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6 Recording a Rich Heritage: Research in Hong Kong's "New Territories" Elizabeth L. Johnson Introduction: Research About Research Research i s influenced, perhap s mor e than w e care to admit, by historica l and political circumstances. These present opportunities, impose constraints, and influence wha t we study. These circumstances no t only include trends within our disciplines, but also the contexts within which our work is done. The New Territories, defined physically and temporally by colonialism, has presented one such set of circumstances. This small area of southeastern China has been the intense focus o f research, in various disciplines, during the past 5 0 years. In man y way s i t was singularl y accessible , providin g a research settin g that was virtually isolated from th e political and economic changes affectin g th e res t o f China , an d see n a s providin g a sor t o f laboratory fo r th e study of traditional sout h Chinese society . In the period leading to the reunification o f Hong Kong with China, growing awarenes s of its distinctive identity not only provided an impetus for the development of museums devote d to the history an d culture of Hong Kong but also led to a search for sources of information abou t its society and history. It was the Museums Section of the Regional Services Department (later the Hong Kong Heritage Museum) that proposed that a book be written that would mak e accessibl e to the people of Hon g Kon g the research tha t had 104 ELIZABET H L . JOHNSO N been done in the New Territories. The results of this research were widely scattered, publishe d i n articles an d books printed i n a number o f differen t countries. The Heritage Museum asked that I do the survey of this literature and write a book that would synthesize the research that had been done. In 2000, th e Hon g Kon g Heritag e Museu m publishe d Recording a Rich Heritage: Research on Hong Kong's "New Territories." The boo k tha t wa s published , an d thi s chapter , presen t m y overvie w and analysis of research done there; it presents the results of research about research. The analysis that I present is my own. There may be others wh o do no t shar e thi s perspective , althoug h man y Ne w Territorie s scholar s contributed their responses to this project. I can only briefly summariz e the results of a complex, challenging, and rewarding project, an d in so doing I hope that I do not misrepresent others' work. In a relatively brief chapter, I cannot possibl y d o justice t o th e richnes s o f th e researc h tha t ha s bee n done. It i s importan t t o credi t Barbar a Ward , th e firs t anthropologis t t o undertake research in Hong Kong, with first proposing suc h a project. I n a paper read at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1981, she argued that information resultin g fro m researc h tha t ha d bee n done , an d informatio n held in government files, should be brought together and published because, she said, we probably "kno w a great deal more abou t the New Territorie s than w e ourselve s actuall y realize. " Sh e argue d tha t th e resultin g boo k should b e writte n fo r a genera l readership , includin g ordinar y peopl e i n Hong Kong.1 Sh e had planned to do such a project, but was prevented fro m doing it by her untimely death. So, I approache d thi s projec t wit h considerabl e trepidation , knowin g that i t had bee n propose d b y suc h a n experienced scholar . It s completio n was mad e possibl e onl y wit h th e generou s hel p o f man y people . Most o f the scholar s represente d no t onl y contribute d photograph s bu t als o rea d portions o f th e manuscrip t an d gav e valuabl e feedback . Som e wer e especially generous in reading and commenting on the entire book...

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