The moral economy of property sales in Hong Kong’s lineage communities

Through an examination of 2819 sale and purchase transactions of land and houses in two lineage communities in Hong Kong’s New Territories from 1905 to 2015, this article reveals that property transfer within close-knit communities is not solely a moral concern but also a utilitarian one. It demonstrates that moral obligations and utilitarianism are not mutually exclusive but rather coexist to enhance and optimize both individual and collective interests in all situations. Furthermore, by illuminating the diverse patterns and characteristics of land and house transactions, the article highlights the importance of ancestral trusts/corporate estates, lineage outsiders, and women in these economic dealings within lineage communities. These findings complement existing research, which has predominantly concentrated on the dynamics of patrilineal property transfer.