;
Cameos in Jade Green
and Antique Stone
Sequestered in fields of jade green rice and filigree clumps of bamboo, the villages of the New Territories wear the patina of the eight hundred and more years that have passed since the earliest were founded by settlers from the north. Life in the remoter communities may show little outward sign of change, but on the antique stone walls of many a village home hang framed photographs of sons who have gone abroad to seek their fortunes. Often these young men continue to support their families from their earnings, usually derived from restaurant work in Britain.
Though reluctant to change from tried and trusted ways of agricul- ture and husbandry, many villagers enjoy advantages of which their ancestors would never have dreamed, including electric light, radio, piped water supply and generous medical and educational facilities. Each community, though it may number less than a hundred inhabitants, appoints one or more Village Representatives who
HON
3
sit on Rural Committees which provide a bridge be-→→→ tween the New Territories Administration and people.
The all-weather hat of the Hakka village
woman serves as sun-
shade, umbrella and
BLhide-away for toddlers.