Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A Talk on my book "Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong"

I've been informed that 序言書室 (HKReaders), a local bookstore operated by a group of young people who aspire to promote reading culture in Hong Kong, has organized a talk on my book "Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong". Details of the talk are as follows:-

「左翼21」主辦:左翼星期四
反自由市場的地產財閥
日期:4月15日(星期四)
時間:晚上8時至10時
地點:序言書室(旺角西洋菜南街68號7樓)
講者:雷永錫(在職社會學人/生)、易汶健(中文大學社會學系研究生)

不難發覺,地產財團壟斷香港土地發展。而市民的日常生活,從超級市場買餸以至商場購物,由家用的電力、煤氣以至代步的巴士、渡輪,每個環節都被這些財團牢牢控制。曾在地產集團任職高層多年的Alice Poon 在《Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong》一書中,以自由市場的立場批判港式地產商主導的經濟,猶如封建時代的生產邏輯;並揭露地產財伐如何在政府的「暗合」下,透過「合法」手段吞拼各個市場環節,建立龐大的地產王國,「統治」香港。誰說地產商是靠自己努力,白手興家?
查詢:2395 0031(序言書室)、9809 4981(林致良)

The speaker 易汶健 has recently done a review in Chinese of my book. The link to the book review is here:

http://www.inmediahk.net/node/1006211

Here's the link to the bookstore's website:

http://www.hkreaders.com/?page_id=13

Anyone who is interested in attending the talk is welcome to contact the bookstore direct to book seats.

I'm flattered and humbled by the operators of HKReaders having shown such an interest in my book. I hope the talk will generate more discussion and debate among young people in Hong Kong on the current land and housing quandary, and by extension, the existing economic, social and political impasse. After all, it is up to them to shape the future of the SAR and to instigate much needed progressive changes.