Set against the backdrop of regional and international post–Second World War tensions, Grounded at Kai Tak is the most comprehensive account of the complex legal struggle for ownership of 71 airplanes belonging to the two main Chinese airlines, which were stranded at Kai Tak airfield in Hong Kong at the end of the Chinese civil war. The resulting contest for possession of them took place in the courts and among politicians and diplomats on three continents. In the process, the struggle became entangled with the anti-communist policies of the United States in the emerging ‘Cold War’, British hopes for restoration of her pre-war commercial position in China, disagreements between nations about recognition of the new government in Peking, and the delicate balance that the colonial government of Hong Kong had to keep to preserve that colony’s interests.
Merry tells the tale of this legal saga by weaving together archival documents and news reports of the day, revealing the international alignments that emerged from the aftermath of the wars and the colourful cast of actors that influenced the outcome of the dispute. This struggle would go on to become one of the leading public international law cases on the recognition of governments at the time.
The Speaker
Malcolm Merry spent more than 40 years in Hong Kong as a practising barrister, author, lecturer/senior lecturer and associate/adjunct professor at the University of Hong Kong. He is known for his writing on land law but more recently has developed an interest in and published works on Hong Kong’s legal history including two books with HKUP, The Unruly New Territories (2020) and Grounded at Kai Tak (2022).
PROGRAMME
Venue: Online event
Admission: Zoom links are free for members of RASHK and sister societies only. Non-members are welcome depending on availability.
Registration: Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk and provide your membership number, if applicable, at the time of registration.
Registration will be closed at 12 noon on the event date.
Zoom links will be sent before or by 1pm on the event date.