Besides historical documents and artifacts, buildings are also tangible evidence of history. Heritage conservation has aroused concerns in recent years, and at the same time it has stirred controversy of whether “conservation and economic development are opposing forces”. In the special episode of the third season of “Hong Kong History Series”, Dr. LEE Ho-yin, director of the Architectural Conservation Programmes of the Department of Architecture in the University of Hong Kong, will be invited to explain how the conservation of historical buildings improves the quality of people and brings economic benefits to society. The product of a painstaking process, this season of “Hong Kong History Series” explores the past from the perspective of public livelihood. Its topics range from the early press industry and shipping to the development of domestic healthcare, legal system, public transport, housing, relationship between Chinese merchants and regional development, all the way up to the defence of Hong Kong during WWII. As always, the production crew has visited the advisory panel formed by experts and scholars of history with different specialties, including Dr. TING Sun-pao, Joseph; Dr. LAU Chi-pang, J.P.; Professor Paul LEE; Mr. KO Tim-keung, Tim; etc. Their invaluable comments not only enrich the content of each episode of the series, but also provide interpretation on historical perspectives unknown to most. The video image can be a powerful media of expression. To this end, the production crew chose to film in Shanghai and Foshan; there, they used local studios installed with settings with a striking resemblance to nostalgic Hong Kong street scenes. They used the camera lens like a time machine to travel back to the old days of Hong Kong and allow the audience to experience historical occasions such as the apprehension of Ho Chi-minh, the father of Vietnam, in Kowloon City; the deplorable living conditions of the Chinese people when the city of Hong Kong
On the morning of 8 December 1941, Japanese troops started bombing Kai Tak Airport, marking the start of the 18-day “Battle of Hong Kong”. Hong Kong lost the battle and went through the Japanese Occupation. A bitter experience as it was, the Japanese Occupation became a watershed in the British rule in Hong Kong, paving the way for a new situation in post-war Hong Kong. As early as at the start of the 20th century, Britain foresaw Hong Kong as the next target of Japan’s aggression. However, owing to the vast extent of the British national territory and her having just survived the First World War, Britain experienced a lean period and could only allocate few resources to Hong Kong’s military affairs. That having been said, the Hong Kong government was still preparing for a battle, as it was constructing air-raid shelters, conducting air-raid drills, recruiting militia members, etc. Also were constructed the 18-km Gin Drinker’s Line [in the New Territories] and many new fortresses on Hong Kong Island. However, the British government did not expect the Japanese to start attacking as early as on 8 December 1941. Ill-equipped, the Hong Kong garrison fought back. As a result, in only five days, the resistance in New Territories and Kowloon Peninsula collapsed. The garrison had no choice but to retreat all together to Hong Kong Island. Subsequently, the Japanese troops issued the call to surrender twice to the Hong Kong government; on both occasions the call was rejected by Hong Kong governor Sir Mark Aitchison Young. After a bitter 18-day battle, Sir Young officially surrendered Hong Kong to the Japanese troops on Christmas Day 1941, marking the beginning of Japanese Occupation, a dark period in the history of Hong Kong. Despite having lost the Hong Kong colony, the British government believed that the Allies would gain victory in the end because of the participation of the United States in the war, hence the beginning of the drafting of post-war plans. On the o
When the city of Hong Kong was just established, the public environment was deplorable. At first, the death toll among the British army was high as healthcare services were only provided by floating clinics. Although there were Hospital of the Medical Missionary Society and Seaman’s Hospital in 1843, but they mainly served the westerners. In 1848, the Government Civic Hospital, the first government hospital was established. However, as the Chinese had little faith in western medicine, combined with high medical fees and communication problem, only a few Chinese sought medical consultation. Most Chinese treated their illnesses with Chinese medicine methods. The early colonial government used Hong Kong as a trade hub and it embraced the style of governance which observed the policy of non-interference towards the Chinese as long as there was no impediment to governance. As a result, it did not provide any western medical services to the Chinese proactively. The Government’s policy towards the Chinese and governance approach only changed after the plague. The Government realised after the plague, that the public healthcare services, especially the western medical services, was not sufficient to meet the need at the time. In order to soften the Chinese resistance towards western medicine, the Government began to support the training of Chinese doctors, nurses and midwives. and cooperated with other organisations to set up pharmacies in different districts, so as to encourage the Chinese acceptance of western medicine. On the other hand, some upper-class Chinese who had received western education also helped promote western medicine, and Ho Kai was the representative figure among them. Through his promotion, the Alice Memorial Hospital was established and he also took forward the establishment of the Hong Kong College of Medicine with a view to providing healthcare services and training Chinese doctors for Hong Kong. Despite this, western medicine was still general
Because of her peculiar political environment, Hong Kong enjoys the freedom of speech and press (very much owing itself to the West) as well as the close ties with China. Moreover, she is found at a superb geographical location which is conducive to communication with both the East and the West. During the British rule, as Hong Kong was beyond the Qing court’s jurisdiction, the colony became an important base of the earliest Chinese revolutionaries and their activities. “China.” was the first newspaper in Hong Kong set up by revolutionaries, namely Dr Sun Yat-sen and Chan Siu-bak. In 1896, Dr Sun was kidnapped in the Chinese Legation of Qing court in the UK; the incident was exposed in The Times [a UK paper], thanks to his medical school teacher, Dr James Cantlie. Because of this, Dr Sun came to realise the power of the press as well as words gone public. Apart from “China.”, the revolutionaries set up various papers in Hong Kong, which respectively included: Zhongguo Xun Bao (“China Ten-Day Paper”), Shijie Gongyi Bao (“Global Charities Paper”), Canton Press and You Suo Wei Bao (“Relevant Paper”). The revolutionary influence extended itself into even the English papers, one of which notably being South China Morning Post (SCMP). SCMP is the only surviving English paper among those established before WWII. It was founded in 1903 by the British Alfred Cunningham, and Zhongxinhui (a then Chinese revolutionary group) member Tse Tsan-tai. The paper often contained articles penned by Tse himself promoting revolutionary ideals. Apart from the revolutionaries, the Communists also set up newspapers in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Shiao Jih Pao (“Hong Kong Mini Daily”), founded in 1929, was the earliest paper in Hong Kong set up by Communists. During the Canton-Hong Kong strike, as the Hong Kong government was most concerned about maintaining social order, the then governor Sir Clementi began to curb the influence of Communists in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Shiao Jih Pao was banne
In Hong Kong, vessels come and go. In the past hundred years or so, Hong Kong has put on a million faces, having evolved from a small fishing village into a prosperous entrepot, and then into the current state as a global financial centre. Throughout the growth of the local economy, shipping has grown along as well. Once the major economic backbone of Hong Kong, the shipping industry has adjusted itself time and again to adapt to the ever-changing world. Today, shipping in Hong Kong is no more as prosperous as it was, and yet the harbour that has nurtured Hong Kong over a century is still dazzling and thriving. The strategic geographical location of Hong Kong and the natural enormous water depth of its harbour: these were the favourable factors for the development of the shipping industry in Hong Kong. The complex historical background of the city further created endless business opportunities that launched the most glorious days of the shipping industry in Hong Kong. The 19th century, when the Western powers rushed into the East for development, saw an ever-increasing maritime exchange between the East and the West. As Hong Kong was ceded to Britain after the First Opium War, the “free port” policy adopted in Hong Kong marked the first important step towards success for the local shipping industry. Foreign firms came to Hong Kong one after another to set up their branches and headquarters here, not only bringing capital, talent and technology to the city, but also establishing the city as the bridge between the East and the West, further strengthening the growth of Hong Kong’s shipping industry. As early as at the city’s establishment as a British colony, Jardine Matheson became the pioneer of the local shipping industry and the leading figure in the development of the industry. The Hong Kong Canton and Macao Steamboat Company, owned by Douglas Lapraik, also became the most important shipping company within the Pearl River region. Lapraik even took the lea
The rule of law is one of the most important cornerstones of Hong Kong. But by whom and when was it put into the social system in Hong Kong? It probably began when the British people occupied the Hong Kong Island. Not long after the British people landed on the Hong Kong Island on 25 Jan 1841, Hong Kong was declared a free port, hence buoyant business activities. Warehouses and docks were established, and a large number of Chinese and Europeans were being attracted to come. Economic development also brought problems related to prostitution, gambling and drug. On top of that, there was the pirate problem, and Hong Kong was thus suddenly turned into a lawless place. As the British people were concerned about their own safety and wanted to preserve public peace, they started to impose strict law enforcement. In addition to capital punishment such as hanging and beheading, prison guards were allowed to use cat-of-nine tails (rattan canes) to cruelly punish the prisoners. Yet, it couldn’t stop the Chinese people from committing crimes and thus the overcrowded prisons became a long term problem. To order to improve the efficiency of her work related to the rule of law, the colonial government put the places for law enforcement, judicial work and correctional service together into one single complex. As such, in 1864, the early stage of the Central Police Station (CPS) Compound, which included a police station, a magistracy and a prison, was established. And it became one of the most important structures built by the early colonial government. Governor Hennessy, who was appointed in 1877, tried to bring changes. Not only did he banned the use of the inhumane cat-of-nine tails, but he also appointed Ng Choy, who was admitted to the Bar of the United Kingdom, to be the first Chinese Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council, thus showed how seriously he treated the Chinese people. Entering the 20th century, the level of the rule of law in Hong Kong took one
Urban development leads to transport innovation, and transport improvement in turn accelerates urban expansion. There is a strong tie between a city and its transport. In just more than a century, Hong Kong has quickly transformed itself from a small fishing village to an international city. Transport has also been evolving continuously to cope with the changing society, and it plays an important role in urban development. In the earlier years, people in Hong Kong didn’t have to travel as much, and most of them went from one place to another on foot. They also used wooden carts, horses, carriages, and even bullock carts and wheelbarrows for transport. After sedan chairs and rickshaws had been introduced into Hong Kong, they quickly became the mainstream of transport, and were under Government supervision. As sedan chairs were convenient and flexible, they soon became the mainstream of transport. Sedan chair was also considered a symbol of prestige for government officials, rich people, foreigners and doctors. In addition, sedan chair, being the mainstream of transport, played an important role in the development of the Mid-Levels and the Peak. After the introduction of rickshaws, they almost took over sedan chairs. Nevertheless, sedan chairs were still an indispensable means of transport in the Mid-Levels and the Peak until the 1950’s. With the rapid development of the city and the continuous growth of population, non-motorized transport could no longer meet the needs of the society. In 1882, the Government promulgated the Tramway Ordinance and announced the establishment of tram service between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, and a separate tramway to the Peak. The construction of the Peak Tramway proceeded first in 1885, so as to meet the demand of the foreigners in Mid-Levels and the Peak, and the construction was completed in 1888. Subsequently, upon completion of reclamation works, the roads were widened, and all stages of works regarding the tram se
In 1953, the most destructive fire in the history of Hong Kong hit the squatter area in Shek Kip Mei and left nearly 50 000 homeless. Subsequently, the Government built a large number of temporary accommodations for the victims. Many people think that this marked the beginning of Hong Kong public housing development, but is it really like that? In fact, in as early as the 20’s and 30’s, in view of the large number of Mainland Chinese flooded into Hong Kong, resulting in a serious shortage of housing, the colonial government conducted studies in 1923 and 1935 respectively. The corresponding Housing Committee Report proposed that the Government should offer land grants at low premium for businessmen to build low-cost housing for the people, thereby improving the inadequate housing problem and the poor living condition issue. Of the people moving in Hong Kong back then, some of them are rich businessmen, and some businessmen in Hong Kong also took the opportunity to urge the Government to carry out large scale housing projects. Although Hong Kong was facing an economic downturn at that time, and the proposals could not be implemented or ended in failure, the specific housing recommendations in the report of 1935 had already set the tone for Hong Kong's housing policy. In 1939, the Government formally enacted legislations related to town planning and began to lead the town planning work, thereby breaking the positive non-interventionism policy and marking the milestone of Hong Kong’s housing and town planning history. The first organisation which provided low-rent housing was finally established after WWII, when Hong Kong began to rebuild. With a donation from the Air Raid Distress Fund of the Lord Mayor of London, a housing authority was found. In 1952, Sheung Li Uk Estate, Hong Kong’s first public estate was built. Subsequently, with a huge number of refugees flooding in, a lot of huts were built along the hillside. Later on, several big fires broke out. In o
Hong Kong has gone through reclamations for 170 odd years. Since the establishment of the City of Victoria in early Hong Kong, Chinese merchants have been playing an important contributive role in land and new city development. In May 1841, the British army was only occupying a barren Hong Kong Island. According to the demographic statistics published in the “Hong Kong Gazette”, the total population of Hong Kong Island back then was only 7 450. As financial resources were limited, the Hong Kong Government soon conducted her first ever land auction in Macau, and 404 pieces of land were sold to fund government operations. In the meantime, in order to ensure that European merchants have enough land for trading activities, through the land auction, the government deliberately marked areas for Chinese people in the upper market (i.e. the vicinity of Gough Street and Hollywood Road in Central) and the lower market (i.e. near Bonham Strand in Sheung Wan), with a view to implementing the separate governance of Chinese and non-Chinese. However, with the rapid development of trading in Central and the sharp increase in the Chinese population, the government moved the Chinese people again from the upper market to the Tai Ping Shan District in Sheung Wan in 1844. Since then, more and more Chinese people lived in Sheung Wan, and it turned into a crowded environment. On December 28, 1851, a big fire broke out in the lower market in Sheung Wan, which indirectly led to the first ever reclamation in Hong Kong, thereby extending the City of Victoria to the West. Later on, the influx of refugees moving south to Hong Kong due to the Taiping Rebellion in the Mainland had led to a sharp increase in the population. To address this problem, the government began to develop Sai Ying Pun. At that time, Li Sing followed his elder brother, Li Leung, to come to Hong Kong to start their business, and they bought many land in Sai Wan in 1857. Apart from the construction of piers, godow
