Browsing by Subject "Hong Kong"
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Item Benefits and constraints associated with the use of an urban park reproted by the elderly in Hong Kong(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Hung, KamThe purpose of this study was to identify benefits and constraints associated with the use of urban parks by a sample of elderly in Hong Kong. Before studying these topics, self-perception of aging of the elderly in Hong Kong was explored. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 individuals inside and 12 outside the Tsuen Wan Jockey Club Tak Wah Park. Purposive sampling was used to select the sample. The interviews were semi-structured, based on an interview guide of open-ended questions. Results of the study suggested that although there are some differences in explanations of aging among different countries, some aging models and theories which have been developed in western countries can be employed to interpret the aging phenomenon in Hong Kong. Several constraints and health-related social and psychological benefits of attending a park were reported by the sample. Heterogeneity of leisure constraints among different age cohorts of the elderly was found in the study. Although similarities were found between the benefits reported in this study and those reported in western countries, the magnitude of benefits received from visiting parks may be different because of the different characteristics of elderly in different countries.Item "Chineseness" and Tongzhi in (Post)colonial Diasporic Hong Kong(2012-02-14) Wat, Chi Ch'engIn this thesis, I examine how colonial constructs on Chinese culture affects people's views toward sexual minorities in Hong Kong. In the first Chapter, I explain the shift of my research focus after I started my research. I also conduct a brief literature review on existing literature on sexual minorities in mainland China and Hong Kong. In the second Chapter, I examine interviewees' accounts of family pressure and perceived conflicts between their religious beliefs and sexual orientation. I analyze interviewees' perceptions of social attitudes toward sexual minorities. Hidden in these narratives is an internalized colonial construct of Chinese culture in Hong Kong. This construct prevented some interviewees from connecting Christianity with oppression toward sexual minorities in Hong Kong. In the third Chapter, I examine the rise of right-wing Christian activism in pre- and post- handover Hong Kong. I also analyze how sexual-minority movement organizations and right-wing Christians organized in response to the political situation in Hong Kong. Then, I present the result of content analysis on debates around two amendments to the Domestic Violence Ordinance (DVO)-the first legislation related to sexual minorities in Hong Kong after handover. I draw on data from online news archives and meeting minutes and submissions of the Legislative Council (LegCo). Based on the rhetoric of US right-wing Christians' "(nuclear) family values," Hong Kong right-wing Christians supported excluding same-sex cohabiting partners from the DVO. This rhetoric carved out a space for different narratives about "Chinese culture" and "Chinese family." These different versions of Chinese culture matched diasporic sentiment toward the motherland and gained currency from post-handover political landscape and power configuration in Hong Kong. These versions also revealed the colonized and diasporic mindset of opponents of the amendments; these mindsets also reflect the same internalized colonial construct of "Chineseness" my interviewees have. Based on analyses of interview data in Chapter II and in Chapter III of how people view sexual minorities, I argue that a colonial diasporic psyche aptly captures people's views toward sexual minorities in Hong Kong. Since the political situation and DVO are specific to Hong Kong, I do not include interviewees who are not of Hong Kong origin in this thesis.Item Endohelminths from six rare species of turtles (Bataguridae) from Southeast Asia confiscated by international authorities in Hong Kong, China(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Murray, Rebecca AnnSpecimens of 6 species of threatened, vulnerable, and endangered turtles (Cuora amboinensis, Cyclemys dentata, Heosemys grandis, Orlitia borneensis, Pyxidea mouhotii, and Siebenrockiella crassicollis) belonging to family Bataguridae, were confiscated in Hong Kong, China on 11 December 2001 by international authorities. Endohelminth studies on these turtle species are scarce, and this study provided a rare opportunity to examine a limited number of specimens for endohelminths. Ten different parasite species were collected and there were 16 new host records. This is the first record of a parasite from P. mouhotii. The parasite prevalences found in this study provide a basis for a better understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of the family Bataguridae to other families, especially Testudinidae. Based on known life cycles, parasites found provided an indication of food preferences of these 6 turtle species that support previous studies of the turtles' feeding habits. However, the results of the parasite survey from O. borneensis provided additional feeding habit information. The list of endohelminths herein is intended to provide a foundation for future parasite studies of the 6 species of Asian turtles.Item 'A haven for tortured souls' : Hong Kong in the Vietnam War(2011-12) Hamilton, Peter Evan; Lawrence, Mark AtwoodThis essay details the profound economic and social impact of the Vietnam War on Hong Kong. The British colony provided essential strategic facilities to the U.S. war effort and ranked among the largest destinations for American servicemen on R&R. Between 1965 and 1970, Hong Kong annually hosted about 200,000 U.S. ground and naval personnel on holiday. This influx annually earned Hong Kong about US$300-400 million (in 2009 dollars) and employed thousands of residents working in the colony’s service and entertainment industries. In addition, American servicemen and the local businesses catering to them became a contentious issue in local society. Servicemen excited widespread interest, but their misdeeds and their bar and brothel stomping grounds provoked intense anxiety. Hong Kong residents’ ensuing debates exercised the available civil channels and stimulated the colony’s emerging public sphere, from English- and Chinese-language newspaper battles to outspoken unions and neighborhood associations. In tandem with famed events such as the Star Ferry Riots of 1966 and the communist agitations of 1967, American R&R was an essential ingredient to the emergence of a distinctive Hong Kong identity and citizenry during this period. While residents’ objections failed to curb the GIs’ holidays, Vietnam tourism and its reverberating effects pressed new sectors of Hong Kong residents to grasp and articulate their investment as citizens in the city’s future. Thus, the Vietnam War and its U.S. presence in Hong Kong were major factors in developing Hong Kong’s modern economy, civil society, and contemporary self-conception as a political, legal, and cultural ‘haven.’Item In Hong Kong, expat children with special needs have trouble finding schools(2015-05) Fan, Gloria Hiu-Yun; Todd, Russell; Bryant, BrianWhen relocating to Hong Kong, expat families endure the timely and costly process of finding appropriate schooling options for their children. The process is even more difficult for families with special needs children. All schooling options have limited seats and long waiting lists, and expat children with special needs spend years waiting for a spot in any school. This report delves into the lack of help provided for these children and how the expat community is taking matters into their own hands.Item Panel Data Econometric Models: Theory and Application(2013-05-20) Gao, YichenThis dissertation contains two essays studying panel data econometric models. First, we consider the problem of estimating a nonparametric panel data models with fixed effects. We propose using the profile least squares method to concentrate out the fixed effects and then estimate the unknown function by the kernel method. We show that our proposed estimator is consistent and has an asymptotically normal distribution. Monte Carlo simulations show that our proposed estimator performs well compared with several existing estimators. Second, we study the effects of Hong Kong?s fixed exchange rate against U.S. dollar using a novel panel data method. After the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, many of the Asia countries adopted flexible exchange rate policies while Hong Kong still keeps its fixed exchange rate. By comparing Hong Kong versus its major trading partners, we show that if, like other Asian countries, Hong Kong had adopted a float exchange rate policy in October 1998, Hong Kong?s (counterfactual) total value of exports would increase by 14.65 %. Similarly, Hong Kong?s total value of imports would increase about 31%. We conclude that Hong Kong dollar is overvalued by 9.34% due to its fixed exchange rate policy.