Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
gerheads with the government, which was chasing taxes and urging better treat-
ment of the local Chinese. To avoid paying taxes many
taipans
became honoury
consuls of foreign powers or sailed their ships under foreign flags.
Many of these hongs still exist today, successful because they diversified as Hong
Kong's economy changed. Their offices are now hidden in the morass of sky-
scrapers, their interests spread widely through subsidiaries and some bought out
by Chinese
taipans
. Although they no longer rule the roost, they still wield power
from behind the scenes.
19th century commerce and prosperity
The first governor of Hong Kong, Sir Henry Pottinger, predicted it would become 'a vast
emporium of commerce and wealth'. Under his direction, Hong Kong began its march to-
wards prosperity. It was soon flourishing; with its natural harbour that attracted ships, Hong
Kong leaped to the forefront as a base for trade. Both the population and the economy began
to grow steadily. A surprise was the sizable number of Chinese who chose to move to the
colony.
In the meantime, the opening of Hong Kong was the last blow to Macau's prosperity. In-
roads had already been made by the arrival of the Dutch, and Macau's loss to them of the
profitable Japanese trade. From then on, up until its 21st-century comeback as Asia's
gambling capital, Macau sank into relative obscurity.
Despite the differences between the Chinese majority and the European minority, rela-
tions were generally cordial. Sir John Francis Davis, an early governor, disgusted with the
squabbling of the English residents, declared: 'It is a much easier task to govern the 20,000
Chinese inhabitants of the colony than the few hundreds of English.'
There were a few incidents: On 15 January 1857, somebody added an extra ingredient to
the dough at the colony's main bakery - arsenic. While the Chinese continued to enjoy their
daily rice, the British, eating their daily bread, were dropping like flies. At the height of the
panic, thousands of Chinese were deported from Hong Kong. No one ever discovered the
identity or the motive of the culprits.
Conditions in the colony in the 19th century, however, did not favour the Chinese popu-
lation. The British lived along the waterfront in Victoria (now Central) and on the cooler
slopes of Victoria Peak. The Chinese were barred from these areas, and from any European
neighbourhood. They settled in what is now known as the Western District. It was not un-
common for several families and their animals to share one room in crowded shantytowns.
So it is not surprising that when bubonic plague struck in 1894, it took nearly 30 years to
fully eradicate it. Today in parts of Western District, you can still wander narrow streets
lined with small traditional shops selling ginseng, medicinal herbs, incense, tea and funeral
objects.
