1/6/18:
Fully replenished on sleep and ready for my next adventure, I started my day off with a visit to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, where I learned about the history of the various bills and coins that sat in my wallet. While I certainly learned plenty from the presentation, the most rewarding part of my visit would have to be the plethora of references to historical events that I learned in my classes at Williams as an Asian Studies major, such as the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong. These important historical events were once simply abstractions to me, but today I was able to see the concrete effects that they had on one very specific area of life here in Hong Kong.
Afterwards, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture at the Yan Oi Tong Jockey Club Community and Sports Center in Tuen Mun. From the talk, I was able to get a glimpse into the issues surrounding ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. Having had little exposure to Hong Kong in the past, I was unaware of the socioeconomic issues surrounding ethnicity in Hong Kong, and for this reason it’s a topic that I’m looking forward to exploring more profoundly in the lectures next week.