Ferry services and the community development of peripheral island areas in Hong Kong: Evidence from Cheung Chau

The history of Hong Kong ferry services began with the establishment of the colony of the British Empire after the Treaty of Nanking. The ferry system was the foundation of public transport in Hong Kong. This study adopts the concept of centre-periphery theory to explain how ferry services facilitate regional integration in Hong Kong, notably on Outlying Islands, and describe how better transportation influenced the course of development of the communities of the peripheral islands. Through an intensive documentary investigation and in-depth interviews with the islanders, this study undertakes a historical approach to study the evolution of the Hong Kong ferry services throughout the last two centuries, and to see the prospects of its development, particularly the services for the Outlying Islands, in the postcolonial Special Administrative Region. Our main concerns include the significance of ferry services in maintenance, and the economic development and social welfare in the Outlying Islands. The slow decline of Hong Kong ferry services since the 1970s notwithstanding, the study addressed how and why ferry services in Hong Kong are still important to keep the city intact, while giving the islanders some new choices of self-identity and of staying in their peripheral home.