TNAG-0776-FCO40-980-Kowloon-Walled-City-and-aircraft-safety-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 8

Paragraphs

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Political organisations

26

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The Kowloon Walled City Kaifong Welfare

Promotion Committee described

27

36

Power struggle in the Committee.....

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39

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Political potential of the Committee

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Annexures:

Footnotes

Appendix I

(1) - (20)

Plan of the Walled City

Bibliography

30th April 1974

City District Office (Kowloon City)

1.

حمة

Historical and Political Backgrounds of the Walled City

INTRODUCTION

1.

Much has been written about the Walled City, and because of this

phlethora of material much effort is often expended when information

is required to deal with a particular administrative problem. To

help ourselves in our day-to-day work in the Walled City, we have in this background paper attempted to summarise the principal

historical facts about the Walled City and seen against this historical

perspective, the present-day community and plitical forces at play.

It is hoped that this paper would similarly be helpful to other

departments operating in the Walled City.

It is stressed that the information contained in this paper is for background knowledge only, and should in no way be used to interpret

or displace existing or future policy or practice directives from the

Secretary for Security.

THE HISTORY

The Wall

3.

The Kowloon Walled City was formerly enclosed by a stone wall built in 1847, measuring 700 feet by 400 feet, and enclosing an area of

6 acres. This wall was demolished in 1943 during the Japanese

occupation, to provide material for Kai Tak Airport improvements.

As a result the exact boundaries of the Walled City cannot now be

traced. However, the boundaries are customarily known as being Sai

Shing Road on the West, Tung Tau Tsuen Road on the North, Lung Shing

Road on the East, and Lung Chun Road on the South. In early 1973, it

had been possible, using a new process camera on a 1902 plan, to deter more accurately the position of the old wall: this is shown in yellow in the enclosed map (Appendix I), whilst the customary boundaries are shown in brown. For practical purposes and not to be publicised, the Secretary for Security proposes that as a general rule, the boundary should be regarded as a combination of the two lines, taking whichever

is exterior at any particular point.

Article IV of the Peking Convention

4.

2

The controversy surrounding the Walled City originated in Article IV of the Convention signed between China and Britain at Peking on 9th

June, 1898 concerning the extension of Hong Kong Territories. The

Article stipulated that:-

"It is at the same time agreed that within the City of Kowloon

the Chinese Officials now stationed there shall continue to exercise jurisdiction except so far as may be inconsistent with the military requirements for the defence of Hong Kong. Within the remainder of the newly-leased Territory Great Britain shall have sole jurisdiction." (1)

Early British Opinion Towards the Article

5.

6.

From early correspondence between the then Secretary of State and the then Governor of Hong Kong (2), it appears that little importance

was at first attached to this particular clause, possibly because it did not pose a threat to the Colony's security (3).

There is no clue as to who was responsible for the inclusion of

this article, but the prevailing theory (4) is that the Chinese

Government had pressed upon this as a means of "Keeping face" and

maintaining a nominal hold over part of its leased territories.

Analogous treatment can be found in the treaty between China and Russia concerning the lease of Port Arthur on 7th May 1898 in which Kinchow (#), a City situated within the leased area,

remained under Chinese administration.

Change in British Attitude

7.

This particular clause was apparently received by British merchants in

the Far East with some consternation, as they feared that this would affect their trade. The existence of Chinese officials in the City

who could continue to exercise jurisdiction and the accompanying

presence of Chinese "men-of-war, merchant and passenger vessels"

using the "existing landing-place near Kowloon City" to "go and lie

there at their pleasure" was seen to involve the possibility of the

Chinesc continuing to levy tax and dutics on the junk trade, with the result that Hong Kong-based merchants would not be able to maintain a free hand in trade (5). This fear was reinforced when

immediately after the signing of the Convention a dispute between

the two nations arose as to whether the Chinese Maritime fustons

Stations should continue to remain within the newly leased British

waters.