ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relocation of the Queen Victoria statue and Queen’s College to Causeway Bay in the 1950s, when the Cold War fully embedded itself across Asia. The authors argue that the placement of two important symbols of British rule outside the city’s ceremonial and administrative heart allegorized the colonial state’s desire to win hearts and minds among the local Chinese population. With Britain’s declining power and America’s rise as Asia’s primary hegemon, the colonial state hedged its survival on transforming Hong Kong into a haven of capitalism and consumerism. Causeway Bay became the core site of this experiment. The creation of Victoria Park on reclaimed land and the placement of Queen’s College in Causeway Bay turned the district into a prime commercial and residential area well-sought after by aspirational Chinese inhabitants.
