This talk re-examines the evolution of the mui tsai system in Hong Kong from the nineteenth to the twentieth century through the lens of the interwoven private and public spheres. It contends that the mui tsai system was not merely an internal domestic custom, but rather a systematic mechanism of exploitation deeply embedded within the discourse of family privacy and sustained through contractual agreements and legal acquiescence.
The analysis unfolds across three dimensions. First, it dissects how the status of mui tsai was ambiguously defined and commodified, with its exploitative nature obscured by the rhetoric of familial ethics. Second, it examines how the system, under pressure from Christian ethics, colonial judicial intervention, and the international abolitionist movement, gradually entered public discourse from the private sphere. Finally, it explores how Chinese elites employed discursive strategies and institutional practices to respond to external critiques, defending traditional customs while simultaneously reframing the controversy into a manageable social issue.
By integrating diverse historical sources such as legal documents, newspaper commentaries, and social movement manifestos, this presentation shows how the process of abolishing the mui tsai system involved the flow and reconfiguration of power between the private and public spheres. More broadly, the case study represents an outcome shaped by the interplay of colonial governance pragmatism, local cultural defense, and international moral discourse.
The Speakers
Ms. Ng Sze Sze and Ms. Ngan Tung, university students, 2nd Prize (Runner-up) of the RASHK’s Hong Kong History Writing Competition 2026
Ng Sze Sze is Year 2 student in the Department of History at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, and part-time research assistant at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include modern Chinese history, Hong Kong history, and gender history.
Ngan Tung is Year 3 student in the Department of Chinese and History at City University of Hong Kong.
PROGRAMME
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm (Hong Kong Time)
Venue: Online by Zoom
Admission: $50 for members, $60 for guests /non-members
Registration: Please email <membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk> and provide your membership number, if applicable, at the time of registration. Please kindly complete your registration by advance payment via Stripe's payment links below (using your Credit Card):
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