Hong Kong Immigration Policies Quiz 1970s

Migration and Population

• The focus of the presentation is on foundational concepts related to migration and population, policy changes and their social implications, and ethnic composition.

Population

• A population is defined as "an aggregate of individuals which conform to a given definition. This definition is ordinarily at least spatial and temporal in specificity." (Norman B. Ryder, 1965)

Migration

• Migration is defined as the movement of people from one territory to another territory on a permanent or semi-permanent basis (John J. Macionis, 2017).
• Two basic forms of migration are immigration (movement into a specified territory) and emigration (movement out of a specified territory).
• Internal migration includes in-migration, out-migration, and return migration.
• International migration includes immigration and emigration which can also be called remigration.

Factors Influencing Migration

• Push factors represent motivations to leave a location. These could be environmental, social, economic, or political factors. Ex. poverty, fear, disasters, unemployment.
• Pull factors are those which attract people to a new location. These include environmental, social, economic, and political factors. Ex. safety, opportunity, stability, freedom..

Hong Kong as an Immigrant City

• Hong Kong's history demonstrates a gradual development regarding the concept and sense of belonging within the city.
• Immigration (policies, practices, discourses) played a significant role in shaping this development.
• There are three stages of immigration to be considered prior to 1950s, 1950s to 1960s, and 1970s to 1980s, and 1980s to 2000s.
• Before the 1950s, movement across China was largely unrestricted.
• The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) caused a significant influx of migrants to Hong Kong. The Sino-Japanese War (1931) and Japanese invasion also lead to mass immigration from mainland China..

Freedom of Movement

• During the early colonial period, freedom of movement was a defining feature, particularly for Chinese people.
• Initial immigration control was largely absent, with no official border separating Hong Kong from mainland China. There was no passport requirement to enter or leave..

Restrictions on Immigration

• Despite relative freedom, there were restrictions on immigration.

• The Banishment Ordinance (1903) demonstrated that some individuals were deemed undesirable or dangerous based on disruptive behavior or the like to public order.

• The Deportation of Aliens Bill (1949) provided for the deportation of undesired immigrants.

• Various ordinances were implemented over time for controlling immigration.

• These laws included the Travelers Restriction Ordinance (1915), Registration of Persons Ordinance (1916), and the Passport Ordinance (1923), although Chinese people were exempted from some of them.

• Immigration and Passports Ordinance (1934), Registration of Persons Ordinance (1934) were also applied. Every alien (except those of Chinese race) had to register with the police on entering the colony

Colonial Government's Justifications

• The colonial government justified its relatively lenient immigration control by emphasizing the "human problem".
• Explanations such as the belief that it was an "almost a tradition to allow freedom of movement to Chinese across the border with China" were offered.
• Numbers during the period of 1937, 1945, and 1946 showed that there were significant numbers of immigrants, as well as the fact that an "open-door" policy continued until 1967.

Changing Strategies (1950s-1960s)

• The initial approach involved acceptance but evolved through control to regularization (by 1971). Political events and social issues in mainland China during that duration greatly affected immigration.
• The approach is justified based on "humanitarianism", with reasons for the actions like social integration, practical considerations, and political reasons and international politics.
• This included the political realities of the Cold War, the US policies, and the UK's role in maintaining order and social distinctions.

Re-problematization of Illegal Status (1970s)

• The discourse on the "people problem" has been planted (precedes the 1970s) - excessive population, massive illegal immigrants, and the emergence of these immigrants as "social evils" contributed to the tightening of control. Factors such as employment threats, welfare demands (e.g housing), and ideological conflicts also played a role in this shift. Events like the Shep Kip Mei Fire in 1953 might have inspired greater concerns.
• Reasons behind the tightening of controls included resistance by locals to the presence of immigrants, desire for social order and stability.
• Colonial government's attempts to handle the "human problem" involved a reluctance to provide expensive public services, maintaining financial autonomy from London, and enforcing stricter policies and regulations. This included an open-door policy change in 1967.
• The "Reach Base'/"Touch Base Policy" (1974-1980) facilitated handling of the increased number of migrants who reached the urban areas.

1980s to 2000s

• Cross-border movement and immigration policy were significantly impacted by China's open-door policy (1979) and the 1997 handover. Significant changes in policies concerning permits and quotas. This led to investments in special economic zones and subsequent economic restructuring.

• One-way permits were introduced for emigration to Hong Kong, with different categories established, e.g., couple reunifications.

• There was differing numbers relating to daily quotas for entrants from Mainland China and for other nationalities.

Social Control (1940s-1960s)

• The registration system employed in the period is a form of social control.
• It sought to control the behaviours of people and groups, in order to conform to established norms or laws. This was accompanied by informal and formal social controls to deter deviance from norms.

Identity of Hong Kong Residents

• The immigration ordinance of 1971 helped to define individuals in the different categories in Hong Kong and also helped to formulate and discuss concepts related to belonging and the state.
• The policy decisions are reflected on the differences between immigrant mentality and other characterizations from various media like the drama series "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1979).

These notes are a summary of the provided materials; further details may be available within the original documents.

Test your knowledge on the immigration policies and community actions in Hong Kong during the late 1970s. This quiz covers key regulations, population statistics, and the economic implications stemming from political measures implemented during that period.