ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some of the issues arising from the connections between Hong Kong and its hinterland through an examination of five localities in the Pearl River Delta. In 1945, when it ended, Hong Kong's role in the world economy began to undergo a major transformation. The chapter describes some of the effects of development in rural regions of the Pearl River Delta hinterland since the reforms began. Hong Kong has an extensive set of economic and cultural links to its hinterland, particularly the Pearl River Delta, which has been transformed since Economic Reform was initiated in China in 1979. Hong Kong has continued to prosper as it has assisted in and benefited from the transformation of the Pearl River Delta of which it is economically and culturally part and to which it will be administratively linked after 1997 in a fashion that is still uncertain.
