United We Are Strong

This study, spanning from 1844 to 1945, examines the interaction between the underclass Chinese with the government through investigating the life and work of dock coolies, trying to understand the Chinese community from fresh perspectives.The selection of the coolie community as the subject is due to a lack of research in this area in studies of Hong Kong history at present.Since Hong Kong's opening as a commercial port, the dock freight industry was closely interlinked with local economic development. Before the war, many commodities had to be transported using man power, which became a livelihood for many grass-roots Chinese who lacked other skills to survive. Hence dock coolies are a representative community to glimpse the situation of the Chinese in Hong Kong in those years.From the viewpoint of social history, the study serves to complement the existing Hong Kong history by investigating the history of the Chinese and the colonial government through the coolies in Hong Kong docks.The author employs the micro-history method, collects and reviews a large quantity of fragmentary historical materials to realize the goal of reexamining the values of Hong Kongers.