse races, gambling activities and charitable projects, take the lead in governing Hong Kong? With concrete examples and illustrations, an analysis will be given on how the sports, gambling and charitable activities created support from the general public and business and political elites to the HKJC.
The horse racing activities offered entertainment to the public, but also a platform for the elites to network with each other. Besides that, the races provided the HKJC the opportunity to organise gambling activities. The gambling income generated a severe surplus for the organisation and revenue income for the government to invest in charitable projects, contributing to the development of Hong Kong society. The illustrations will show the impact of the HKJC on Hong Kong society. It gives an understanding of the proposition of the old joke. Eventually, based on this case study of the HKJC, a peek into the ruling power and political developments in Hong Kong before and after the 1997’s handover will be provided.
The Speaker
Pui Chi Lai is currently a coordinator/policy maker at Leiden University and conducts research in her own time. She has a background in political science, public international law and cultural anthropology. She did her PhD research at the University of Macau on power elites and their organisations in a changing society, focusing on the case study of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Her most recent publication is about the reproduction of elites in Hong Kong through the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Her research interests are: political elites, power elite, elite organizations, changing civil societies, quasi-political parties, colonialism, post-colonialism, Hong Kong.
Registration (required)
Everyone is welcome to attend. Participation is free of charge, but registration is mandatory as seating is limited. Please register using the web form on this page.