Changing Spatial Relationship Between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta

1970
20

Abstract: The regional system in China has undergone significant

transformation because of market reform, globalisation and rapid
urbanization. Many cities and towns that were formerly peripheral
or rural areas have developed into active economic centres linked
to world capital investors and consumer markets. This kind of
spatial restructuring has been seen in the Greater Pearl River Delta
(PRD) Region in southern China from the late 1970s. Taking
advantage of capital shift from and intensified cross-border
interaction with nearby Hong Kong after 1978, the PRD has
developed from a frontier farming community into a prosperous
world workshop and a competing service provider. Hong Kong,
which used to play a dragonhead role in the region as a major
capital source and service provider, shows signs of decline in the
context of new regional development. Through reviewing three
stages of the changing spatial relationship between Hong Kong
and the PRD from the perspective of economic development and
cross-border flow (trade, capital and people), the paper argues that
the recent decline of Hong Kong is not because of the political
handover or post-1997 policy failure just like what many
commentators have claimed. It reveals that as a dependent
economy, the decline of Hong Kong is more economically related
and connected closely with wider context of regional development
and restructuring in the Greater PRD Region.

Keywords: Pearl River DeltaSpatial Relationship

Regional DevelopmentCross-border Flow

Competitive Earmarked Research Grants of Hong Kong

Research Grants Council: Project code: HKU 752407H)

20

Peter Hall

1970

Wu2007

1990

2004

2004

Yeh Xu
2006

1997

(IMD) 19983

jiangxu@hkucc.hku.hk

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2008 Vol.23, No.1

20029

1998
2200217

L a i 2 0 0 1

Thompson
2001a
2001b

19501960

2003

1970Koo1968Lin

1980

R&D

197819971970
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Sit2001

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The Economist2001

1990

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1997
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Yeh

Wu
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Cheng Zheng
2001

1949

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1950

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Towers Perrin (2002)Business and Professional Federation of Hong Kong (2002)(R&D)GDP

GDP2.5%
2.7%
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0.22.6
3.6
6.8

2008 Vol.23, No.1

71

1978217

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2008 Vol.23, No.1

1 10
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1991-2006

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44.8%18.6%GDP

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2008 Vol.23, No.1

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74

2008 Vol.23, No.1

1.33%

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2008 Vol.23, No.1

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46%

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1978
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3 36720056 267700
200510
2005241
42%31%

76

2008 Vol.23, No.1

4 1984-2006
Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong Government1977-2007

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