If you’ve ever pondered on the inner workings of Tsim Sha Tsui’s sketchiest hood – surely we don’t have to clarify that we mean Chungking Mansions – you might want to swing by what’s sure to be an eye-opening lecture on the “world’s most globalised building”.
The Royal Geographical Society is hosting Professor Gordon Mathews, Chairman of the Department of Anthropology at City University of Hong Kong, at the Hong Kong Club next Thursday, for a journey through the history of this iconic mini-ghetto.
Mathews argues that Chungking Mansions epitomise how globalisation works for the majority of us normal folk, housing 4,000-5,000 people and 380 low-end businesses in its 100 square-metre frame.
To back up his claim that there’s more to the Mansions than insistent suit sellers, Mathews will discuss the architecture, history and significance of the site, from its seedy underside to its standing as a beacon of multiculturalism.
And this guy definitely knows what he’s talking about; unlike the majority of Hongkongers who usually only venture inside for a cheap curry, this Chungking keeno knows the 17-storey building inside out, and has chatted to inhabitants from more than 130 nations.
Outside of his boring day job at the uni, Mathews has spent the past 10 years teaching asylum seekers at the Mansions. He even published a book about the place back in 2011, entitled, “Ghetto at the Centre of the World: Chungking Mansions” – which, incidentally, is also the title next week’s lecture.
You can’t blame a man for plugging his book, now.
What: “Chungking Mansions: a Ghetto at the Centre of the World” Lecture
When: 6.30pm reception for 7.30pm start, 21. Jan 2016
Where: 1/F, The Hong Kong Club, 1 Jackson Road, Central
Price: HKD150 for RGS members, HKD200 for guests and others
Dress-code (lol): No denim, T-shirts or sportswear
