This work closely considers the history and political importance of Hong Kong in the period 1842 to 1992.

Chapter 1 Introduction: Hong Kong's Precarious Balance-150 Years in an Historic Triangle, Ming K. Chan; Chapter 2 From Antiforeignism to Popular Nationalism: Hong Kong between China and Britain, 1839-1911, Jung-fang Tsai; Chapter 3 Hong Kong in Sino-British Conflict: Mass Mobilization and the Crisis of Legitimacy, 1912-26, Ming K. Chan; Chapter 4 From Nationalistic Confrontation to Regional Collaboration: China-Hong Kong-Britain, 1926-41, Norman J. Miners; Chapter 5 Hong Kong in Sino-British Diplomacy, 1926-45, Kit-ching Lau Chan; Chapter 6 Anti-Chinese Legislation in Hong Kong, Peter Wesley-Smith; Chapter 7 World War to Cold War: Hong Kong's Future and Anglo-Chinese Interactions, 1941-55, James T.H. Tang; Chapter 8 The Building Years: Maintaining a China-Hong Kong-Britain Equilibrium, 1950-71, John D. Young; Chapter 9 The MacLehose-Youde Years: Balancing the "Three-Legged Stool," 1971-86, James T.H. Tang, Frank Ching; Chapter 10 Toward Colonial Sunset: The Wilson Regime, 1987-92, Frank Ching;