Transplanting Enterprises in Hong Kong

Abstract

Hong Kong is a haven for entrepreneurs of all shades,¹ as it provides a congenial environment for the transplanting of enterprises. By definition, the act of transplanting involves mobility and diversity. It entails the coexistence and cross-fertilization of indigenous and foreign ventures. As a haven, Hong Kong has attracted innovators and risk-takers, not only from China but also from all over the world. As soon as Hong Kong became a British colony and a trading port in 1842, it drew into its fold Parsees and Jews, Portuguese and Muslims, Scots and Eurasians, all competing fiercely in business (Faure, 1997). After the Second World War, Hong Kong took over in popular imagination the mantle from Shanghai as a proverbial paradise for adventurers. For example, in the American movie Prizzi’s Honour, made in the 1980s, when the couple of professional killers found themselves being cornered by their own Mafia family, Kathleen Turner playing Irene said to Jack Nicholson, as Charley, ‘Let’s go to Hong Kong. Let’s make a run for it while there’s still a chance. I know someone there who can give us a new face, a new identity, even a new set of fingerprints. We can disappear and start a new life.’