SPECTACULAR POST-COLONIAL CITIES: MARKETS, IDEOLOGY AND GLOBALIZATION IN THE MAKING OF SHANGHAI AND HONG KONG by Ying-Fen Huang M.A., University ofCalifornia Los Angeles, 1997 B.A., Fu Jen Catholic University, 1992 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment ofthe Requirements for the Degree of Doctor ofPhilosophy in the School ofCommunication © Ying-Fen Huang 2008 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2008 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or part, by photocopy or other means, without permission ofthe author. 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APPROVAL NAME Ying-Fen Huang DEGREE PhD TITLE OF DISSERTATION: Spectacular Post-Colonial Cities: Markets, Ideology and Globalization in the Making of Shanghai and Hong Kong EXAMINING COMMITTEE: CHAIR: Catherine Murray, Professor Richard Gruneau Professor School of Communication Martin Laba Director & Associate Professor School of Communication Yuezhi Zhao Associate Professor School of Communication Shane Gunster Assistant Professor School of Communication David Ley Canada Research Chair Geography UBC DATE: SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the "Institutional Repository" link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author's written permission. Permission for pUblic performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC,Canada Revised: Summer 2007 Abstract This dissertation investigates the history and political economy oftwo Chinese cities, Shanghai and Hong Kong, in the context ofdebates about globalization and 'global cities.' My inquiry focuses on the interwoven relationships between colonization, global capitalism, ideology, and the changing nature and objectives ofnational and local governments. On the stage ofglobalization, cities have become the sites ofcompetition for the concentration offlexible global investment money, new technologies, media and cultural industries, in order to enhance their wealth and their status in the world. Becoming a global city is now a prized goal for many cities around the world, including Shanghai and Hong Kong. Since the 1980s this has led to unprecedented global inter­ urban competition. Cities not only have capitalized on their traditional roles as financial and manufacturing centers, but many have also adopted a strategy geared toward the 'mobilization ofspectacle' to boost their global status. My work illustrates the ways in which Shanghai and Hong Kong, as two self­ defined global cities, are engulfed by the fonnidable force ofinter-urban competition in the Asia-Pacific Rim. Much ofthe analysis focuses on conditions arising from China's broader ideological and political move toward neo-liberalism. The Chinese government has actively promoted Shanghai into the hierarchy ofthe global urban order by launching a mega urban project, the Pudong Lujiazui New Area, by staging events, such as the Global Fortune Forum, and by massively rebuilding the city's skyline. Similar initiatives in Hong Kong include the creation ofHong Kong Disneyland. In both cases, these initiatives reflect a move toward a more 'entrepreneurial' urban culture. I argue, however, that such initiatives are more than a simple reflection ofbroader global political economic dynamics. Rather, the trajectories followed by both cities require an understanding oftheir colonial past. In the past, these cities were shaped by the spectacle ofimperial capitalism. Today, they are willing participants in embracing fonns of iii globalization that continue to be heavily influenced by the West. I conclude that both cities' current obsession with becoming global cities entails a complex and often contradictory post-colonial complex. Keywords: spectacle; neo-liberal capitalism; reification; global city; urban hierarchy; spatial inequality Subject Terms: globalization-China; urban renewal-China; city planning-China; polarization-China; human geography-China; cities and towns iv Acknowledgements This project has been overly long in the making, but not for want of encouragement and support from many people. My utmost gratitude goes out to Rick Gruneau, my senior supervisor. I feel extremely lucky to be benefited enormously from his wise advice and intellectual inspiration. I never left his office without feeling intellectually re-energized. It was because ofhis course in political economy, I survived the first year ofdisillusionment in the doctoral program. I am indebted to my supervisor Yuezhi Zhao. lowe her a great deal for her astute criticism and intellectual stimulation. She has been a tireless critic as well as a source ofencouragement. Both ofthem are my role models ofintellectual luminosity. Thanks also go to my supervisor Martin Laba for his constant inspiration to my work over these years and Pat Howard for her support I received during my early years at Simon Fraser University. Thanks also are due the staffs in the School ofCommunication. Neena Shahani and Denise Vanderwolf, Lucie Menkveld and Monique Cloutier provided the much needed advice and assistance to make my doctoral study earlier. Given the geographic scope ofmy project, my research could not be smooth without the help from several individuals in different cities. This list is, ofcourse, a long one. At the risk of leaving some ofthem out I wish to acknowledge the individuals who have helped me directly or indirectly along the way: Yiwu Zhang in Beijing, Xiaoshi Yu, Yizhong Li, Lou Gang and Yiamin Bao, in Shanghai, Dixon Wang, Natalia Chan, Ackbar Abbas and Anthony Fung in Hong Kong, Tain-Dow Lee, Chu-joe Hsia, Ming-Tsung Lee in Taipei. They either offered friendly assistance in local institutional support or provided me intellectual interactions during my field trips. Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange granted me a fellowship