Hong Kong in Village Life: Politics, Gender, and Ritual in the New Territories / By James L. Watson and Rubie S. Watson

This book is a seminal classic that has significantly inspired research in Chinese anthropology in South China. Two American anthropologists resided in San Tin and Ha Tsuen in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, during the 1960s and 1970s, closely observing the cultural traditions of the Man and Tang clans. From an anthropological perspective, they explored the social structures, gender disparities, and religious rituals of these two villages at the time. Collaborating, they documented and studied the gender status and hierarchical concepts of men and women in the villages. With the development of new towns, the landscape of the New Territories has transformed, and some of the small villages mentioned in this book have since disappeared, with many traditional rituals no longer practiced. Through extensive research, this book presents the spiritual activities of village life from that era, such as adoption customs, ancestral worship, wedding ceremonies, and burial taboos—these Cantonese village rituals have largely been forgotten. This book serves as a unique record of local history, with its theories guiding many later scholars. By James L. Watson and Rubie S. Watson Translated by Cheung Yuen Lai and Sheng Siwei Edited by Leo Shin ISBN: 978-962-996-468-9 Binding: Paperback Language: Traditional Chinese Pages: 416 Dimensions: 229 x 152 x 23 mm **About the Authors** James L. Watson is a Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Harvard University, USA. Rubie S. Watson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University, USA. The two scholars have been conducting anthropological research in South China (Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Jiangxi) since the late 1960s. **About the Translators** Cheung Yuen Lai holds a Master's degree in Translation from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has taught at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Open University of Hong Kong and is currently a freelance translator. Sheng Siwei has studied Chinese and Translation, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and Literary and Cultural Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Chicago (USA), and the University of Hong Kong. He currently teaches Bachelor's and Master's programs in Translation at the Open University of Hong Kong. **About the Editorial Consultant** Leo Shin is an Associate Professor in the Division of Humanities and Director of the Centre for South China Studies at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.