Building Colonial Hong Kong

'This is a stellar, insight-filled, and beautifully written analysis of the built environment of one of the world’s most remarkable and still-politically-charged metropolises: ‘the fragrant harbour’ (Xianggang) or, as most know it, Hong Kong.… those with an interest in Hong Kong’s evolution – from a colonial entrepôt to a Chinese city … will learn key lessons from an extremely perceptive scholar, who writes with clarity and insight.' -Jeff Cody, The Getty Conservation Institute 'Building Colonial Hong Kong is necessary reading for scholars and students of colonial urbanization and planning … Chu’s book is of significance to a much wider audience, who will find in colonial Hong Kong provocative and disquieting similarities to many of the challenges faced by contemporary planners around the world.' -Nick R. Smith, Barnard College 'This is a stellar, insight-filled, and beautifully written analysis of the built environment of one of the world’s most remarkable and still-politically-charged metropolises: ‘the fragrant harbour’ (Xianggang) or, as most know it, Hong Kong.… those with an interest in Hong Kong’s evolution – from a colonial entrepôt to a Chinese city … will learn key lessons from an extremely perceptive scholar, who writes with clarity and insight.' -Jeff Cody, The Getty Conservation Institute 'Building Colonial Hong Kong is necessary reading for scholars and students of colonial urbanization and planning … Chu’s book is of significance to a much wider audience, who will find in colonial Hong Kong provocative and disquieting similarities to many of the challenges faced by contemporary planners around the world.' -Nick R. Smith, Barnard College 'Chu’s book is a subtle and significant work in urban colonial history, exposing the speculation and self-interest that drove Hong Kong’s economy and that shaped so many lives through its physical production.' -Christopher Cowell, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, December 2023