HKHC Speaker’s Series, Prof. Ray Yep, University of Bristol, United Kingdom 

Man in a Hurry: Murray MacLehose and Colonial Autonomy in Hong Kong
Speaker: Prof. Ray Yep, University of Bristol, United Kingdom 
Date and Time: 10 October 2024, 3:30 – 5pm (UKT) 
Venue: Research Space (1.H020), Arts Complex, University of Bristol
Language: English 

In-person only event. To attend, please register on Ticketpass.

In his new book Man in a Hurry: Murray MacLehose and Colonial Autonomy in Hong Kong, Ray Yep explores the latest available archival materials and re-examines MacLehose’s pivotal governorship in Hong Kong (1971–1982). MacLehose arrived in the challenging 1970s, when there were expectations for social reforms, uneasiness in the relationship between Hong Kong and London, and the 1997 factor looming large. The governor successfully carried out various social reforms and he also handled various major issues, including the anti-corruption campaign, the Vietnamese refugee crisis, and the granting of land lease of the New Territories beyond 1997. Yep unveils the tension and dynamics of colonial governance  and explains how interest of the colony could be asserted, defended, and negotiated. This is a story of how a colony could survive and manage the sovereign under British imperialism. 

Prof Ray Yep is research director at Hong Kong History Centre. He specialises in the political economy of China’s reforms, late colonial governance of Hong Kong and contentious politics. He has published in leading peer-reviewed journals and has authored multiple books on Hong Kong studies. Ray has held visiting positions in Bristol University, Peking University, University of Macau, Brookings Institution and Academia Sinica.