Ethnic Enclave of Thai Restaurants in Kowloon City of Hong Kong Dr. Steve Kwok-Leung CHAN School of Social & Political Science, the University of Melbourne 8/F, flat B, 6-14 Centre Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong [email protected] (852) 9439-1334 Dr. Chi-Shing CHAN Department of Economics, the University of Macau S18, G/F, Block 2, Pak Tin Estate, Kowloon, Hong Kong [email protected] (852) 9258-9780 Abstract- Hong Kong is a Chinese data, ethnic minorities constitute only 5%, dominant society in term of ethnicity. Thais in particular 14,211 (0.17%) of the Ethnic minorities constitute only about entitle population. The largest minority 5%, Thais in particular, 0.17% of the ethnic group is Filipino who consists of entire population. However the presence 142,289 in population. However the presence of Thai community in Kowloon City, a of a Thai community in Kowloon City, a district of Hong Kong is significant. The district of Hong Kong is significant as cluster cluster of ethnic minority group by of ethnic minority group is less common in location is less common in Hong Kong. Hong Kong. This empirical research is an Kowloon City is well known for interdisciplinary study of Business where there the former Kai Tai International Administration and Sociology. In-depth Airport located. The Airport was relocated to interview and cases study are employed to Chek Lap Kok, an outlying island of Hong Thai restaurant and grocery shop owners Kong in 1998. After the relocation of airport, and employees. This study suggests that Kowloon City experienced a certain degree Thai business circle has been established of urban decay. A number of shops became in form of ethnic enclave (Porte and vacant with business shut down. However, Wilson, 1980, Waldinger, 1993, Pfeffer et the number of Thai restaurants in Kowloon al, 2009) similar to Cuban SME sector in City remains no significant change. A rough Miami. The Thai identity, ethnic networks estimation of the total 406 Thai restaurants in and business clusters (Plotter, 1990, 1998) Hong Kong, with 50 of them are operating in facilitate the business development of one single district- Kowloon City.1 There are restaurants and grocery shops. also Thai grocery shops, Thai pubs and other supporting business activities found in the The findings strengthen the district. discourse of ethnic enclave, ethnicity and migration study. This study is an attempt to apply the ethnic enclave theory in explaining the Keywords- business cluster, ethnic enclave, business clustering of Thai restaurants in a social networks, Thai migrants. single district in Hong Kong. (Portes and I. INTRODUCTION Wilson, 1980, Portes and Manning 1986, Waldinger, 1993) A pilot interview has been Hong Kong is a Chinese dominant done in April 2011 during the Thai New society. According to the 2006 bi-census The First International Conference on Interdisciplinary Research and Development, 31 May - 1 June 2011, Thailand 12.1 Dr. Steve Kwok-Leung CHAN and Dr. Chi-Shing CHAN Year (Songkran Festival) where there is should include middleman minorities, annual cerebration and parade. The research enclave entrepreneurs and enclave economy. is ongoing with more interviews will be Middleman minorities are temporary carried out this year. This conference paper migrants looking for self-employment, is a summary of the preliminary findings for saving fast and then return to their home presentation purpose. country. Their target market may not be their co-ethnic group. Enclave entrepreneurs are II. ENCLAVE THEORIES REVISIT businesses in co-ethnic neighbourhood Ethnic economy is the key concept of which operating with co-ethnic ties and this research Location of business matters. achieving self-sufficient. Finally, the enclave Most often, co-ethnic network brings ethnic economy, as mentioned in the previous minority group together, living in the same paragraph emphasizes on the location neighbourhood. An ethnic or migrant concentrated with co-ethnic immigrants. As enclave is a settlement or part of a city such, these concepts are highly related but spatial concentration of a minority ethnic not the same. group. Ethnic business start up in the area concentrated with the same ethnic group. III. THAI ETHNICS IN HONG KONG Portes and Wilson (1980) who studied the Regardless the overwhelming Cuban business sector in Miami, found that majority of Chinese population of Hong the Cuban workers, earned more for working Kong, the ethnicity in this former British in a co-ethnic firm. Some of them later colony makes up of a variety of minority became self-employed or running small co- ethnic groups. In 2006, the population of ethnic business. The enclave economy ethnic minorities was 342,198, constituting benefited from the co-ethnic clustering in a 5.0% of the population in Hong Kong. They location. Co-ethnic ties were used to run the comprised Filipinos (32.9%), Indonesians business, and employer, employees and (25.7%), Indians (6.0%), Nepaleses (4.7%), many customers were from the same ethnic Japaneses (3.9%), Thais (3.5%), Pakistanis group living in nearby enclave. (Portes and (3.2%), Koreans (1.4%) and other Asians Wilson, 1980; Waldinger, 1993; Pfeffer et (2.3%). The number of ethnic minorities in al., 2009) Hong Kong was more or less the same as the previous census, but the population of “Enclave economies emerge from the Indonesians has increased while Filipino is peripheral economy. After the arrival decreasing. (Bi-census, 2006) of a first wave of immigrants with a significant economic, human and There are 11,900 Thai ethnics living social capital, they settle in a certain in Hong Kong. About 71.9% of them are area and set up a large number of imported domestic helpers (maids).2 Existing businesses and companies. From here studies on ethnic minorities in Hong Kong they are supplied with cheap labour, mainly concern with domestic helpers, taking advantage of the successive secondary labour market, job segregation wave of co-ethnics who arrive and and poverty of Nepalese and Pakistanis. thanks to the concentration, an Despite the sizeable community of Thais integrated cultural component is also living and working in Kowloon City, non- generated based on ethnic solidarity.” maid Thais have not been addressed in (Massey 1988 cited in Garrido and previous academic research. In fact, the Olmos 2009: 202-203) occupation of Thais is more heterogeneous than other Southeast Asians. (Table A) Garrido and Olmos (2009) have done a comprehensive review of existing literature on immigrant economy or entrepreneurship. They suggest the notion of ethnic economy Special Issue of the International Journal of the Computer, the Internet and Management, Vol. 19 No. SP1, June, 2011 12.2 Ethnic Enclave of Thai Restaurants in Kowloon City of Hong Kong TABLE A Source: Interactive Data Dissemination System, 2006 OCCUPATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN ETHNICS Population By-census. Website of Census & Statistics IN HONG KONG Department, Governemnt of Hong Kong, http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/home/index.jsp, retrieved on 2 May 2011. TABLE C ETHNICITY BY DURATION OF RESIDENCE, 2006 Source: Adopted from AC Nielsen, 2000 cited in Hewison, 2004. Common professions of Thais, other than domestic work are: cleaners, waiters/waitresses, hairdressers, and bank officers. A small number of Thais in Hong Kong are businesspeople or investors; a large proportion of Thailand's outward investment in newly industrialised economies goes to Hong Kong. Direct investment by Thais in Hong Kong peaked in 1996.3 Besides, Thais are different from (cont’) TABLE C other Southeast Asians by their second language and duration of residents. Almost all Thai ethnics speak Chinese (82.6%). (Table B) Majority of them have been staying in Hong Kong for 10 years or more (63.5%). (Table C) TABLE B USUAL LANGUAGE BY ETHNICITY, 2006 Source: Interactive Data Dissemination System, 2006 Population By-census. Website of Census & Statistics Department, The Government of Hong Kong, http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/home/index.jsp, retrieved N.B.: Excluding persons aged under 5 years old or on 2 May 2011. mute persons The First International Conference on Interdisciplinary Research and Development, 31 May - 1 June 2011, Thailand 12.3 Dr. Steve Kwok-Leung CHAN and Dr. Chi-Shing CHAN IV. IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW IN the first page consisting of multiple choice KOWLOON CITY questions recording demographic and background information of the business and Kowloon City was well known of the the interviewees. Kowloon Walled City which was a small coastal fort erected during the Qing Dynasty Finally, 20 persons were interviewed. of ancient China in around 1810. All of them were Hong Kong citizens who Nevertheless, the urbanization of this place legally entitle of residing, working and has not started significantly until the voting in Hong Kong. Some of them were establishment of Kai Tak Airport, the former born in Hong Kong.4 All of them spoke international Airport of Hong Kong in median to fluent Chinese. For the business, 1920’s. During the post World War II period, the size of the enterprises were the economy of Hong Kong developed comparatively larger for Thai restaurants rapidly. A lot of tourists and commercial with about 10-30 employees. But the grocery travelers arrived at Hong Kong via this shops and other businesses were smaller with gateway-Kowloon City. This brought along less than 7 workers. None of them were the development of this airport town. A lot of sticky family business but several of them restaurants were gradually opened up, consisting of 1-2 owner’s relative working providing wide range of choices of there. All the employees in their restaurants international cuisines in more reasonable and shops were Thai ethnics. price, comparing with those inside the airport Basic findings of this round of terminal. Among them, some Thai interview are as follows: restaurants were able to operate their business successfully.