Kaifong associations

Kaifong associations (Chinese: 街坊會) or kaifong welfare associations (Chinese: 街坊福利會) are traditional mutual aid organisations which emerged in Hong Kong after the Second World War. They were set up with the help of the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs, particularly the Society Welfare Council, of the British colonial government, which had the intention of developing non-governmental civil society for the purpose of promoting moderate politics among the general public.^[1] The term kaifong is a Cantonese romanisation of the Chinese 街坊, which means people living in the same neighbourhood, and kaifong associations mainly aim at serving the residents of specific neighbourhoods.

The main purpose was to provide low cost or free services in areas such as education and health care for the many refugees from China. By 1958, there were twenty-one; by 1958, twenty-eight.^[1] After 1958, the government tried to use the kaifong associations to communicate with the local population. In 1960, kaifong associations extended their services to areas such as legal support or environmental protection.

After the introduction of the District Offices [yue] in 1969, the importance of kaifong associations declined. Nevertheless, many kaifong associations remain active today.

List

Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association
Chai Wan Resettlement Kaifong Welfare Association
Cheung Sha Wan Kaifong Welfare Association
Chuk Yuen Cottage Area Kaifong Welfare Advancement Committee
Mongkok Kaifong Association
Sham Shui Po Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association
Tai Hang Sai Kaifong Welfare Association
Tsim Sha Tsui Kaifong Welfare Association
Wang Tau Hom Resettlement Kaifong Welfare Association
Yaumati Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association

References

^ ^a ^b Hegemonies Compared, ch. "State Formation in Hong Kong," sec. the Cold War & the Communist Takeover of China in 1949, subsec. State Power & the Third Sector in Colonial Society, p.107

Kaifong associations

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