Paragraphs
*
Political organisations
26
*
*
The Kowloon Walled City Kaifong Welfare
Promotion Committee described
27
36
Power struggle in the Committee.....
37
39
*
Political potential of the Committee
40
Annexures:
Footnotes
Appendix I
(1) - (20)
Plan of the Walled City
Bibliography
30th April 1974
City District Office (Kowloon City)
1.
حمة
Historical and Political Backgrounds of the Walled City
INTRODUCTION
1.
Much has been written about the Walled City, and because of this
phlethora of material much effort is often expended when information
is required to deal with a particular administrative problem. To
help ourselves in our day-to-day work in the Walled City, we have in this background paper attempted to summarise the principal
historical facts about the Walled City and seen against this historical
perspective, the present-day community and plitical forces at play.
It is hoped that this paper would similarly be helpful to other
departments operating in the Walled City.
It is stressed that the information contained in this paper is for background knowledge only, and should in no way be used to interpret
or displace existing or future policy or practice directives from the
Secretary for Security.
THE HISTORY
The Wall
3.
The Kowloon Walled City was formerly enclosed by a stone wall built in 1847, measuring 700 feet by 400 feet, and enclosing an area of
6 acres. This wall was demolished in 1943 during the Japanese
occupation, to provide material for Kai Tak Airport improvements.
As a result the exact boundaries of the Walled City cannot now be
traced. However, the boundaries are customarily known as being Sai
Shing Road on the West, Tung Tau Tsuen Road on the North, Lung Shing
Road on the East, and Lung Chun Road on the South. In early 1973, it
had been possible, using a new process camera on a 1902 plan, to deter more accurately the position of the old wall: this is shown in yellow in the enclosed map (Appendix I), whilst the customary boundaries are shown in brown. For practical purposes and not to be publicised, the Secretary for Security proposes that as a general rule, the boundary should be regarded as a combination of the two lines, taking whichever
is exterior at any particular point.
Article IV of the Peking Convention
4.
2
The controversy surrounding the Walled City originated in Article IV of the Convention signed between China and Britain at Peking on 9th
June, 1898 concerning the extension of Hong Kong Territories. The
Article stipulated that:-
"It is at the same time agreed that within the City of Kowloon
the Chinese Officials now stationed there shall continue to exercise jurisdiction except so far as may be inconsistent with the military requirements for the defence of Hong Kong. Within the remainder of the newly-leased Territory Great Britain shall have sole jurisdiction." (1)
Early British Opinion Towards the Article
5.
6.
From early correspondence between the then Secretary of State and the then Governor of Hong Kong (2), it appears that little importance
was at first attached to this particular clause, possibly because it did not pose a threat to the Colony's security (3).
There is no clue as to who was responsible for the inclusion of
this article, but the prevailing theory (4) is that the Chinese
Government had pressed upon this as a means of "Keeping face" and
maintaining a nominal hold over part of its leased territories.
Analogous treatment can be found in the treaty between China and Russia concerning the lease of Port Arthur on 7th May 1898 in which Kinchow (#), a City situated within the leased area,
remained under Chinese administration.
Change in British Attitude
7.
This particular clause was apparently received by British merchants in
the Far East with some consternation, as they feared that this would affect their trade. The existence of Chinese officials in the City
who could continue to exercise jurisdiction and the accompanying
presence of Chinese "men-of-war, merchant and passenger vessels"
using the "existing landing-place near Kowloon City" to "go and lie
there at their pleasure" was seen to involve the possibility of the
Chinesc continuing to levy tax and dutics on the junk trade, with the result that Hong Kong-based merchants would not be able to maintain a free hand in trade (5). This fear was reinforced when
immediately after the signing of the Convention a dispute between
the two nations arose as to whether the Chinese Maritime fustons
Stations should continue to remain within the newly leased British
waters.