Raising future good citizens : children's lives in Hong Kong from the 1960s to the 1970s

Abstract

In the post-war period, the baby boom and the influx of families into Hong Kong have led to a significant increase in the number of children in Hong Kong. Children’s daily lives have become an integral part of Hong Kong’s social life. However, with the influence of the global political practices and the development of Hong Kong society, the changes in children’s daily lives not only showed the rising importance of children, but also revealed the expectations and thoughts of adults. This dissertation points out the situation of children’s lives in and out of school during the modernization of Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s and analyzes why and how the government and the society improved children’s lives and emphasized on the cultivation of children as good citizens of the future, gaining a clearer understanding of the experiences of children’s groups in the 1960s and 1970s. Beyond that, this dissertation also explores the past of Hong Kong’s adult society indirectly. By observing the learning and recreational activities of innocent children, the lives that appear disconnected from adult society, uncovering the complex narratives embedded within urban life.