There is nowhere else in the world quite like Chungking Mansions, a dilapidated seventeen-story commercial and residential structure in the heart of Hong Kong's tourist district. A remarkably motley group of people call the building home; Pakistani phone stall operators, Chinese guesthouse workers, Nepalese heroin addicts, Indonesian sex workers, and traders and asylum seekers from all over Asia and Africa live and work there - even backpacking tourists rent rooms. In short, it is possibly the most globalized spot on the planet. But as "Ghetto at the Center of the World" shows us, a trip to Chungking Mansions reveals a far less glamorous side of globalization. A world away from the gleaming headquarters of multinational corporations, Chungking Mansions is emblematic of the way globalization actually works for most of the world's people. Gordon Mathews' intimate portrayal of the building's polyethnic residents lays bare their intricate connections to the international circulation of goods, money, and ideas. We come to understand the day-to-day realities of globalization through the stories of entrepreneurs from Africa carting cell phones in their luggage to sell back home and temporary workers from South Asia struggling to earn money to bring to their families. And we see that this so-called ghetto - which inspires fear in many of Hong Kong's other residents, despite its low crime rate-is not a place of darkness and desperation but a beacon of hope. Gordon Mathews' compendium of riveting stories enthralls and instructs in equal measure, making Ghetto at the Center of the World not just a fascinating tour of a singular place but also a peek into the future of life on our shrinking planet.
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"In this wonderful book Gordon Mathews takes on an intriguing project: daily life as it is lived, articulated, dreamed, denied, regretted, and defended in a rather run-down but very public building in Hong Kong. The residents of Chungking Mansions are economically blocked from the rest of the city and often racially discriminated against, so how do such marginalized people survive, much less prosper? This is the conundrum at the heart of Ghetto at the Center of the World. Mathews tackles it by providing a vivid description of the people who live their lives in the building's dimly lit hallways, restaurants, and shops, and by analyzing the larger material and political forces at work." -William Jankowiak, author of Sex, Death, and Hierarchy in a Chinese City"
About the Author
Gordon Mathews is professor of anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the author of Global Culture/Individual Identity: Searching for Home in the Cultural Supermarket and What Makes Life Worth Living? How Japanese and Americans Make Sense of Their Worlds, coauthor of Hong Kong, China: Learning to Belong to a Nation, and coeditor of several books.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Gordon Matthews does a fine job in telling us everything there is to know about a building hardly anyone in Hong Kong knows a lot about. I have been to Chungking Mansions a number of times but mostly for a nice Indian meal. I would never dream of staying there or purchasing any of the items on display.
The author examines all possible aspects of Chungking Mansions starting off with the history of the building - maybe complex is a better word - and who owns it and how it is run.
Chapter Two talks about the people who use Chungking Mansions and it is incredible what a variety of people use Chungking Mansions. I was amazed to find that it is such a popular place with Africans and South Asians. Also up until I read this book it didn't know that it was possible to be an asylum seeker in Hong Kong.
Chapter Three deals with the variety of goods passing through Chungking Mansions and here again I was amazed at the variety of goods and the techniques used. The Gold smuggling operation made me smile because I didn't think anyone would volunteer to do it this way.
Chapter Four describes how the Authorities and the Hong Kong Police deal with the illegal activities in Chungking Mansions.
Chapter Five deals with the future of Chungking Mansions and even the author agrees that the Mansions will eventually have to be torn down. As of now the Mansions are 50-odd years old and by far the oldest building in that part of Hong Kong. And even though it is the most decrepit building in this area every time I go there it strikes me as the most globalised spot on earth or as the author puts it an "exotic third world in a safe first-world city" I would rather be sorry to see it go.
About the only complaint I have is that the writing style is a bit dry at times, but this may well be the result of the anthropological nature of the author's full-time profession. Else as I said before, this is an excellent study on all aspects and life in Chungking Mansions.
The author examines all possible aspects of Chungking Mansions starting off with the history of the building - maybe complex is a better word - and who owns it and how it is run.
Chapter Two talks about the people who use Chungking Mansions and it is incredible what a variety of people use Chungking Mansions. I was amazed to find that it is such a popular place with Africans and South Asians. Also up until I read this book it didn't know that it was possible to be an asylum seeker in Hong Kong.
Chapter Three deals with the variety of goods passing through Chungking Mansions and here again I was amazed at the variety of goods and the techniques used. The Gold smuggling operation made me smile because I didn't think anyone would volunteer to do it this way.
Chapter Four describes how the Authorities and the Hong Kong Police deal with the illegal activities in Chungking Mansions.
Chapter Five deals with the future of Chungking Mansions and even the author agrees that the Mansions will eventually have to be torn down. As of now the Mansions are 50-odd years old and by far the oldest building in that part of Hong Kong. And even though it is the most decrepit building in this area every time I go there it strikes me as the most globalised spot on earth or as the author puts it an "exotic third world in a safe first-world city" I would rather be sorry to see it go.
About the only complaint I have is that the writing style is a bit dry at times, but this may well be the result of the anthropological nature of the author's full-time profession. Else as I said before, this is an excellent study on all aspects and life in Chungking Mansions.
By koya
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a book for people who has actually been to, or are planning to pay a visit to ChungKing Mansions or those who are generally interested in micro towns. Fascinating on how a building has somehow managed to turn itself into an important trading hub for those passing through from many foreign countries, and houses so many people from different aspects of life - Chinese guesthouse workers, travellers passing through, africans trading goods, pakistanis selling mobile phones, drug dealers, asylum seekers... Baring in mind this mix of backgrounds the place doesn't really have a seedy feel one might think. When I visited the 17 storey building first hand in 2011 I didn't feel any less scared or vulnerable than walking in London. We even saw some monks who resided in ChungKing's residence because it is the cheapest accommodation around that district; a district completely surrounded in 5star hotels and designer brands. Reading this book definitely gave me a different outlook when visiting ChungKing Mansions, to me it wasn't a place crammed with criminals but an important trading hub and employment resource from fraught souls trying to earn money to send home to their families.
By MP
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A must-read for anybody who visited or stayed in Chungking Mansions and wants to understand the place. The author tells highly interesting stories populated by vivid characters, giving a unique insight into modern Hong Kong. Bottom line - open borders and liberal visa policies do not harm and are ultimately helpful in creating prosperity and spreading it beyond the privileged few.
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