NOTES AND QUERIES
167
little farming, as the island has steep and rocky sides and there are only a few places where agriculture may be carried on.
As in other little towns of this sort whose existence was founded upon the business opportunities created by the presence of a fishing fleet, the population was mixed, consisting of Punti and Hakka people from a number of districts of the Kwangtung province.23 For the most part, it was recruited from among young men from the country districts bearing introductions to fellow clansmen and relatives already working or settled on Ap Lei Chau, or else following them back to Ap Lei Chau when they came on short visits to their native place. For most of its history, men outnumbered women residents. As late as 1911, the relative numbers of males and females, including children, were 1,041 to 396. In 1897, it had been 783 to 340.24 This was because many wives stayed behind in the village and were never taken to Ap Lei Chau. In this respect, Ap Lei Chau was like any other settlement of overseas Chinese living away from their native place and under alien rule.
Following a pattern long established elsewhere, the local people established their own "district associations" (鄉會) on the island in the 19th century.25 There were three of these organisations, each under a fong or 'ward' name. Membership of the Fongs was automatically extended to all comers, whether temporary or permanent residents, and irrespective of status. The odd-job coolie and the established merchant were equal members, though having adequate means and more leisure, the latter would, of course, play the more important part in the Fong's affairs: it would, in any case, be expected of him. Only women and children were excluded from membership.
At a time when the Victorian colonial administration of the Colony saw its main function in the rural areas as keeping the peace, the leaders of the three Fongs, in effect, of the Ap Lei Chau community made themselves generally responsible for local affairs. However, the need to perform special duties was apparently intermittent and spasmodic, and their most regular function was to make adequate arrangements for celebrating the birthdays of the principal gods of the two local temples, Hung Shing, the God of the Southern Sea, and Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, and the occasion of the Yue Lan Festival (盂蘭節) in the 7th moon. Each Fong took its turn to be entirely responsi-
NOTES AND QUERIES
167
little farming, as the island has steep and rocky sides and there are only a few places where agriculture may be carried on.
As in other little towns of this sort whose existence was founded upon the business opportunities created by the presence of a fishing fleet the population was mixed, consisting of Punti and Hakka people from a number of districts of the Kwangtung pro- vince.23 For the most part it was recruited from among young men from the country districts bearing introductions to fellow clansmen and relatives already working or settled on Ap Lei Chau, or else following them back to Ap Lei Chau when they came on short visits to their native place. For most of its history men outnumbered women residents. As late as 1911 the relative numbers of males and females, including children, were 1,041 to 396. In 1897 it had been 783 to 340.24 This was because many wives stayed behind in the village and were never taken to Ap Lei Chau. In this respect Ap Lei Chau was like any other settle- ment of overseas Chinese living away from their native place, and under alien rule.
Following a pattern long established elsewhere, the local people established their own "district associations" ( e ) on the island in the 19th century.25 There were three of these organi- sations, each under a fong or 'ward' name. Membership of the Fongs was automatically extended to all comers, whether tem- porary or permanent residents, and irrespective of status. The odd-job coolie and the established merchant were equal members, though having adequate means and more leisure, the latter would, of course, play the more important part in the Fong's affairs: it would, in any case, be expected of him. Only women and children were excluded from membership,
At a time when the Victorian colonial administration of the Colony saw its main function in the rural areas as keeping the peace, the leaders of the three Fongs in effect, of the Ap Lei Chau community made themselves generally responsible for local affairs. However, the need to perform special duties was apparently intermittent and spasmodic and their most regular function was to make adequate arrangements for celebrating the birthdays of the principal gods of the two local temples Hung Shing, the God of the Southern Sea, and Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, and the occasion of the Yue Lan Festival (AP) in the 7th moon. Each Fong took its turn to be entirely responsi-
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.