Whose Development? Transnational Capitalism and the Homogenisation of Space

Abstract

This chapter discusses the latest developments of Mui Wo that have the tendency to homogenise the place and their consequences. In the age of global capitalism, ‘development’ in its predominant sense is the attempt to produce space to endow it with exchangeability, such that surplus value can be extracted. For space to become homogeneous and hence exchangeable, it has to possess certain traits, thus opening up the way for intervention by various experts. The government also becomes increasingly involved in the production of space. One initiative is its multimillion dollar ‘facelift’ plan to redevelop Mui Wo into a ‘themed’ town. If the opening of Tsing Ma Bridge in 1997 led to the semi-detachment of Mui Wo, the opening of a new, modern carriageway connecting the northern and southern sides of Lantau Island in 2009 has brought the small community back onto the map. There are a number of consequences, including the rapid growth of house prices and rents and many more motor vehicles circulating on the roads. These in turn have led to the departure of tenants with limited financial resources. Yellow cattle and buffaloes, who have long been part of the local scene, are also increasingly in jeopardy since they are regarded as ‘obstructing’ to traffic and development in general. As put by one artist, these large animals are just a conspicuous sign of the development of Mui Wo – when they can no longer live peacefully in the community, it means many more living organisms, large and small, cannot survive there.