Ho, Hang Kei; (2014) Drinking Bordeaux in the ‘new’ Hong Kong: Exploring changing identities through alcohol consumption. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

Abstract

Hong Kong has seen a significant increase in wine consumption since the withdrawal of wine tax in February 2008, and the Special Administrative Region (SAR) has now become Asia’s wine-trading hub. However, while alcohol consumption is a recognised academic subject in the fields of anthropology, geography and cultural studies, current research offers limited information on Hong Kong’s wine industry, the reasons behind the popularisation of wine, or how consumers drink wine. This thesis investigates the ways in which people of different ethnic and social backgrounds residing in Hong Kong consume alcohol. It is argued that some Hong Kong citizens consume alcohol in various ways to construct a postcolonial identity. This finding was uncovered through the exploration of the development of Hong Kong’s wine industry; the way that people practise wine consumption; how alcohol is consumed at home, work and in leisure spaces; how liquid modern identity is constructed in drinking spaces through experiential consumption. This thesis argues that Hong Kong citizens are currently experiencing a phase of uncertain social and cultural changes following the 1997 handover. They find themselves in a transitory moment as they are moving away from the old Hong Kong, which was ruled by the British government, to the new Hong Kong, which is slowly being transformed by the Beijing government. Wine consumption has increased in popularity because it enables Hong Kong’s citizens to display cultural capital while simultaneously distancing themselves from mainland Chinese society. This research was carried out using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including statistical analysis, ethnography, elite interviews and focus groups to develop frameworks to investigate and theorise Hong Kong’s culture and society through alcohol consumption. The methodological frameworks, theoretical debates and empirical findings contribute to wider knowledge in Asian studies, drinking cultures and geographies of consumption.

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