How Hong Kong Transformed the Global Wine Trade

Hang Kei Ho is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Cultures in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Helsinki and holds the Title of Docent in Sociology in the Faculty of Social Sciences. He is also affiliated with the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) and the Helsinki Institute of Urban and Regional Studies (Urbaria). In addition, he serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is a multidisciplinary scholar who has held academic positions in Finland, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK and has lectured across Anthropology, Asian Studies, Business Management, Development Studies, Economic Geography, Public Health, Sociology, and Urban Studies. He holds a PhD in Geography from University College London, an MBA, and multiple master’s degrees spanning engineering and the humanities.

"This is a very timely book - examining a place which is no longer ‘emerging’ but is now central to the world of wine and the way that wine is being culturally reshaped in the 21st century. The exploration goes well beyond the political and financial however, to the fascinating cultural synthesis which occurs when the local Hong Kong and the mainland Chinese markets (they are not the same) meet the residual colonial Western understanding of wine. Hang Kei Ho notes that at times there are conflicts - but that a dynamic new context for understanding wine is emerging."Dr Steve Charters MW, Professor of Wine Marketing, Burgundy School of Business"Hong Kong’s role as a cultural wine hub is key to understanding wine globalisation. Hang Kei Ho offers a unique insight into the city’s history with wine and alcohol, highlighting how Hong Kong connects East and West through taste, consumption, and politics. A little gem for all food and wine experts!"Marion Demossier, University of Southampton, author of Burgundy: The Global Story of Terroir"Most recent writing about Hong Kong has focused on politics and protests, but there is also a vibrant cultural side to the city. This book is the first to analyse wine in Hong Kong - it does an admirable job of describing wine’s regional history, its economics, and above all its consumers. It is well-written and thorough - anyone interested in wine, or in Hong Kong’s contemporary cultural milieu, will gain much from reading it."Gordon Mathews, Professor of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong"Hang Kei Ho has crafted a fascinating account of the emergence and changing fortunes of the Hong Kong wine trade through the vicissitudes of the geopolitical relationships between China and the rest of the world from the Opium Wars to the present. I greatly enjoyed his fascinating insights and interesting anecdotes about the culture of wine in this too often neglected but nevertheless important corner of the wine world."Tim Unwin, Professor of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London

• 1. Introduction: Popularisation of Wine in Hong Kong. 2. History: Culture, Meaning, and Social Change. 3. Policies: Alcohol Duty, Government, and Lobbying. 4. Professionals: Key People in the Wine Industry. 5. Drinkers: Origins, Knowledge, and Trends. 6. Geopolitics: New Wine Order, Racism, and Trade War. 7. Conclusion: Contributions, Innovations, and Transformation.