SHIPMENT CENTRE AND MARKET PLACE, ATTRACTING MORE AND
MORE COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL INTERESTS AND WITH THEM THE
BROADER GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY STRUCTURES NECESSARY TO
SUPPORT AND PROTECT THEM. THINGS WERE PROBABLY NOT QUITE
AS COLOURFUL AS SOME POPULAR AUTHORSHAVE DESCRIBED, BUT
THE EARLY "TAIPANS" OF HONG KONG NO DOUBT NEEDED TO HAVE,
AND HAD, THE RIGHT PORTIONS OF AGGRESSIVENESS, BUSINESS
ACUMEN, FORESIGHT, AND STAMINA TO DEAL WITH THE ODDS IN
THESE DAYS AND CONTRIBUTE SUCCESSFULLY TO THE EMERGENCE
OF THE COLONY AS A PORT OF SOME PROMINENCE,
BY THE TURN OF
THE CENTURY, THE HONG KONG HARBOUR WAS BUSIER THAN EVER
AND SHIPBUILDING AND SHIP REPAIRING INDUSTRIES BECA ME IMPOR -
TANT LOCAL INDUSTRIES AS WELL.
THE TIME AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR HAVING BEEN LEFT
BEHIND WITHOUT TOO MANY MAJOR UPHEAVALS ON THE LOCAL SCENE (EXCEPT AN INCREASE IN POPULATION) HONG KONG SETTLED DOWN
TO A RATHER MORE SERENE COLONIAL LIFE. THERE WAS TIME TO
DEVELOP THE COLONY'S INFRASTRUCTURE, TO FURTHER FOSTER
ITS ROLE AS A PORT BY THE FURTHER EXPANSION OF TRADE, BY THE
ADDITION OF SOME ILLUSTRIOUS NAMES TO THE ROSTER OF FIRMS
ނ
ESTABLISHED HERE, AND BY CONTINUED EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN
THE COMMERCIAL LINKS WITH THE REST OF THE REGION AND THE
WORLD.
IT WAS A TIME OF NOT PARTICULARLY SPECTACULAR BUT
STEADY GROWTH, WITH HONG KONG TRYING TO UTILIZE ITS GEO-
GRAPHICAL POSITION TO BEST ADVANTAGE FOR INCREASING ITS
PROSPERITY.
IN THE PERIOD AFTER THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR,
THE POPULATION OF ABOUT 1 MILLION INCREASED DRAMATICALLY
IN A RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD TO ABOUT 4 MILLION
-
· AND THE
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