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MONDAY, JUNE 9, 1986
MR IU SAID THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL LEGENDS REGARDING THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME OF HONG KONG.
+ONE IS BASED ON THE LEGENDARY FEMALE PIRATE NAMED 'HEUNG KU' (AUNTY HEUNG) WHO TOOK THE ISLAND AS HER STRONGHOLD. THE SECOND RELATED TO A HILL ON HONG KONG ISLAND - HUNG HEUNG LO SHAN (RED INCENSE BURNER HILL) WHILE THE THIRD REFERRED TO A STREAM NEAR POK FU LAM WHICH PROVIDED A SOURCE OF 'FRESH AND FRAGRANT WATER' TO PASSING SHIPS IN THE OLD DAYS.
+HOWEVER, NONE OF THESE LEGENDS IS BACKED UP BY EVIDENCE,
HE SAID,
THE CULTIVATION AND TRADE IN INCENSE REACHED THE HEIGHT OF PROSPERITY DURING THE LATE MING DYNASTY (16TH CENTURY).
THE INDUSTRY SUFFERED A STUNNING BLOW DURING THE REIGN OF EMPEROR HON HAI OF THE CHING DYNASTY (1662–1720 A.D.) WHEN THE MANCHUS ADOPTED A +SCORCHED EARTH STRATEGY+ BY DESTROYING EVERYTHING WITHIN 50 LI (CHINESE MILES) OF THE COAST TO PREVENT POSSIBLE COUNTER-ATTACKS OF THE MING GENERAL CHENG SHING-KUNG FROM FORMOSA (NOW TAIWAN).
DESPITE THE DECLINE OF THE INDUSTRY, INCENSE TREES CONTINUED TO GROW AND IN HONG KONG, THEY USUALLY OCCURRED IN NATURAL WOODLAND ON LOWER HILL SLOPES AND IN FUNG SHUI WOODS BEHIND VILLAGES, MR IU SAID.
THE PUBLICATION IN 1959 OF PROF LO'S BOOK HAD GENERATED SOME LOCAL INTEREST IN INCENSE TREE. IN THE 1960'S AND 1970'S, BOTH THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT AND THE URBAN COUNCIL PLANTED A NUMBER OF SEEDLINGS OF THIS SPECIES ON HILL SLOPES AND IN PUBLIC GARDENS.
+HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF ITS SLOW-GROWING HABITS AND INCONSPICUOUS FLOWERS, IT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO ATTRACT AS MUCH PUBLIC ATTENTION AS THE MORE FAST GROWING AND COLOURFUL TREES SUCH AS ACACIA, FLAME TREE AND BAUHINIA,+ HE ADDED.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
THE TEXT OF MR IU'S SPEECH HAS BEEN BOXED FOR COLLECTION.
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