Kaifong associations

Kaifong associations (Chinese: 街坊會) or kaifong welfare associations (Chinese: 街坊福利會) are traditional mutual aid organizations which emerged in Hong Kong after the Second World War. They were set up with the help of 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 (街坊) refers to people living in the same neighbourhood, and kaifong associations mainly aimed 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 in 1969, the importance of kaifong associations declined. Nevertheless, many kaifong associations are still active today.

List of Kaifong associations in Hong Kong

References

Footnote citations
  1. 1 2 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


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.