1960-01-02 — Page 9

Page

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 1980.

Page: 5

OUR LAND OF TOMORROW

EMERALD mountains and a sapphire sea, jade-green islands laced with

silvery streams, all basking in a golden sun.

ritories-mystic and idyllic,

Such are the New Ter-

At least that's how most visitors-and residents-here see this area, which covers 866 square miles of land surrounded by 673 square miles of

sea.

But it is against this startlingly beau- tiful scong that Hongkong's biggest and

most serious

project-the

development

of the Now Territorias—wat started somo years ago. For to

most of the

Colony's far-sighted plannere,

the only

kay to Hongkong's future lies in its hin- terland.

AND HERE IS ITS STORY...

On July 1, 1898, Britain leased from China for 99 years the broad swath of Innd extending from the Shumchun River in the north to Boundary Street in the south-and including some 200 islands, large and small.

But the New Territories, as the

агол was

dubbed, have come a long way down tho ages to jodn our civilisation Swacked in legends, formerly a hide-out for vicious pirates, once romantic rendezvous of a princess, and more than once a hated pince of exile for those out of favour with Peking's throne, its history makes a fas- cinating age.

How' new?

Just how new are the New Territories? Scientists estimate its age ut some 150 million years, according to measurements of radioactivity in Jurassie Age podiments found in the Told 2,300 Channel. Pretty young, compared to the million years now thought to be the age of the world

Our restless land had undergone countless changes in its structure ... from ancient voleande explosions, wrinkling, a flattening through erosion. to another wrinkling: a deposition of sediment, a final volcanle outpouring of lava-and then general erosion.

a

And throughout these changes the land rose and sank many tunes above and below the sca

Today we can still see the ratsed beaches and terraces along Castle Peak Road and on Lamma island. Some raised beaches are as high as 100 feet above sea level, while others have munk to 100 feet below!

And it's all moving-dan- wards this time, A cleList estimates the sinking to be as Area, there

years, roughly

ure

YUEN LONG'S octogenarian, Mr

Wong Tre-lut, who has wit-. nossod all the changes in the New Territorios since 1898, posing with his wife at tho celebration of their Golden Jubilee recently. At 82, Mir Wong is still sharp of eye and ear. He refuses assistance when walking up and down steep staircase

at home.

@

Icw plains heads and pottery, which have boon found in Lantao, Lama, the rate of 100 feet per 1,000 larger than three-quarters of a

Hul. This places a Talpo, Castle Peak, San inch a year. square mile.

limit to our arable land, the So Kon Wat, Tsun Wan and a wouldn't "A harbour bridge

towns must be snall and rite between Tsun Wan be much use then, would it?”

scattered and the soil is much Gin Drinkers' Bay. he grinned. "There'll be harbour by the year 2,000 more acidic than most parts of

the world.

Bleak

10

But with these geological up- heavals, Nature put up its art hurdle in the race to develop the New Territories

The lord is so hilly and steep that, except for the Deep Bay

13

27

But the bleakness of the land did not deter the first humans

settled

some who

St оп the New 7,000 years ago in

Age (5.000 BC-2,000 Stone BC).

erop remnants keep ping up even now-stone axes.

fron swords, bronze

Their

urrow-

A British Crossword Puzzle

12

110

ACROSS

13

10

1 Gain it and you're in! (0),

5 Played a part (5).

& They easily get out of hand

(4).

Second-hand

entertained (0),

DOWN

1 A method, but not at home

(4).

and

PART ONE

YCssCl has to be baled or pumped out.

And another feature of their junks even today more efficient

in than those used

is the European sailing craft,

perforated rudder which can be casily steered without breaking in high renk,

THE NEW TERRITORIES STORY

By

DAVID LAN

The HOKLO 1ỰU Another seafaring people from Fakien, Arriving slightly

the has spent his whole life icach- after Tanks, they

on the ing in the N.T.

The old gentleman islands of Cheung Chau and

hla "Suu Choy" Peng Chan. Considered

centred

(a

obtained scholar'a

by the easy certificate) by passing the Im- Chinese conquerors of this area pertat Examinations at the age

of 24.

large Bad

ht

as barbarians, both these people are Ashermen-and mostly live

Thirty years ngo," out their lives on their boats.

The FUNTI ("The Natives") recalled, "this town of Yuen are the Cantonese proper, who Long was partly sea and partly the Junks from paddy field. migrated south on

north used to sail into the town scale from B80 AD,

is still a Itself. There

river occupied the best part of the under two of our streets today. northwest plains. Today they own a good deal of the best

"Whee one valley land in many areRE would call

The HARKA (The usually took his time, arriving Strangers")

large leisurely by sedan-chair. numberw Around 1662-1065. I taking up most of the north- cast terrain, and the falands of Taing I and Ma Wan.

CRIZIO

la

live on the uplands.

They

the

Both of farming stock, Punti and Hakka are landlub- bers, building walled villages surrounded against attack by mouts and accessible only by bridget.

The

Language

lingua francu of the

N.T. is the city Cantonese, although the four communities Speak

somewhat diferent

dialects,

Here is the

The fifth wave — apart from the industrial workers from Shanghai and the bortbare the Intent refugees, who are mainly vegetable farmers from Hwang- tang.

take-over Since the British In 1809 the New Territories and developed grown ago, the have About 2,179 years

of the Tsing phenomenally. Arst Emperor Dynasty sent troops down five account to date of the past 61 reglan years. passes to conquer this

contained The for the treasures it -pearls, coral and even ivory. China also exiled her political prisoners in the New Territories, where they died of fever,

the place Regarding "barbarous," the Chinese Ignored It for over 1,000 years betore colonising it on a large scale with peasants 980 years

ago.

The people

the

The people DI Territories today aro distinct communities:

New

from

population rose 100,000 to 430,000 villages In- creased from 300 to 900, from cow-paths to 166 mlies of reads and 22 miles of rallway track, Ave reservoirs including the Pantic Thi băm chung, 20 -305 establishments, medical

with a roll-call of schools

an almost successful 39,000, elimination of illiteracy, power alons all the main and water Toads and some islands, primary produces widened In range and multiplied in volue

record total

10

million. onc iron mine, 13 cinema houses, and finally- of four from a handful of cottage in- over 200 major -whose produce

the

Tanka, the Hoklo, the Punt dustries to

and the Hakka in the order factories

of their arrival.

appears

A Inst Wave, andi the over. biggest, an influx of refugees

on markets the world

To say nothing of two moute

from China, poured down after studior, a shipbreaking yard

and

1948.

complete Industrial town among other The

TANKA, a scafxring satellite people from Kwangtung and accomplishments. Fukien, are the Vikings of the *What unbellovable changes," octogena. China Sea, pearl divers and used a Yuen Long experi Shipwrikbis. They rian, Mr Wong The-lut, now at arrived on the scene over 2,909 82, ons of the very few who years ago, and collected on Tal have seen the entire metamor O, Lantao Island, where most phosis with his own eyes.

of them are even to this day.

I was the Tanka who sailed up the Pearl River estuary to

Seven hours

"

1

days

the "People in

ald trudged seven hours from Yuen

storm the city of Canton in the Yuan Dynasty (1278), protest- Ing the government attempt to monopolise the salt-pan in Long to Kowloon," he told me. "The rich rode in sedan chairs The Tanka build excellent carried by two

But

dustry on Lantao Island.

men—even

big junks, whose high sterns then he needed alx hours. normally accommodato several today all you do is get on a bus generations or familles..

to be there in an hour."

"Few knew how read and A feature of their craft.

Usually it water-tight compartments-has write.

006

Some

2 Buddy, but much changed only been developed recently tutor to a village, and

villages shared

(4).

clair to be

3 Man of formight (4).

4 Dignised (6).

5 Speak evil of (7)..'

6 Cheat he may be,

but be

might do a good tum (7).

11 Couples in Pal: (5).

12 Military spirit (8).

14 The double existence of Mice

Daniels? (4).

18 Sinte on path? (G).

Cowardly fellow (7)+

19 Not drink-taken (5).

10 Conscious of intermi strife 13 Maa Loon? (7).

(5).

19 It's at the back (4),

20 Spills (0).

21 Am a fool, it seems, to hoard

(B).

25. function is quite differ-

ent from that of a shutter (6)..

20 Not Old Ireland (4).

27 Revise and correct (5).

· 28: Place', of worship we have

in our field:(9) ;)

14 Put her on the rack, the

hussy! (7).

In Europe so that if a leak is times several sprung, only one part of the one titor," said Mr Wood, who

MAN challenged in a fat in Belsise Square, Hampstead, re-

18 Meditate in bed and become Alled, "Oh, it's all right. I'm just a burglar." And walked out.

quite fuddled (7).

17 It's

The owner of the flat. Mr Michael Lewin, said last night: “My

a sort of exhaust pipe sister was so astonished that the burglar was out of the door bes (B).

fore she could do anything: The man took my guld watch and eitt

19 Holiday spot pertaper go, links,"

to It (6)

21 Weapon often buttoned, (4).

..

22.Just the game to give one ale official in Italy now it you shout rude things at a referee

brook (4) 23 Eagle, (4)..

THURSDAY'S CROSSWORD—–—– Across: 1 Alpha, Campus 9 Strail 10 Osier, 13 Bor 14 Prode, 17 Years, 13 Desde 20 Notable, 22 Emilt, 23 Editors; 37 Char-on, 29 Token, 30 (dry) lr, 31 Rating, 35: Parry, Dawn: 1. Ansop, 2) Puris

3 Allbl, 5-A-o-s, 6 Palaid -7 Spread, 0 Toddler 11 Es-van-t 18 Reredos 15 Room 10 hribe, 10kmaar, 20 Nosios, kelekat 24 lampe, 15, Outer, 3452psso" 33′ A-600,"

·You énn'in in gol.

In a remarkable court ruling in Bologna, the President of the Appeal Court, Judke, Marso, sild that a referee has all the rights of protection due to a pable oficial

And in Italy it is a crime to shout rude things at a public official

The ruling cane when three football fans apported Agalmat sentences given Las Loman for Mouling their fate at use recuren mately between two mmmbarbalAND

have

respect....and now find myself heading a family or no less than 30," he ended, chuckling.

Well, such as been the growth of the New Territories up to now. But what does the future hold?

Some of the proposed scheme were detalled by the youthful and energetic District Commis- sluner of the region, Mr D. R. Holmes, These are:

*Major reclamation of land

Type. Absin Gin Drinkers Bay, Castle Peak and Junk Bay,

AL

*

been lucky in

was sick,

herbalist wha

But this

onc

•Two projects 10 bulla at Plover fresh-water lakes

Cove and Hebe Haven.

*Roads to be built in the eastern regions. Lantao Island Castle Pesk to open up previously inaccessible areas.

Industries side by aldo with agriculture, it is Government's duty to make the process easy as possiblé."

But why, you may ask, should the process be "graduat" and "ensty in the light of Hongkong's

needs.. pressing Why cannot it be rushed ahead 08 fast as it can go?

OVEY.

a

Because the development of the New Territories b some. thing like a bandicap race," go 100 fast and some of the hurdles may be knocked

And there are many hurdles an acute shortage of land, difficult Ecrious communications, water shortage, irrigation prob- lems, typhoons and foods, crosion, over-population on A

•A Highway linking Talpo sub-standard of Uving, general and Tun Wan via the Lead poverty and ignorance, Aline Pass which will bring Bmited market—are only a few. The two principal towne together for greator develop. ament.

And

Gradual

"The Ter-

Remarked Mr Holmes: development of the New ritories is a gradual process by which Government will supply the conditions for developing

THE WORLD'S

5

But the struggle goes on, and as the decade of the 'Sixtios begins 'It brings with it courage and hope for some victories in the fight-one on which Hong- kong's future may depend...k

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