The Puzzle of the Rise of Europe-Asia Mixed-blood Compradors in Hong Kong

Abstract

Amidst the backdrop of communication between Chinese and foreign people in the 19th and 20th century,those who could speak both Chinese and English languages rose as comprador classes. With He Dong as the representative figure,they took advantage of marriage alliance and education background,making their ethnic group particularly powerful in Hong Kong society.

19、20世紀華洋種族交往的環境,令懂得華洋雙語的人冒起為溝通中外的買辦階層。香港開埠的華洋雜處,又誕生了歐亞混血族群。該族群的特色是父親多為洋人,母親才是華人,而自少接受中英雙語訓練則讓他們成為買辦階層主力。從父系社會傳統看,他們乃缺乏宗族與鄉里紐帶的無根一群。為此,以何東為代表的混血買辦利用婚姻結盟及舊生網絡,加上提升教育及專業化,強化其競爭力,令其族群成為香港社會中一股巨大力量。