ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a brief overview of the rural/urban divide in the contemporary Hong Kong context. It discusses how the walled village people have gradually moved closer in their thinking and attitudes to the urban areas. Urbanisation, better infrastructure and communication, development of new towns and commoditisation of the villages along with the merging of the education systems have dramatically changed women’s roles and their positions in the walled villages. The chapter explores how the villagers struggled to maintain their customary practices while, at the same time, recognising the need to open up for profit-making and survival. It also discusses how the blurring of the rural/urban divide and the handover of Hong Kong to China which has brought the Hong Kong–China relationship closer, has changed the topography of the walled villages. The chapter shows that how these changes have affected women’s roles in the walled villages.
