A Pattern of Life

“For myself, however, it is the human element, the recollected words, the remembered faces, which give life to the printed record.”

James Hayes’s many writings have made a major contribution to knowledge about life in rural Hong Kong. This book presents sixteen of his illuminating and original articles, each of which is rooted in his experiences as a district officer, administering and visiting villages under his care. His interest in the life and lives of the people went far beyond the formal demands of his official work, and Dr Hayes grew to admire and respect the villagers. As a result, his writings are suffused with hisaffection and esteem. Intended for scholars in the field of New Territories history as well as general readers interested in rural life in the region, A Pattern of Life provides a fascinating, academically important, yet highly readable picture of traditional life in rural South China and reinforces Dr Hayes’s reputation as one of the most important writers on the New Territories.

“[James was] the archetypical example of those remarkable Colonial Service officers who became fascinated by, and deeply engaged with, the territories and people which it was their task to administer.”- Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, Governor of Hong Kong (1987–1992).

“"This is treasure trove for anyone interested in the history of Hong Kong's New Territories. The essays focus on a wide range of topics, including land tenure, village organization, marriage, rural education, and government relations. Scholars who work on the British Empire and its colonial manifestations in South Asia and Africa will also find here a rich source of comparative ethnography." --James L. Watson, Fairbank Professor of Chinese Society and Anthropology Emeritus, Harvard University”

"James Hayes has achieved a rare and profound understanding of Hong Kong's New Territories by mastering the mountains of historical and ethnographical data with passion and intellectual energy while relating to the people who inhabit the land with humility and empathy. He is in a class of his own." --Elizabeth Sinn, Honorary Professor at the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, author of Pacific Crossing: California Gold, Chinese Migration, and the Making of Hong Kong

Hugh D.R. Baker is Emeritus Professor of Chinese at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). His research work has mainly been conducted in Hong Kong where in the early 1960s he lived in a village studying the history and organisation of a long-established clan. He has published widely on Chinese culture, history, society, and language, was Chinese language Training Adviser to the Hong KongGovernment in the early 1970s, and has made considerable contributions in radio, television, and newspaper writings.

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