Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Housing for the masses
Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications
The calamity spurred the government to launch an emergency programme of public-
housing construction; spartan new blocks of flats put cheap and fireproof roofs over hun-
dreds of thousands of heads. But this new housing was grimly overcrowded, and even a
frenzy of construction couldn't keep pace with the increasing demand for living space. In
1962 the colonial authorities closed the border with China, but even this did not altogether
stem the flow of refugees: the next arrivals were the Vietnamese boat people.
Hong Kong's economy boomed in the 1970s and 1980s, thanks largely to its role as Ch-
ina's trading partner, and as a result the standard of living in the colony rapidly improved.
Back to China
As 1997 drew near, it became clear that the Chinese government would not renew the
99-year lease on the New Territories. Negotiations began and in 1984, then British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Britain confirmed the
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