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From Portugal's settlement in Macau in the sixteenth century to the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1979, Sino-Portuguese relations evolved through different stages. The fragility of the Portuguese presence in Macau fluctuated with China's levels of political stability and power, within the notion of historical shared sovereignty. In the context of the mid-1970s withdrawal from empire, Lisbon has arguably offered to return Macau to China, but Beijing declined those offers. The new Portuguese regime signed a secret agreement with China, promising to hand Macau over when the time was ripe. The trauma experienced from the decolonisation process in Africa resulted in demands from the Portuguese public to ensure a more dignified withdrawal from Macau.

This chapter presents the political background to the so-called ‘Macau question’. It explores the impact of Hong Kong upon 1986-1987 Sino-Portuguese negotiations, which resulted in the signature of the Macau Joint Declaration. The most sensitive subjects that were tabled during the negotiation process were the date for the transfer of Portuguese administration to the PRC and the nationality issue for Macau's residents in the future Special Administrative Region. The negotiations over the future of Hong Kong served as a template for negotiations over Macau. Portugal's strategy for the talks was predominantly unstructured with a desire to negotiate along co-operative lines. The negotiations highlighted Chinese negotiating patterns, combining charm with ambiguity. Moreover, we learn how charismatic Portuguese leaders had a determining effect in the outcome.

The 1970s were marked by dramatic changes in government policies during the governorship of Sir Murray MacLehose. The New Territories became the locus of a planned population shift away from crowded Hong Kong and Kowloon, and the idea of ‘New Towns’, based on Tsuen Wan’s developments, was central. It went hand-in-hand with infrastructural developments, which revolutionized transportation and ended the relative isolation of Tsuen Wan through the MTR. The administration of Tsuen Wan fundamentally changed and the creation of District Boards (later Councils), beginning first in Tsuen Wan, altered the system of political consultation throughout Hong Kong. The 1980s were marked by dramatic changes in economic policies within China, not least in the areas of China adjacent to Hong Kong, which saw industrialization through the Pearl River delta region and de-industrialization in Tsuen Wan. Emergence of a distinctive Hong Kong identity, and a new political culture, emerged as sovereignty over Hong Kong was resumed by China in 1997. Tsuen Wan changed from the working class town that it has been into one dominated by middle class housing developments, much like the rest of Hong Kong, although the villages of the original inhabitants remained.

Although their rights are protected, the original people have recently intermingled with immigrants in most aspects of life. Over time their distinctive identity has faded as they, and the immigrants, have increasingly blended into the Hong Kong population. The construction of the MTR line, although profoundly disruptive, connected Tsuen Wan to urban Hong Kong and the new airport. The central Tianhou temple was directly affected, but was preserved, and continues to be managed by the Rural Committee, although many immigrants worship there, especially Teochiu women devotees. In Kwan Mun Hau, although many members now live elsewhere, the lineages have remained strong, and the village united, as evidenced by a special ceremony and banquet on the day before retrocession. Their level of education and quality of life have greatly increased.

This chapter examines the history of the US Congress. It pays particular attention to issues of constituency, congressional organization, and the ways in which Congress and the executive have dealt with their constitutional invitation to struggle. Focusing on political changes outside Congress and institutional changes within Congress, the history of the legislative branch can be divided into six political eras. These are the Federalist and Jeffersonian eras, the Jacksonian era, the Civil War Congress, the Republican era, the “New Deal” and postwar period, and the contemporary period of congressional gridlock and presidential unilateralism. During each of these periods, the chapter highlights examples of congressional successes and achievements, but the overall picture is one of institutional retrocession.