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REVIEW
as still more reclamations are pushed out into the sea. Quite coin- cidentally and almost without comment Hong Kong became this year by population, not by area, the largest colonial territory.
Above all, however, it is the weather which must dominate any recollection of 1964, establishing as it did several strangely con- tradictory records such as the wettest January for 40 years, the driest July and more typhoons than ever before in one year. When the year began we had already endured seven months of severely restricted water supply, three or four hours every fourth day, and were to endure another five before the reservoirs filled up. The local almanacs had been optimistic about an early end to the drought, since this was by Chinese reckoning the Year of the Dragon and the dragon besides presaging general prosperity has special powers over water. The year started well, with a very wet January, the wettest since 1925. But the next three months did not fulfil this promise and by the beginning of May total rainfall for the year had fallen far behind the average. On 4th May steps were taken to remind the dragon of what was expected, at the celebrations in the market town of Yuen Long to mark the birthday of the goddess Tin Hau. The goddess was born sixth daughter of a poor fisherman named Lin in a village in Fukien under the Sung Dynasty and it was said that in her youth she walked in the sky. Many miracles were attribut- ed to her after her death and she is believed to have control over the seas. Seafarers worship her in the hope that she will keep them from danger. At this year's Yuen Long celebrations it was not only fishermen but farmers who took the opportunity of seeking some supernatural intervention in the matter of the weather. No less than five ceremonial dragons, three of them 150 feet long were called in to assist.
But even before the dragons had shown their paces the heavens opened and to the delight of everyone the celebrations took place in drenching rain. After that May never looked back. There were thunderstorms a few days later and at the end of the month typhoon Viola arrived, breaking the drought and yet another record. She brought eleven and a half inches of rain, the heaviest fall in any day in May since 1891. Water poured into the reservoirs and even before the storm signals came down it was possible to announce that water restrictions could be eased at once and supply made available every other day.
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