Connecting the Metropolis and the Colony: the Despatches from the Governors of Hong Kong to the Colonial Office of the UK, 1843 – 1926

• Other Authors: Cheng, Yui Tat (author.)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; Chinese
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://repository.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/en/item/cuhk-1292403

本論文主要研究香港殖民地時期由 1843 年至 1926 年的通訊歷史，目的是要補足現有關於大英帝國、英國殖民地史及香港史研究的不足。此研究指出，傳送港督的公文往英國殖民地部是一耗時過程，並是香港與英國殖民地部之間通訊的一個持久問題。電報的出現令雙方之間的通訊更為有效；藉著電報，殖民地部除了能更有效地得知香港的最新情況，並能更緊密地監察香港政府的施政。本研究亦分析殖民地部與港督之間通訊的 “資訊層次”，這 “資訊層次” 由殖民地部頒布的規例所構建。透過統計結果，作者辯指除了電報外，機密和高度機密公文也是英國帝國對殖民地管治的 “神經系統” 中的重要成份。我們對不同公文的利用、其底層規則及殖民地部對港督公文的核准與否的研究，可以揭示英政府與總督之間的權力關係，並透視帝國和其殖民地之有意識和潛意識的焦慮。 === This study investigates into the communication history of Hong Kong from 1843 to 1926 in the colonial period. It aims to fill the gaps as seen in previous studies of the British Empire, British colonialism and the history of Hong Kong. The study has found that the time-consuming process of conveying official despatches to the Colonial Office posed persistent problems for both the Governors of Hong Kong and the Secretary of State in the United Kingdom. With the advent of the telegraph, however, more efficient communication between the counterparts was achieved. The Colonial Office was thus equipped with an efficient means for instant updating of the situation in Hong Kong as well as close monitoring of the administration of the Hong Kong government. Our study also analyses the “information order” existed within the correspondence between the Colonial Office and the Governors, which was considered to be framed by the rules and regulations imposed by the Colonial Office. Drawing upon statistical findings, the researcher argues that, apart from telegrams, confidential and secret despatches served as key components of the nerve system of the British rule; our examination of their usage, the underlying regulations and endorsement (or otherwise) from the home government serves to unmask the power relations as well as the conscious and subconscious anxieties of the Empire and its colonies. === Cheng, Yui Tat. === Thesis Ph.D. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2017. === Includes bibliographical references (leaves ). === Abstracts also in Chinese. === Title from PDF title page (viewed on …). === Detailed summary in vernacular field only.